Pocket puppies fundraiser for Guide Dog nursery

From left-back: TV2's Neil Waka with Titirangi family Charlotte (4), Nicholas (6), Samuel (2), Elizabeth (9) and William (2) McAllister.

KIMBERLY-Clark and the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind have teamed up to raise funds for the organisation's Guide Dog Services puppy nursery.

The Guide Dog Services (GDS) Manurewa Nursery provides care for Guide Dog puppies from birth until they are seven-and-a-half weeks old.

Ian Cox, GDS general manager, says the puppy nursery provides 24-hour care for about 100 newborn puppies every year, at a cost of around $2500 per puppy.

"The sponsorship that Kimberly-Clark provides us helps to run this service which you could almost call a canine midwifery business.

"The first few weeks of a puppy's life are vital to its ongoing development and training as a guide dog - that's why we invest so much money in them."

By the time they leave the breeding centre, they are well socialised and ready to face the world. Funds provided by Kimberly-Clark are used for veterinary expenses, puppy food, special toys, and even the sheepskin rugs the puppies sleep on.

To highlight the Kimberly-Clark GDS relationship people are being encouraged to return four barcodes from toilet tissue packs to receive one of the four pocket puppies offered as part of the special promotion.

For every pocket puppy adopted Kleenex will donate $3 to the RNZFB Guide Dog Puppy Nursery.

Kimberly-Clark brand manager Tracy Leach says she is thrilled to be helping with the fundraising again this year. "This is the third time we have been involved in assisting the RNZFB in the important work that they do. We really hope consumers will get behind the promotion and support Guide Dog Services too."

From left-right, back-front: Jemma Boyd (5), Christopher Boyd (8), Danielle Holmes (9), Hayley Fish (10), Hugh Nixon (4) and Georgia Nixon (7) are pictured with Treasure Island star Katrina Hobbs and TV2's Neil Waka.

On Saturday October 13th at Auckland's West City Mall, children were invited to try their hand at some everyday tasks such as tying their shoelaces, writing their name and looking up a telephone number while wearing special glasses that simulate the most common sight impairments.

A 1.5m toilet paper pyramid complete with all four of the pocket puppies was on display. Treasure Island star Katrina Hobbs will be there to help out along with Neil Waka, host of TV2's How Safe...? and i98FM DJ.

"It was a great opportunity for raising awareness with children," says Mr Cox. "It was also a chance for them to support the work that GDS does. More than 1000 puppies have been born at the nursery and over 70 percent have gone on to become successful guide dogs."

So how do you recognise a puppy with potential?

"We are breeding and looking for puppies that are friendly and quite outgoing in their nature but not too excitable. They can't be shy or reticent with people or their litter mates," says Mr Cox.

With Kimberly-Clark's help New Zealand GDS is lucky enough to share one of the highest success rates of Guide Dog breeding in the world, he says. Between eight and 12 pups are born per litter but are unable to venture out in public places until they have been fully vaccinated.