McMinnville Police Department’s cutest officer, Kane, was awarded the Canine of the Year award by the Bobby Ray Pound 379 Military Order of the Devil Dogs. 

Kane and his handler, Sgt. Joseph Butler, received the award Wednesday morning. Military Order of the Devil Dog members Dennis Wagner and Bill Russell presented the award to Butler and Kane. 

“We are honored to present this Canine of the Year award to Kane. This award is for outstanding service to the community while performing his duties as a canine officer for McMinnville Police Department. We would also like to recognize Sgt. Joseph Butler for his role as handler,” said Russell.

Kane was able to track down approximately $40,000 worth of stolen merchandise, which is what prompted the award. The specific details of this case are currently unknown because it is still ongoing. 

“We felt he was deserving of it,” said Russell. 

“He took a bite out of crime,” joked Wagner.

Kane and Butler have worked together for a year and a half. Butler was honored by the award.

“I really appreciate it,” said Butler. “This is a thankless job, so things like this really make it worth it.” 

McMinnville Police Chief Nichole Mosley was also proud of the pair and Eddie Culwell who used to be over the K-9 unit. 

“We are proud of Kane and proud to have Joey as a sergeant here. They do a really good job together and Eddie has done a good job keeping them together and making sure they are getting the training they need,” said Mosley. 

Along with presenting Canine of the Year awards, the Military Order of the Devil Dogs also attempts to help the community through donations. 

“We try to be nice and do things for the community. Other things we have done in the past is donate food to HAWC (Helping Animals of Warren County) and this last meeting we donated funds to be used for vet bills. Every little bit helps them,” said Russell.