Guide Dogs pins hopes on pin up pooches

Guide Dogs Queensland is calling on animal lovers throughout the State to support its 2012 Calendar earmarked for official release at one of Brisbane’s biggest carnivals for canines.

OctoberFETCH is a day out for dogs and the people who love them, and organisers hope the calendar will be a hot ticket item at the event as it attempts to claw back ‘lost’ fundraising.

Earlier this year, flooding throughout Queensland forced the organisation to cancel its largest fundraising event ‘Pawknock’ which traditionally generated around $250,000 in donations.

OctoberFETCH will replace the cancelled fundraiser as GDQ’s biggest charity event for the year, and the organisation is hopeful thousands of dog lovers and families will turn out.

A big day is planned for guests with dog displays from Guide Dogs, the RAAF and other canine clubs. As well as dog competitions and a puppy parade of would-be Guide Dogs-in-training.

But the highlight of the event will be a 4km dog-a-thon walk around picturesque Pine Rivers Park, Strathpine which will play host to OctoberFETCH from 10am – 2pm on October 2nd.

There will be entertainment, great food and wine, and plenty of stalls, one of which will feature the 2012 Guide Dogs Queensland calendar and its dog and puppy pin-ups.

Now in its third year, each page displays images of working Guide Dogs and pups from GDQ’s colony of close to 200 dogs. Some of the calendar stars will appear at OctoberFETCH .

The Guide Dogs Queensland 2012 Calendar is one of several fundraising streams for the charity, including Guide Dog’s own dog food ‘Leading RAW’ and its wine label ‘Good Paw’.

Each helps the charity to recoup the $30,000 needed to breed, train and place every Guide Dog it places for free to people who are blind or vision impaired with no aid from Government.

The calendar retails for $19.95 and is also available  from our online shop.