Shropshire Star

These beautifully decorated dogs are brightening up Chicago

The addition of the life-size German Shepherd police dogs is all for a good cause.

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Decorated dogs statues from the scheme ChicagoK9s (The Magnificent Mile Association)

These are just some of the brilliant dog statues which will be dotted around the US city of Chicago as part of a fundraising scheme which honours fallen police officers.

Decorated dog statue from the scheme ChicagoK9s (The Magnificent Mile Association)
(The Magnificent Mile Association)
Decorated dog statue from the scheme ChicagoK9s (The Magnificent Mile Association)
(The Magnificent Mile Association)

Walsh Construction’s dog wears a white hard hat and hi-vis jacket – and now has his own Twitter account.

Sponsors bought the blank statues about six months ago in support of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation (CPMF) and animal charity Paws Chicago. Then they passed them to Chicago-based artists, including three who are Chicago police officers, for decorating before being added to the city.

This dog, which stands in the entrance to the Chicago Athletic hotel, has been signed by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.

Decorated dog statue from the scheme ChicagoK9s (The Magnificent Mile Association)
(The Magnificent Mile Association)

It decided to use dog statues in a nod to the work of the police dogs who help the city. The involvement of Paws Chicago made the choice even more pertinent.

Speaking at the launch, Superintendent Eddie Johnson said: “When you look at the dogs they’re pretty interesting and I think that will just add to Chicago’s personality. I want to thank everyone for supporting the Chicago Police Department.”

Decorated dog statue from the scheme ChicagoK9s (The Magnificent Mile Association)
(The Magnificent Mile Association)

People have started sharing selfies with the dogs using the hashtags #Chicagok9s and #themagmile.

Richard Simon, chairman of The Magnificent Mile, said: “This is a great opportunity for people of Chicago to come down and see a lot of public art and it also enhances the Magnificent Mile for the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of tourists who will be here over the next few weeks.”

A full gallery of the dogs, the artists behind them and the name of the sponsor is available on the Chicago K9s website.

At the end of the scheme the dogs will be auctioned in support of the charities.

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