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Ready, Set, Bake! Bikkie baking – and eating - helps guide dog puppies

Friday 16 June 2017, 2:25PM

By Lassoo

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Keen bakers are being urged to whip up a batch of delicious bikkies to sell to friends, family and workmates to raise vital funds for the Blind Foundation.

Red Puppy Bikkie Day is on Monday, 03rd July, with all proceeds being donated towards the breeding and training of Blind Foundation guide dogs.

Blind Foundation guide dog puppies need up to two years of thorough training and support from specialist trainers, and volunteer puppy walkers to teach them the ways of the busy world we live in. Guide dogs go on to help Kiwis who are blind or have low vision live an independent life with confidence and carry out day-to-day tasks like going to and from work, the shops and using public transport.

Blind Foundation’s Fundraising General Manager Cherie McClintock says: “Some of this year’s guide dog graduates will go to people who haven’t had a guide dog before while others will replace retiring guide dogs.

We don’t charge people to receive a guide dog – all the costs for breeding and training are met by public donations. The continued generous support of the New Zealand public enables our puppies to succeed in their vital work.”

There are many ways to get involved in Red Puppy Bikkie Day. Bakers can register at www.bikkieday.org.nz where you can find everything you’ll need to run a successful Bikkie Day party. If baking isn’t your thing, you can purchase – and eat- bikkies created by those participating during Bikkie Day, or support one of the fundraisers at bikkieday.org.nz.

Where the funds go:

$200 could pay for a new guide dog’s harness

$500 could pay for a starter kit for a new guide dog handler and their guide dog. The starter kit includes: harness, food bowl, whistle, brush, toys and much more.  

$1,000 could help cover the vet care costs of a guide dog puppy in training.

For more information and to keep an eye on the Bikkie Day tally visit: www.bikkieday.org.nz

Ends

Notes to Editors about Blind Foundation:

The Blind Foundation is New Zealand’s main provider of practical and emotional support for the thousands of Kiwis who are affected by sight loss, enabling them to face their future with confidence.
Every day an average of three New Zealanders register with the Blind Foundation for support with sight loss.
It provides practical support in living independently, help with technology, ways to continue reading, and advice on staying in or looking for work.
The Blind Foundation’s vital work helping people with sight loss is possible thanks to the generous support of the public.

Guide Dogs:

Blind Foundation guide dogs give people who are blind or have low vision independence and confidence.
Blind Foundation guide dogs are taught to guide people around hazards, negotiate traffic, locate common destinations and travel on public transport.
Blind Foundation puppies are identified by their bright red coats and the average working life of a guide dog is 8 to 10 years.
The average time spent waiting for a Blind Foundation guide dog is around 12 months, but it can take longer if people have specific needs.

 

For more information, interviews and high res images, please contact: Hayley Burrows at Lassoo Media & PR, Hayley@lassoo.co.nz or 027 330 4807