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:
Terry Beck Scholarship Exceeds Fundraising Goal
KCFA is pleased to announce that fundraising for the Terry Beck Protective Services Scholarship has exceeded the original goal of $15,000. Subsequently, KCFA President Jan Holewsinski and Treasurer Mabel Schumacher recently presented a check for $20,000 to Sue Hartwick, executive director of the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation, to fund the inaugural scholarship!
The scholarship was established in memory of Fort Atkinson’s Terry Beck, a Marine Scout Dog Handler killed in action along with his K-9 partner, Seato, while serving in Vietnam.
To learn more about this new scholarship for students going into protective services fields, check out these local news articles:
Daily Jefferson County Union:
FortAtkinsonOnline.com:
Scholarship criteria and guidelines are available at the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation’s website:
KCFA Founder Marleen LaPlant Passes
One of KCFA’s three founding members, Marleen LaPlant, passed away on July 1, 2021. Marleen grew up on a farm and had a lifelong love of animals, especially dogs and dairy cows. Marleen raised and competed in conformation and obedience with her three Dalmatians, Dottee, Stormee and Mistee.
She also made therapy dog visits to area nursing homes and libraries, etc. and was extremely active in the kennel club, doing everything from instructing classes to serving as the fun match secretary. Marleen always encouraged dog sport “newbies,” making sure they had the information and equipment they needed, and she enthusiastically celebrated everyone’s accomplishments and successes.
In addition to “all things dog,” Marleen enjoyed traveling around the U.S., and bowling competitively. She worked the majority of her career at Nasco, retiring in 2008 after 45 years of service. Marleen was a strong leader, a great friend to so many, and she loved a good laugh!
Marleen is survived by her husband, John LaPlant, along with other relatives and many friends. See Marleen’s full obituary by clicking the link below.
FortAtkinsonOnline.com ‘s Chris Spangler posted this tribute to Marleen:
https://fortatkinsononline.com/off-the-record-kennel-club-co-founder-marleen-laplant-remembered/
“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.
Project Lead XXXII – Making Fort Atkinson Even More Dog-Friendly
The Project Lead XXXII group overcame many obstacles in completing their goal to make Fort Atkinson even more dog-friendly. KCFA member Heather Traxler was an integral part of the 2020 Project Lead team. As a result of the group’s efforts, dogs and their people can now quench their thirst, rest their legs, and find pick-up bags as well as essential training tips, in many additional locations around town.
The Daily Jefferson County Union ran an extensive article with many photos: Project Lead DU article 7.30.20
KCFA publicly congratulated the 2020 Project Lead group with a letter to the editor: Ltr to DU editor re Project Lead 7.29.20
Puppy Training Tips
During this COVID-19 pandemic, it’s difficult to take a puppy “out and about” so it can experience a wide variety of social situations and stimuli. Though KCFA has had to cancel classes for the summer, we want to encourage “puppy parents” to provide training and educational opportunities at home. In support of those who’ve recently acquired a puppy, KCFA’s Puppy Kindergarten instructors and Training Committee have collaborated to produce several informational articles. Please visit the Course Descriptions page for the links to these articles.
For a smile break, check out the Parade of Puppies video on our Join the Fun page, or visit the link directly at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1595467127&f=VLxyfocoDGhzlzbv4RWfgA&d=0&m=p&r=360p+720p&volume=100&start_res=720p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=%20allowfullscreen/iframe
Senior Dogs Celebrated!
Senior dogs aged 10 years or more were celebrated at a recent party at the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson. Visit the Join the Fun page for photos.