Fundraiser Thursday for Plainfield K9 Memorial

Photo: A rendering of the future Plainfield Police K9 Memorial (Plainfield Police Department)

A fundraiser set for Thursday at the Plainfield Culver’s restaurant at 135th Street and Route 59 will support creation of a Plainfield Police K9 Memorial.

From 5 to 8 p.m., Culver’s will donate 10 percent of sale proceeds to the memorial fund. Diners can also meet Kody, Plainfield’s current police K9.

The memorial will honor Plainfield police service dogs, past and present. The memorial would stand on the property at the Plainfield Riverfront, 24321 Lockport St., where three of the department’s service dogs – K9 Luger, Blackie and TJ – are currently buried under a large rock.

“The Village of Plainfield has had a Police K-9 unit since the late 1970’s through today’s date,” according to the Plainfield Riverfront website. “In this time frame we have had seven total police service dogs (K9 Luger, TJ, Brutus, Blackie, Foster and Aron), including our current K9 … Kody, who is 4 years old and has been patrolling the streets of Plainfield since May 2013.”

A K9 agility training field used to stand on the riverfront property. The field has been removed, but the rock remains, according to the riverfront foundation.

The project will include a granite German shepherd monument and flag pole, as well as a granite plaque with each dog’s name engraved on it, according to the Herald-News. The first phase will cost $15,000.

In addition to the Culver’s fundraiser, a GoFundMe campaign has also been created to fund the K9 memorial project