Local animal charity, Kindly Animal Sanctuary are hosting their first-ever Walk Kindly dog walk fundraiser this Sunday 26 May from 10.30 am in Armidale’s Curtis Park.
Owner and operator of Kindly Animal Sanctuary, Naomi Hooper said the idea came off the back of the cancellation of the RSPCA Million Paws Walk in Armidale.
“RSPCA has pulled out of a lot of the regional areas for their Million Paws Walk this year so I had a heap of people approach me and suggest that maybe it was something that we could organise for Kindly,” said Ms Hooper.
“Unfortunately, due to some delays getting approval from Council to use the park, we’ve lost a little bit of traction but we’re still pushing ahead with the walk this weekend and we’re really hopeful that it can become an annual fundraising event for us.”
The walk is an easy 2km in distance and is both pram and wheelchair-accessible.
Four-legged friends are encouraged to join in on the fun but owning a dog is certainly not a requirement to participate.
“We’re going to have a sausage sizzle running the whole time and Ace Dog Supplies from Uralla has very generously donated some great prizes for some lucky dogs to win on the day,” said Ms Hooper.
Also, in attendance will be some of the Maremma Sheepdog puppies that Kindly has gained quite a bit of publicity about in the last couple of weeks.
“I did an interview with ABC New England at the start of May, and it was just one of those days where nothing really went right and I thought I did a terrible job of the interview but the story has gained a lot of views – around 250,000 now I think – and it’s also gained us a few brilliant new sponsors,” said Ms Hooper.
“We’ve got 50 Maremmas in our care at the moment so we are planning to bring some of the puppies down and provide a bit of education about the breed and what I’m calling the ‘Maremma Dilemma’ – the reason why so many of these beautiful dogs end up being surrendered.”
Tickets for the walk are $15 per adult and $8 for children over two years old or $38 for a family of four and can be purchased either by transferring directly to Kindly Animal Sanctuary, or by cash on the day. All proceeds will go towards caring for the animals at the Sanctuary.
For more information about Kindly Animal Sanctuary, or to pre-purchase tickets to attend the walk on Sunday, visit their Facebook page or website.
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