Memorial procession slated for Gibson, County Courthouse's late facility dog
There will be a memorial procession for Gibson, the Sangamon County Courthouse facility dog, starting at 10 a.m. Thursday.
The eight-year-old black lab, who was a familiar presence around the courthouse since 2017, died after a short battle with cancer on July 17.
The procession will begin at Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. Sixth St., travel to the Sangamon County Department of Public Health, 2833 S. Grand Ave. E., to the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center, 1101 E. Monroe St. and then go to the Sangamon County Building, 200 S. Ninth St., as a final destination.
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The public is invited to any of these places or to stand anywhere along the route.
Gibson accompanied people into the courtroom who had given testimony and was used at the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center when police and prosecutors were conducting forensic interviews with children.
Gibson served first responders and victims in federal court and provided outreach and education to school children, healthcare facilities and community organizations. He was deployed to the county public health department at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gibson was the first service dog the Sangamon County enlisted. His three primary handlers, Tami Richmond, Diane Bell and Holli Gleason, worked with Courthouse Dogs Foundation out of Bellevue, Washington, and trained with Duo Dogs, Inc. in St. Louis.
According to Courthouse Dogs Foundation, over 300 dogs are working in 41 states.
Gibson was certified as a service dog, which is a higher classification than what is needed for his job as a facility dog.
People with stories, photos or videos to share are encouraged to visit the Duo Dog–Good Dog Gibson Facebook page.
Procession route
The procession will leave Butler Funeral Home on the Seventh Street side and turn left on South Grand, proceeding to public health.
It will follow the easement road between public health and Popeyes to turn right (north) on Eastdale Avenue. It will turn left (west) on Cook Street, right (north) on 15th Street and left (west) on Monroe Street to the CAC.
From the CAC, the procession will turn left (south) on 11th Street, right (west) on Capitol Avenue and right (north) on Ninth Street to the county building.
Law enforcement will be at the front and the back of the procession.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/stevenspearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: A memorial procession will honor Sangamon County facility dog
