The Michigan War Dogs are not coming to Chelsea, at least not yet

It was expected to be a big part of the 2^nd annual Red, White & Blue Dogs home football game on October 24, but things did not going according to plan. The Chelsea School District (CSD) was hoping to have the Michigan War Dog Memorial play a part of the game that’s dedicated to honoring and celebrating veterans.

The school district and CSD Superintendent Mike Kapolka updated the plans through a message to the community on Oct. 23.

“Earlier this week, the district had been in communication with the organization War Dogs regarding their potential participation in this event. Due to logistical and timing considerations, I made the decision to postpone their involvement for this week’s game,” Kapolka said in his message that was posted to district social media pages. “Unfortunately, this decision also impacted the hard work and planning of our Honor Guard, who had been preparing to participate alongside War Dogs as part of the ceremony.”

According to its webpage, the War Dogs are part of the Michigan War Dog Memorial, Inc, which is a non-profit organization educates the general public on the heroics and dedication that K-9’s give to serve and protect us through presentations and seminars.

The Michigan War Dog Memorial posted this on its Facebook page on Oct. 15: “We warmly invite you to Chelsea High School on October 24th! Join us at 6:45 as the MWDM K9 Salute team pays tribute with the football team to our veterans.”

Chelsea’s game against Linden invited all active and retired military personnel to attend free of charge as the community celebrates and recognizes their service to America. Although the dogs will not be there, CSD said it will work to make a rescheduling happen.

In his message, Kapolka said the district values “the mission of War Dogs and the dedication of the Honor Guard, and we will be working with both organizations to partner and showcase the meaningful work they do to honor retired Military Working Dogs, retired Service Dogs, and the veterans who served alongside them at a future district event.”

Photo is from the Michigan War Dog Memorial webpage