Special Events

K9 Veterans Day Ceremony – Sunday, March 9

Wisconsin’s 11th annual K9 Veterans Day celebration will be held Sunday, March 9, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. at the American Legion Banquet Center, 201 S. Water Street, E., Fort Atkinson.  The public is cordially invited to attend this event.

The keynote speaker will be Jim Pacetti, who dedicated 30 years of service to the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department, spending the final 25 years as a K9 handler and trainer providing training and guidance to hundreds of canine handlers in Cook County and across the country.  (For more information about our keynote speaker, visit our K9 Veterans Day page.)

The K9 Veterans Day program will also include recognition of The Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin which was founded in 2020 to provide education and support to law enforcement officers and other first responders assisting operational K9s wounded in the line of duty.

Fallen K9s will be honored and attending veteran and current canine handlers, along with their partners, will be recognized.

At 12:30 p.m., there will be a brief wreath-laying ceremony in McCoy Park at the site of the K9 Veterans Memorial to honor K9 Seato and his handler Marine Lance Corporal Terry Beck who were killed in action in December 1967. The wreath will be placed by retired U.S. Army Sergeant Michael Fletcher, who was recently reunited with his K9 partner, Dasty.

Immediately after the wreath-laying, participants will move to the ceremony at the American Legion.

The annual K9 Veterans Day ceremony is sponsored by The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, following the successful 2015 campaign for passage of the K9 Veterans Day proclamation by the Wisconsin Legislature.  This proclamation created a day to remember and honor military working dogs, police dogs, customs dogs, search and rescue dogs, border patrol dogs, arson dogs and secret service dogs that protect and serve our nation.

The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, Inc. is a non-profit organization of volunteers offering training classes, education, and community service.

Invitation 2025

Tenth Annual K9 Veterans Day March 10, 2024

Please plan to join us for Wisconsin’s 10th Annual K9 Veterans Day ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 10, at the American Legion Banquet Center in Fort Atkinson!  Public welcome.

If you love working K9s and want to honor them and their handlers, we encourage you to join us for this special event!

Click the following link for the Invitation 2024-1

PROGRAM

Our featured speaker will be Jerry Witt, U.S. Army Sergeant and Scout Dog Handler. Witt served in the jungles of Vietnam, leading patrols with his scout dog, ahead of the main body of troops.

The recipient of the inaugural Terry Beck Protective Services scholarship will also be recognized as he pursues a career in fire protection.

Also honored will be fallen K9s from the past year and retiring working K9s.  All K9 handlers—active and retired—in attendance will be recognized. All K9s in attendance will also receive a special treat.

WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY

Prior to the event at the American Legion location, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the K9 Veterans Memorial in Fort Atkinson’s McCoy Park at 12:30 p.m.  Immediately following that, participants will gather at the American Legion.

McCoy Park is located at 1100 Old Madison Road (across from Salamone’s Italian Pizzeria, 1245 Madison Avenue) and the American Legion Banquet Center is located at 201 S. Water Street East, both in Fort Atkinson, WI.

Visit our K9 Veterans Day page.

FortAtkinsonOnline.com feature story:

Fort Atkinson Police Department to observe K-9 Veterans Day

 

“Puppy Serenade” Dedicated at Rock River Park

“Puppy Serenade” at Rock River Park, Fort Atkinson

“Puppy Serenade,” a bronze statue honoring the founders of the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, was recently unveiled in front of an appreciative crowd at  Rock River Park.

Patty Beran, Rita Hasel, and Marleen LaPlant began meeting in 1991 to train their dogs together, eventually founding what is now an active non-profit all-volunteer community organization.

Fort Atkinson Online’s Chris Spangler covered the unveiling ceremony and celebration.  Read her full story and view numerous photos from the event by visiting  https://fortatkinsononline.com/puppy-serenade-dedicated-in-rock-river-park/.

The statue stands near a new drinking water fountain, providing refreshment for humans and canines, and includes a bench for park users to “paws” and take a rest.  The installation is near the disc golf course, along the drive between the archery range and the Clubhouse.

Update:  Puppy Serenade made the front page of the Daily Jefferson County Union.  To read the PDF visit our Puppy Serenade project page.

Marine Terry Beck Scholarship Announced at K9 Veterans Day Virtual Event

Marine Terry Beck and K9 Seato

As part of the 2021 K9 Veterans Day ceremony , The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, Inc. (KCFA) announced the creation of a scholarship in memory of Marine Scout Dog Handler Terry Beck.   Beck was an 18-year-old Fort Atkinson resident killed in action with his K9 partner, Seato, in Vietnam in December 1967.

This scholarship, in recognition of Terry Beck’s passion to protect and serve his country and its citizens, will offer financial support to Fort Atkinson High School graduates who plan to enter the field of protective services.

A fundraising campaign has been launched in support of this scholarship, with a goal of $15,000 to be raised by September 1, 2021.

Contributions may be sent to:  KCFA – Terry Beck Scholarship, c/o Mabel Schumacher, Treasurer, 848 Messmer Street, Fort Atkinson, WI, 53538.  Checks should be made payable to “KCFA – Terry Beck Scholarship.”

The KCFA has been honoring K9s and their handlers for the past several years, working to establish March 13th as Wisconsin’s K9 Veterans Day, and hosting annual celebrations of the event.  Due to the pandemic, this year’s recognition was held virtually, honoring seventeen K9s.   The Marine Terry Beck Protective Services Scholarship was announced at the event, with speakers including Mabel Schumacher, KCFA Treasurer;  Gary Wolfram, a friend of Terry Beck’s; and Army Veteran Richard Miles.

Please visit https://youtube/qmLIeCK3pWE to view the 2021 K9 Veterans Day Virtual Event video (approximately 17 minutes in length).

For more details about the Marine Terry Beck Scholarship, please follow these links:

Fundraising Brochure Terry Beck Scholarship

Fundraising Letter Terry Beck Scholarship

Press Release Terry Beck Scholarship

We hope you will consider making a donation in support of this scholarship, established in memory of Terry Beck and Seato, and the ultimate sacrifice they made.  Thank you!

Related pages:

Coverage of K9 Veterans Day Virtual Event and Scholarship Announcement by FortAtkinsonOnline.com

Daily Jefferson County Union article 2021 03 Mar 15-1

K9 Veterans Day  K9 Veterans Day is officially observed on March 13th in Wisconsin.

K9 Veterans Memorial  The K9 Veterans Memorial at McCoy Park, Fort Atkinson, honors all working K9s and features Marine Terry Beck and Seato.

Service Dog Tales

Come join us on Saturday, July 28, at 1:00 p.m.,
to meet working service Cadence pushing door buttondogs and their handlers, and to listen to their stories of teamwork and transformation.  Learn about the functions of service dogs, how they’re trained, and laws that apply to them.  The presentation will be held in the Community Room of Dwight Foster Public Libary, 209 Merchants Ave, Fort Atkinson.  Admission is free and the public is invited.

Amber Marzahl, a member of the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson,  will anchor the presentation with her service dog, Cadence.  Gulf War veteran Warren Demmin and his PTSD service dog, Loki, will add their own remarkable story to the presentation, and Katie McDonald, with her service dog, Zyko, will talk about what it takes to train a service dog and what functions they might perform.

Topics will include:  What is a service dog?  Who can benefit from a service dog?  What public access rights do service dogs have?  What are a business owner’s rights with regard to them?

The growing problem with “fake” service dogs will be discussed.  These are dogs that don’t perform services other than providing companionship, but are purported by their handlers to be service dogs in order to gain access to housing or public venues where dogs aren’t usually permitted.

Time will be allowed for questions from the audience, as well.

Here’s a poster you can print and post to help us spread the word about this event:    Service_Dog_Event_Flyer

 

 

25th Anniversary Celebration

25th Anniversary Founders Patty Marleen RitaMembers, former members and friends of the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson celebrated the club’s 25th anniversary with a gathering at the Fort Atkinson American Legion Dugout on Sunday, October 29.

Club founders Patty Beran, Marleen LaPlant and Rita Hasel are pictured here with a congratulatory plaque from the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce.

Visit our Join the Fun page for more photos.