Meet Our New Recruits

Transcription

1 Autumn 2016 Meet Our New Recruits Ernie Ally Fletcher Murphy Nina the Hughan family the Wheatley Foundation the Brand Family Foundation Burswood Seafood Major Holdings Pty Ltd Jog 4 A Dog in 2016! Jog 4 a Dog in the HBF Run for a Reason on Sunday 22 May 2016 to give the gift of freedom, independence and companionship to a West Australian living with blindness or vision impairment! It can cost more than $35,000 to train a Guide Dog and as a team, we can provide another life-changing Guide Dog puppy. Jog 4 A Dog and get: A free Guide Dogs WA T-shirt to wear on the day A delicious post-event breakfast in our corporate room at the Gloucester Park finish line A meet and greet with ambassadogs Gidgee and Luna (and their puppy-in-training friends!) after completing the race Follow these steps: Join our Guide Dogs WA fundraising team at hbfrun2016.everydayhero.com/au/guide-dogswa/get-started Purchase your ticket for the HBF Run for a Reason at Get your Guide Dogs WA T-shirt and reserve your place at the brekky by contacting Jessica on jessica.bezerra@guidedogswa.com.au or To find out more contact Jessica on or jessica.bezerra@guidedogswa.com.au. JOG 4 A DOG

2 Street Appeal 2016: Get on Board with Guide Dogs Help us celebrate the freedom, independence and companionship a Guide Dog brings to a person who is blind or vision impaired. You can help by joining a team of fabulous volunteer fundraisers for the International Guide Dog Day Street Appeal on Wednesday 27 April. Volunteers will: Take to the streets of Perth collecting donations Help spread messages of accessibility for Guide Dog users tell the City of Perth to Get on Board with Guide Dogs! Meet Public Relations Guide Dogs Gidgee and Luna, plus working Guide Dogs and puppies-in-training Guide Dogs WA provides all equipment, including: Your very own Mini Dog coin collection container to collect donations throughout the day A vibrant Guide Dogs WA volunteer shirt Join the sea of orange in Perth s Central Business District! Collection hours are 7am to 9am and/or 11am to 2pm. To collect on the day, or to get a Mini Dog for your business, contact Margie on or margie.bradley@guidedogswa.com.au. Join the sea of orange in Perth s CBD! You Can Help Sponsor a Guide Dog Puppy! 2016 is a big year for puppy arrivals. We ve already welcomed five new puppies to our classes, and before the year is out, there will be another 15. Guide Dogs WA relies on vital funding from the community to raise and train a Guide Dog. Sponsoring one of our Guide Dog puppies is easy: individuals and businesses can choose full Sponsorship for a gift of $30,000, or join as a team in Syndicate Sponsorship for a gift of $5,000 or more. From 1 July, the cost of Sponsorship will increase to $35,000 to reflect the growing cost of training a Guide Dog. Your gift will go to the purchase of the puppy, training and equipment, grooming, bedding, feeding and veterinary care. You ll also get to name your puppy, meet them at Puppy Classes and really get to know them through regular school reports, known as Pupdates. As a sponsor, your name or business logo will be placed next to the sponsored puppy on our website. Full sponsors can enjoy limited one-on-one time with their puppy, and formal acknowledgment is given at the Guide Dog puppy s graduation. To start your sponsorship journey contact Margie on or margie.bradley@guidedogswa.com.au.

3 Guide Dog Cali Restores Jayne s Trust At just 20, Jayne found herself in an unthinkable situation. She was assaulted so severely by the father of her children, it left her blind. It would take her one year in hospital to recover physically, but many more to heal the emotional scars. For years, Jayne lived the best life she could without seeking help from anyone else. She focused on physical recovery, rebuilding her strength with exercise. All the time, Jayne struggled to let others help her. It would be decades before she found that trust again. Only through the arrival of her Guide Dog, Cali, has Jayne been able to find a way. And through Cali, she s regained so much more. Slowly, Jayne was able to let go of her fears, and every time Cali protected her, her confidence grew more. Jayne now safely walks along the winding waterways of Mandurah, her home town, without fear. Cali will always show her the best route. It s been a long journey, but at 50, Jayne has her life back. She has found confidence, love and trust once more. Her children now have children of their own. And with Cali by her side, Jayne can explore, knowing she has a companion she can trust. To help more West Australians living with blindness or vision impairment like Jayne, donate now by calling 1800 VISION or Jayne and Guide Dog Cali go everywhere together Guide Dog Cali

4 Buddy Dogs for Kids Maria and Luke Goss, Founders and Directors of Think Fragile X Foundation, have raised an astounding $215,430 for Guide Dogs WA for a new Buddy Dogs program! Buddy Dogs are specially trained Assistance, Therapy or Companion Dogs for children and adults with a disability or other special need. Maria and Luke s sons, Ethan and Logan, both benefit from a Companion Dog. The boys were diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome at a young age, a condition causing intellectual disability, behavioural and learning challenges. Maria & Luke Goss - the real superheroes A Companion Dog named Coleman was introduced to the family last year. The black Labrador helps Ethan and Logan to reach important developmental milestones and to cope when they re overwhelmed. I got Ethan s hand and started stroking Coleman s back, and instantly Ethan just calmed. The meltdown disappeared, he was no longer crying, and he just - he just changed, said Maria. This program is going to change so many children s lives and so many families in Western Australia! For more information or to apply for a Buddy Dog, call 1800 VISION or All images by Katrina Wilson Photographer Luke & Maria Goss with Tony Hagan from Guide Dogs WA

5 Meet the Instructor Guide Dog Instructor Jean Eastland loves partnering Guide Dogs with users. Each day she works with young dogs in the program to complete their formal training before they re matched. I feel very fortunate that I found a job that has been of benefit to others, said Jean. Having been in the role for many years, there has never been a day that I have not been excited about coming to work. Dual U.K. and Australian citizenship means Perth is Jean s second home. Her training was completed in the U.K., where she earned her Instructor title. Working around the world gave her a wealth of experience Jean has trained dogs in the U.K., the U.S. and Australia. The advice she gives to Guide Dog Instructors-to-be is always the same: Consistency, patience and always wanting to learn is very important, said Jean. The clients and dogs come first, so this is not an ordinary nine-to-five job! But she wouldn t have it any other way! Jean hard at work Top Dog Handling Tips from the Experts Remember to praise and reward your pup when they are calm and relaxed to reinforce desirable behaviours when they are being displayed. Joshua Crawford, Puppy Raising Coordinator _PawPrintsSummer_DRAFTV0.7.indd 5 7/04/2016 5:13 pm

6 Gidgee Gets a Paw-some Partner Guide Dogs WA has a new ambassadog: Luna the yellow Labrador! Luna and Gidgee Guide Dog Instructor, Jean Eastland, said Luna showed high levels of dog distraction, which lessened her ability to concentrate and work safely as a guide. However, her naturally friendly disposition and excellent behaviour towards people of all ages made her a good candidate to become a Public Relations Guide Dog. Luna s much-loved co-worker, Gidgee, is now sharing his community events with her. The pair help to educate the community together and when they aren t working, they re relaxing and playing. Luna has had a number of successful outings since her appointment. She s visited Ronald McDonald House Perth, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Wesfarmers. She has also met three children who d had their first vision assessments, and brought smiles to all of their faces. To follow Luna s journey as she learns the ins and outs of being a Guide Dogs WA ambassadog, visit our Facebook page at St John Ambulance WA are Casual for a Cause Recently, staff from ambulance operations at St John Ambulance WA chose Guide Dogs WA as their charity to support for the month. Client Service Supervisor, Sue Ruessmann, enthusiastically drove the fundraising program. Sue sold Guide Dog merchandise, sourced great prizes for raffles and ran a name the dog competition. The team hoped to raise funds to join a Syndicate Sponsorship. A gift of $5,000 or more enables you to join a Syndicate, created by the team at Guide Dogs WA. Together, you can all enjoy the benefits of Guide Dog Sponsorship. The fundraising drive ended with a morning tea for all staff. Gidgee attended alongside Guide Dog puppies-in-training Bailey, Mitchell and Ellie. The generous team raised $4,132 in total! To begin your Syndicate Sponsorship journey, contact Margie on or margie.bradley@guidedogswa.com.au.

7 Some of Alex s amazing photos... Alex Cearns is a Sup-paw-tive Ambassador Alex Cearns of Houndstooth Studio has always enjoyed working with Guide Dog puppies-in-training at her North Perth studio. To mark a new era, she has come on board as our Campaign Ambassador and Official Studio Photography Partner. I have worked with Guide Dogs WA on and off for the past few years and always loved not only the time I spent photographing the remarkable dogs, but the great way that Guide Dogs WA maximises the images, said Alex. I also think it s vital for me to spread the message that Guide Dogs are provided free of charge to people who are blind or severely vision impaired. Alex sponsors, fundraises for and works pro-bono for many organisations that work with animals in Perth. She has a very gentle approach to photographing every animal, big or small. Her studio portraits show the unique personality of each animal she meets, so visit guidedogswa.com.au for many more beautiful Guide Dog photos. Alex Cearns at Houndstooth Studio has her hands full

8 Be a Pal! Help train tomorrow s Guide Dogs by joining Puppy Pals today. Our playful Guide Dog pups may arrive as small (and cute!) bundles of fur, but they have a big job ahead. One day they will make a profound difference to the lives of West Australians in need and they need your help to grow into their harnesses. As a Puppy Pal, you can make regular, easy payments through your credit card or via direct debit. By joining our Puppy Pals regular giving program for less than a dollar a day, you can help fund the essential training and daily care of these puppies. You ll join a community of supporters and see first-hand how you re making a difference. You can follow the progress of these pups with our regular updates. For more information or to become a Puppy Pal, contact Soraya on or puppypals@guidedogswa.com.au. Puppy Pals provide toys... food and... other essentials to our puppies. Guide Dogs WA 61 Kitchener Avenue Victoria Park 6100 (PO Box 101 Victoria Park WA 6979) (08) or Freecall info@guidedogswa.com.au guidedogswa.com.au Please contact us to request this publication in an alternative format.