Capital K9s

09/11/2026

K9 Freddie was in the shop for some maintenance work this week. Poor guy had to have a lump removed, a dental cleaning and a couple of minor teeth removed. Our friends at Spartan Animal Hospital in McFarland took great care of him and we are happy to report that he is up and running again!

Police K9s are pretty unique. They are extremely high drive and that makes putting them under for surgeries or dental cleanings difficult. It can take extra anesthesia to put them under, but too much can be very dangerous for them. Also, their handler is always on hand to assist with the K9 when they wake up as they can become disoriented and a danger to staff.

Fortunately, K9 Fred was a perfect patient and was back at home after a couple of hours. He wasn't real thrilled with the pink vet wrap but he, and we, appreciate our partners at Spartan! Thank you guys from all of us at Capital K9s!

09/07/2026

Our condolences to the Madison PD Mounted Patrol and Friends of Madison Mounted Horse Patrol on the loss of their horse Bubba who passed away unexpectedly last week. Bubba was a leader and very popular horse and his presence will be missed for a long time.

Enjoy your new pastures big guy. We'll be thinking about you. 💙🐎

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Bubba, a longtime member of the Mounted Patrol.

Born in 2002, Bubba joined the Mounted Patrol team in 2010. A Percheron/Clydesdale, he was a big horse in every sense of the word. But it was his steady, dependable presence that made him so special. Over his 16 years with the department, Bubba taught most of the officers who came through the program how to ride. He was patient with new riders and gave them the confidence that comes from knowing they could trust the horse underneath them. For countless officers, Bubba was more than a partner, he was their first teacher and a steady presence as they learned the unique responsibility of Mounted Patrol.

Bubba was also a familiar and beloved presence throughout Madison. He stood steady through countless Halloweens, Mifflin Street Block Parties, and long nights on State Street. In the middle of crowds, noise, lights, and the unpredictability of police work, Bubba remained calm and reliable. After so many years with the team, Bubba became the most recognizable horse in our unit. Many Madison residents knew him by name, and countless people have a story or a memory that includes seeing Bubba and his rider somewhere in the city.

Bubba passed away peacefully at the farm, surrounded by the people and horses who had been part of his life. While we are heartbroken to lose him, we are grateful for the years he gave to this department, this community, and the many officers who had the privilege of riding him. His impact on the Mounted Patrol will live on through the officers he taught and the countless people he met throughout his career.

Thank you, Bubba, for 16 years of service, patience, and unwavering dependability. You will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

If you have a favorite memory with Bubba, please share them in the comments. We will be sharing more photos of Bubbas incredible career soon to honor the incredible legacy he left in the Madison community.

08/25/2026

Following up on K9 Patton's recent retirement, Patton started on 11/16/18 and retired on 8/19/26. Over his stellar career with the Madison Police Department, he did some remarkable things.

K9 Patton responded to 614 calls for service
He participated in 201 arrests (he tracked, did a building search, narcotic sniff, etc.)
He found 103 people - either suspects or missing people
Handguns found-4

During his career, K9 Patton made an incredible impact on the safety of our community.

More than 7.25 pounds of illegal drugs located
His career finds included:
• 2.87 lbs. of he**in
• 1.74 lbs. of co***ne
• 2.42 lbs. of crack co***ne
• 60 grams of methamphetamine
• 38 grams of fentanyl
Combined, those drugs had an estimated street-level value of more than $400,000!

Perhaps the most sobering number is the fentanyl. According to the DEA, just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be a potentially lethal dose. The 38 grams located by K9 Patton represents as many as 19,000 potentially lethal doses removed from circulation.
Those numbers tell only part of the story. Behind every search was K9 and handler Chase Lewis working together to help keep our officers and our community safer. They keep their skill sharp with 3,200 hours of training.

After an outstanding career of service, K9 Patton has certainly earned his retirement.

Good boy. Job well done.

K9 Patton will spend his retirement at home with his handler and family. His vet and food expenses will be covered by Capital K9s.

08/24/2026

Madison police K9 Patton officially retired last week. He was partnered with Chase Lewis and is 9 years old. More details on Patton coming soon.

K9 Patton was sponsored by Midwest Family Broadcasting and his care was sponsored by Animal Hospital of Verona.

Also last week, K9 Domo celebrated his 8th birthday! K9 Domo has worked with MPD for 6 years and is sponsored by the Dominic Foundation and Mary Harrington. His vet is McFarland Animal Hospital.

08/18/2026

Capital K9s 4th annual golf outing is in the books. About 100 golfers attended and helped us have another successful outing. The weather was perfect!

This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. Madison PD K9's and handlers were on hand to answer questions and show off some skills. Of course we had Greenbush Bakery donuts available for golfers and officers alike. :)

We appreciate all the golfers who took the time to golf with us, the Capital K9s volunteers who made the event run smoothly, Culver's at Todd Drive for being our main sponsor (with assistance from the Cottage Grove Rd and Sun Prairie Culver's too), all of our hole sponsors and the MPD K9s and handlers (some of whom had just worked their night shift) for attending as well.

Hope to see you all next year for an even bigger and better event!






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08/11/2026

Madison PD K9 Patton

08/10/2026

One week from today, you could be playing golf instead of whatever you are doing now! Join us at our golf outing - sign ups still be accepted for a few more days.

K9's will be there and doughnuts too! Also, make sure you take a look at our silent auction going on now through next Monday. Visit our website to sign up for golf or to bid on items.

This is our largest fundraiser of the year. Support the Madison K9 Unit. Special thanks to our main sponsor Culver's at Todd Dr., Cottage Grove Rd., and Sun Prairie!

Friends of the Pack-Appleton Police Department K-9 Unit
Friends of Rockford Police K-9 Unit
City of Monona Police Department
Oregon Police Department K-9 Unit
Fitchburg, Wisconsin - Police Department
Middleton Police Department
Dane County K9, Inc.
Dane County Sheriff's Office

08/06/2026

Here's K9 Carl who is a certified good boy and he was an official golfer greeter at last year's Capital K9s golf outing. Carl is an explosives detection dog and he made sure we had an incident free golf outing.

Wouldn't you like to play golf, win stuff, eat food, and see our K9's in person? Only 7 days left to sign up on our website! A silent auction in progress too. We still have room for a few more golfers so sign up...or I'll tell Carl!

08/04/2026

Less than 2 WEEKS to sign up for the 4th annual Capital K9s Golf Outing starring some of our finest 4 legged officers. We still have openings for a few more golfers. Single golfers welcome. Also, our SILENT AUCTION is officially open and ready for bids. We have a lot of great items and you can bid whether you are golfing or not.

Go to our website to see all the details.
www.capitalk9s.org