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Vest-A-Dog memorial donation given to sheriff’s department

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The family of the late Kevin May, who passed away in December, recently provided a donation to Crawford County Sheriff’s Department in his honor. The near $1,000 contribution was used toward purchasing a bullet- and stab-proof vest for K9 Officer Breck. The family is pictured with members of the sheriff’s department (front, from left): Sheriff Dale McCullick, mom Betty May, Austin May, Cadence May, Hailey May, Carolyn May, Deputy Joe Breeser and K9 Officer Breck, and dad Patrick May; (back) brothers Jon May, Brian May and Jason May, and friend and retired longtime sheriff’s department officer Jerry Barrette. (Photo by Correne Martin)

By Correne Martin

Longtime Prairie du Chien resident Kevin May passed away Dec. 16 at the young age of 38. The way he lived his life with compassion and a strong motivation to help others will continue to make an impact on Crawford County for many years.

On Friday, Kevin’s parents, brothers and other family members met with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department K9 team, Deputy Joe Breeser and K9 Officer Breck, the recipient of a bullet- and stab-proof vest from Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog, in Kevin’s memory. The family donated nearly $1,000 to cover the cost of the new gear.

“We wanted to give to organizations Kevin was involved in and that meant something to him,” his mom, Betty, said. Kevin’s dad, Patrick, was a deputy sheriff in Crawford County for 14 years. He and Kevin were both EMTs locally before the family moved to Janesville in the mid-1990s. Kevin, who graduated from Prairie du Chien High School in 1995, relocated to the area for a number of years after that and lived with Jerry Barrette, a retired officer from the sheriff’s department.

“We saw posters for Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog at a movie theater in Janesville, so we called and asked about it,” Kevin’s brother, Jason, said. Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog is an all-volunteer organization that has vested hundreds of dogs in the state since 2005. Jason explained that one of the program’s organizers lived in Janesville and the family asked her which counties were in need of K9 vests. When they learned that Crawford County had a need, they knew it was the perfect fit.

“Kevin loved it here so much,” Patrick said. “He knew so many people. No matter what he was going through, he was the first one to help anybody who needed it.”

The recipient of the vest, Breck, is Crawford County’s 2-year-old Belgian malinois/German shepherd K9 officer who started his partnership with Deputy Breeser in September 2014.

“We haven’t had to use it yet,” Breeser said of the vest, which came from the company Armor Express.

“Hopefully, you don’t have to,” Kevin’s brother, Jon, replied.

“But this summer, we’ll probably have more opportunities to use it,” Breeser stated. “Say we get called to a burglary, I’d probably put it on him before we head there.”

In addition to this donation, May’s family has contributed memorials to an archery club in Janesville, of which Kevin was a member. They are also working with City Sounds in Prairie du Chien, where Kevin deejayed for years, to put on a fundraiser soon. Plus, they would like to plant a few trees in Prairie du Chien, with help from the city, so that Kevin’s friends from the area will have a place to go and remember him.

“We’re so happy to give back to this community. Kevin loved it here,” Betty added. “Prairie du Chien and Crawford County are both so small that we really feel they can use this donation. We’re glad everything fell into place. It was a perfect fit.”

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