By Aaron Curtis
The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
GROTON, Mass. — Groton Police K-9 Officer Bane is in serious but stable condition with broken bones and punctured lungs after the dog was struck by a vehicle on Wednesday during a hit-and-run crash on Pleasant Street.
Police are now asking the public for help identifying the driver involved.
Police said at about 4:50 p.m. Wednesday, a Groton resident reported a vehicle in front of them had struck a black lab on Pleasant Street in the area of the police department. The dog struck turned out to be Bane.
The witness and two other vehicles stopped to render aid to Bane, while the motorist who hit the dog continued driving in the direction of Ayer.
The police are asking anyone who has cameras in the area or anyone who was traveling on Pleasant Street at the time of the incident to contact Detective Andrew Davis at 978-448-5555 or adavis@grotonma.gov.
“We also would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to the 4 citizens who stopped and helped our K9 who suffered serious injuries which included a broken femur, dislocated hip, broken ribs and punctured lungs,” police said in a press release.
Bane, who was on duty at the time of the incident, is being treated at Tufts Animal Hospital .
Bane’s face is a common sight on the Groton Police Department social media pages. The dog was introduced to the department in September 2019, when he was 10 months old. Bane replaced K-9 Officer Lola after she died from cancer in November 2018 .
“Due to some amazing and generous citizens and organizations we are able to continue the K9 program, we just needed to find the right dog,” the department announced on social media in September 2019 . “We spent months searching for the perfect lab that would fit the needs of the department and the town. We are happy to say we found our perfect dog in Bane.”
A photograph of Bane and his partner, Officer Greg Steward , were featured in the 2022 calendar released by the nonprofit, Vested Interest in K9s. The annual calendar is part of a fundraising effort by the nonprofit that provides bullet- and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the U.S.
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