CINCINNATI — A retired K-9 officer will have a second chance at living out his later years of life thanks to hundreds of people who donated to help with his medical care.
“A lot of people stepped up more than they probably need to, and I just want them to know It doesn't go unnoticed,” said retired police officer Jay Manning.
Manning and his K-9, Onil, retired from the North College Hill Police Department last spring.
During Onil's eight years with the department, he did everything from drug and gun seizures to working with elementary students with special needs.
“We did all kinds of crazy stuff together,” Manning said. “He's with me every minute of every day, 24/7. He lived with me. He slept with me.”
When it came time for Onil to retire, he was already in his forever home.
“He was completely funded during his career,” Manning said. “Once we retired, all that funding dried up.”
These were supposed to be his golden years, but a recent abnormal medical span put them in jeopardy.
“Hugely scary,” Manning said.
Manning said Onil’s spleen was enlarged and a veterinarian found blood in his abdomen. He’ll need surgery within probably the next week to have his spleen removed. Then, veterinarians will try to figure out what’s wrong.
“The problem went through my head more than the cost because whatever it would take to fix him we would do,” Manning said.
Still, those costs were growing. Estimates were around $15,000.
“That's a pretty steep check on a retired salary,” he said.
Some organizations provide help to fill in the funding gaps. However, there’s only so much funding to go around.
“One of the organizations I talked to about funding his surgery, said ‘We're having 50 dogs a week retire’ and that's nationwide,” Manning said.
Manning turned to donations to help. Within 48 hours, donors had almost entirely made up the estimate.
“90% of them, I have no idea who they are,” Manning said.
Now, Manning hopes to pay it forward. He hopes to launch a fund or find another avenue to raise money for other retired K9 officers.
“We can pay this forward a little bit and make it easier for the next guy,” he said.
