Participate in Pawgust

This August, boost your fitness and the funds needed to support Blind Low Vision NZ Guide Dogs.

A fundraising and awareness initiative, Pawgust challenges participants to run or walk, dog alongside or not, every day throughout August. The time spent walking is an opportunity to consider the needs of Guide Dogs and their clients. “Unlike typical pet dogs, Guide Dogs must endure all weather conditions—rain, sun, snow, or shine—to assist their handlers. They navigate through bustling pavements, street crossings, e-bikes, and scooters, ensuring their handler’s safety,” says Andrea Midgen, chief executive of Blind Low Vision NZ.

Creating accessible and inclusive public spaces is an important aspect of the Pawgust movement, prioritising safety on shared footpaths.

It’s not too late to start, by gathering sponsorships from friends and family to continue the breeding, training, and raising of Guide Dogs, who offer “freedom and independence to people with low vision or blindness”, Andrea adds. Encourage those around you to get involved, and make a difference in more ways than one, at pawgust.co.nz

Lace-up, leash up, and brave the cold this month in support of Blind Low Vision NZ Guide Dogs. Providing New Zealanders who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision with the practical and emotional support needed to live life without limits, the team behind Blind Low Vision NZ are local heroes.