By Chris Spangler
The great-great-great granddaughter of a charter member of the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson was at Rock River Park for Tuesday’s dedication of “Puppy Serenade.”
Created by Fort Atkinson sculptor Mark Dziewior, the bronze statue is located near the entrance to the disk golf area. Alongside it are a tri-purpose (human/canine/bottle-filling) fountain and a combination bench/pedestal.
The project honors the three founding members of the KCFA — Patty Beran, Marleen LaPlant and Rita Hasel — and their respective dogs: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever “Cody,” Dalmatian “Dottee” and Scottish Terrier “Scarlett.”
Among the KCFA members, friends and guests attending the dedication was “Birch,” Cody’s 7-month-old great-great-great granddaughter, who stood up on the bench to extend a paw to her ancestor. Afterward, she received a personalized dog treat.
This project was sponsored by Kennel Club funds, a grant of $8,050 from the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation and donations from the community.
KCFA Treasurer Mabel Schumacher was coordinator of the project.
“Patty, Marleen and Rita have a shared love of dogs, and it was their passion that gave rise to the Kennel Club,” she said during the dedication. “In 1991, these ladies, along with their dogs, met every week in a downtown parking lot to work their dogs in preparation for showing. They found they appreciated the support they received from each other and the benefit of sharing their enthusiasm about dogs.”
As a result, they formed the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson in 1992, and it was not long before others with similar interests joined the fun.
“Today, as we unveil ‘Puppy Serenade,’ I am going to repeat something I borrowed from Patty Beran’s Facebook page,” Schumacher said. “She has a kennel, and she described her role there as ‘chef, personal trainer, driver, therapist, stylist, and midwife.’ I know that our founding members would smile and agree that this description appropriately fits them all.”
Schumacher acknowledged several individuals, businesses and organizations that played critical roles in this project, starting with Dziewior, “who has created the bronze statue that depicts the three ‘founding puppies’ happily joining their voices in a true ‘puppy serenade.’”
She pointed out the precision of the artist’s work, as Dziewior meticulously replicated the Dalmatian’s dots.
She also thanked Brooke Franseen, director of the Fort Atkinson Parks and Recreation Department, and her retired predecessor, Scott Lastusky, as well as retired assistant city engineer Rudy Bushcott, “who also has been involved in past Kennel Club projects, providing support at every level from planning to installation.
“We would not be here today without the support of the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation, represented by Director Sue Hartwick,” Schumacher continued. “We are grateful for the generous grant we received in the amount of $8,050.”
In addition, Schumacher acknowledged the support of KCFA members.
“As a small all-volunteer nonprofit organization, the Kennel Club continues to pour its heart into the community — from dog-training classes to public education about responsible dog ownership, to community service projects such as this one,” she said. “Club members, we salute you.”
She also expressed thanks to the craftsmen and contractors who made the project possible, starting with Fort Atkinson Parks and Recreation Department employees J.J. Yanke, Robbie Allard, John Bennett, Rob Stine and Josh Crandall, and Fort Atkinson Public Works Department employee Dennis Tessman.
“These gentlemen have been involved in all stages of the project, site preparation, concrete work, carpentry with the doghouse, asphalt work, and installation of the bronze,” Schumacher said. “They have all been easy to work with and very patient with me, as I appeared frequently with my camera to record progress.”
She additionally acknowledged Bob Muench of Stonecraft Masonry, who designed and crafted the pedestal and bench; Mark Engelke, Chris Engelke and Mike Paitel of Mark the Plumber LLC, who completed the water fountain hookup; Mark Warren of American Awards & Promotions, who was responsible for the plaque on the pedestal; Dodge Concrete; Hausz Brothers Inc. and LaGrange Asphalt Plant.
As Dziewior unveiled the statue, Schumacher said, “These are the pups that put Patty, Marleen and Rita on the pathway that led to the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson.”
“Speaking on behalf of the three founding KCFA members, Hasel said that the club grew out of a pet project, so to speak.
“The three of us started the club for very selfish reasons, because we were enjoying what we were doing so much and we could do it together,” she recalled. “So it wasn’t like we were thinking ahead that this is what was going to happen.”
However, she was glad it did, and extended a “great big thank you to everyone who has been part of this dedication.”
Among those was project coordinator Schumacher, Hasel said, noting that “when Mabel takes the bull by the horns, stand back!
“Thanks to everyone who had anything to do with this, especially the Kennel Club for its continued success and its support to all of us,” she said. “I don’t think I ever thought my name was going to be on a monument unless I was lying underneath it, so this quite an honor and we are very, very thankful to everybody.”
Concluding the program, Schumacher advised attendees to “be sure to come back and enjoy Rock River Park and all the amenities that it has, and stop by and visit the puppies, too. I think you’ll enjoy that, too.”
As attendees viewed the statue up close, Dziewior told Fort Atkinson Online that he was very proud to have been part of the project.
“I am very honored to be chosen by the Kennel Club and the support with the community, the foundation, parks and rec department,” the sculptor said.
“Art is very personal and you want to hang on to it, but once it’s out in the public, it’s no longer mine,” he said. “It’s the community’s. It’s the members of the Kennel Club.”
“Puppy Serenade” marks the second sculpture on display in Fort Atkinson. Dziewior also created the bronze K-9 Veterans Memorial statue in McCoy Park.
Cookies of doghouses with Cody, Dottee and Scarlett’s names over the door were enjoyed by dedication guests.
An all-volunteer organization, the KCFA offers community service, education, and training classes, including puppy kindergarten and several levels of companion, obedience and performance classes.
Visit www.kcfadogs.org for more information.
“Puppy Serenade” recalls “Cody,” “Dottee” and “Scarlett,” the three dogs whose owners founded the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson.
Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson Treasurer Mabel Schumacher, who coordinated the “Puppy Serenade” project at Rock River Park, speaks at the statue’s dedication.
Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson members, City of Fort Atkinson employees and other guests attend Tuesday’s dedication of “Puppy Serenade” at Rock River Park.
Patty Beran helps “Birch” hop up on the bench to check out the statue of her great-great-great-grandmother, Cody.
A friend from Rosendale who used to attend dog shows with Marleen LaPlant chats with the Fort Atkinson woman, a co-founder of the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson, at Tuesday’s dedication of the “Puppy Serenade” statue.
Special cookies created by the Bonton Bakery in Jefferson salute the three puppies whose owners co-founded the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson.
Birch gets a special treat at the dedication of a statue honoring her great-great-great-grandmother and friends.
Rita Hasel speaks on behalf of the three co-founders of the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson.
From left to right, Patty Beran and Birch, Marleen LaPlant and Rita Hasel pose for a photo at the dedication of “Puppy Serenade,” a statue recognizing them and their dogs for founding the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson.
Sculptor Mark Dziewior is joined by Patty Beran, center, and Rita Hasel as they admire “Puppy Serenade.”
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