{"id":124,"date":"2015-04-15T15:33:03","date_gmt":"2015-04-15T20:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dev.kcfadogs.org\/?page_id=124"},"modified":"2026-02-26T20:22:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T02:22:29","slug":"k9-veterans-day","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.kcfadogs.org\/?page_id=124","title":{"rendered":"K9 Veterans Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026 K9 Veterans Day- Sunday, March 8
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FINAL – Press Release 2026 (click the link)<\/a><\/h2>\n

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11th Annual K9 Veterans Day Recognition March 9, 2025<\/h2>\n

Wisconsin\u2019s 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. \u00a0The public is cordially invited to attend this event.<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>The keynote speaker will be Jim Pacetti, who dedicated 30 years of service to the Cook County Sheriff\u2019s 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 Jim Pacetti, scroll down this page.)<\/h3>\n

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.<\/h3>\n

Fallen K9s will be honored and attending veteran and current canine handlers, along with their partners, will be recognized.<\/h3>\n

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.<\/h3>\n

Immediately after the wreath-laying, participants will move to the ceremony at the American Legion.<\/h3>\n

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. \u00a0This 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.<\/h3>\n

The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, Inc. is a non-profit organization of volunteers offering training classes, education, and community service.<\/h3>\n

Click the following link for the printable poster:
\nInvitation 2025<\/a><\/h3>\n

More info about the 2025 keynote speaker,<\/strong> Jim Pacetti,
\nK9 Handler and Trainer for Cook County, Illinois<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jim Pacetti dedicated 30 years of service to the Cook County Sheriff\u2019s Police Department before retiring. His career began at the Cook County Department of Corrections, after which he was promoted to the Cook County Sheriff\u2019s Police. He served in the patrol division and later advanced to the Gang Crimes Narcotics Unit. For the final 25 years of his career, he had the privilege of working as a canine handler and trainer within the canine unit. During this time, he handled a German Shepherd (Arno) and a Malinois (Amber) for dual-purpose patrol work, a Bloodhound (Melanie) for man-trailing, and a Wirehaired Vizsla (Tanner) for narcotics detection.<\/h3>\n

Pacetti takes immense pride in having provided training and guidance to hundreds of canine handlers locally and across the country. It was an honor for him to offer canine services to thousands of law enforcement agencies, ranging from local municipalities to federal agencies.<\/h3>\n

Pacetti summarizes his time as a K9 handler, saying, \u201cBeing a canine handler was the best job I could have ever asked for, made even better by having the absolute best partners anyone could ever have in their life.\u201d<\/h3>\n

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K9 Veterans Day 2024<\/h3>\n

Our featured speaker will be Jerry Witt, U.S. Army Sergeant and \"\"Scout Dog Handler, who served in Vietnam in the late 1960s.\u00a0\u00a0 Together with his scout dog, Jerry led patrols of infantry through jungles ahead of the main troops.\u00a0 One of his dogs made the ultimate sacrifice when he alerted on a booby trap from which he was unable to escape.<\/p>\n

View a plaque presented to Jerry Witt at last year’s ceremony:
\nFINAL – Plaque – Jerry Witt<\/a><\/p>\n

The recipient of the inaugural Terry Beck Protective Services scholarship will also be recognized as he pursues a career in fire protection.<\/p>\n

Also honored will be fallen K9s from the past year and retiring working K9s. All K9 handlers\u2014active and retired\u2014in attendance will be recognized. All K9s in attendance will also receive a special treat.<\/p>\n

Prior to the event at the American Legion, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the K9 Veterans Memorial in Fort Atkinson\u2019s McCoy Park at 12:30 p.m. Immediately following that, participants will gather at the American Legion.<\/p>\n

McCoy Park is located at 1100 Old Madison Road (across from Salamone\u2019s Italian Pizzeria, 1245 Madison Avenue) and the American Legion Banquet Center is located at 201 S. Water Street East, both in Fort Atkinson, WI.<\/p>\n

Please join us on March 10 to honor all working K9s and their handlers for their public service.<\/p>\n

FortAtkinsonOnline.com coverage:<\/h3>\n

Vietnam veteran, K-9 handler Jerry Witt to speak at 10th Annual K-9 Veterans Day observance<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n