Large Company Event

AMP, Sydney , Kate Armstrong
In 2010 IT@AMP were set a challenge with the ‘IT Makes a Difference’ project to show how collaborating can make a real difference.

The team decided to follow our love of dogs and support Assistance Dogs Australia in its main fundraising and awareness month DOGTOBER. We decided that we would make a massive difference, we would include everyone we could and ensure that the staff of AMP also benefitted.

We helped in a number of ways: Throughout the month of Dogtober we sold merchandise on each floor- every staff member was to have a cute fluffy toy or at least an Assistance dog pen to do their work with! We supported the organising in improving their core functions, from the website to the database and as a culmination of support we held a big DOGTOBER day for staff and their families

The day was a fantastic success and enjoyed by all. We started by selling merchandise to all staff as they entered the building, using the meet as an excuse to invite them to take part in the day. Throughout the day we held Robot races (a massive hit with the kids- under 18 and above!), we took a photo of nearly every staff member with a puppy for a gold coin donation, (there was a queue all day long!) and we sold hot dogs to quell the lunch time hunger.

The day was a huge success raising thousands of dollars for Assistance Dogs. The day also spurred staff on to keep fundraising for Assistance Dogs, and through their dedication and the fantastic matching of the AMP foundation AMP raised enough to sponsored their own puppy- the very beautiful and intelligent super pup- Maddie!

Small Company Event

OMD, Victoria David Dalgarno
Last year we ran a Howl-o-ween themed, ‘bring your dog to work day’ on Friday 29th October in our office the day went off without a hitch, because the dog owners took responsibility for their charges & follow the rules.

The Rules
Pooch must be registered to attend and have paid his or her $10 – which goes to the Dogtober Appeal – Assistance Dogs Australia.

*   Youngsters will need to be a minimum of 13 weeks with a C4 cert and for the oldies vacs must be up to date.
*   All dogs are welcome as long as they remain on a lead and accompanied.
*   If your dog is deemed to be ‘looking for trouble’ they may be asked to leave.
*   We all know that Schmakos are the chosen doggy drug of choice but please keep your stash to yourself or make sure you have asked the escort’s permission.
*   Dog owners must take their chargers out for regular ‘pit stops’. Please note: spot fines of $10 for not picking up after your dog-bring your poo bags!

On the day
We have a total of 16 dogs attend (from an office of 70 people).

After all the dogs had a chance to meet (sniff) each other the excitement settles down very fast. By mid morning you would be hard pressed to know there was even a single dog in the office. It in fact was one of calmer days in the office!

We had a couple of events on the day in keeping with the Howl-o-ween theme;

1.   Best Costume – prize(s) for the for the dogs best Howl-o-ween costume.
2.   Treat for Tricks – prize(s) for best dog tricks.

A great day was had by all (even the non dog owners) and we will be planning to run it again this year.

Irrawang High School

The year 9 students at Irrawang High School got behind Dogtober as part of the NSW Premier’s Volunteering Program. As part of the program they wanted to be involved in the promotion of a different kind of charity in our school. Being animal lovers, and all coming from families with dogs, when looking at which charity to focus on Dogtober seemed the best. They created posters to promote Dotober and ran a spider store during recess and lunch, which raised over $300. The recognition and appreciation that they received from the charity for doing so was amazing, and they even received a visit from the adorable puppy “Spike”, an assistance dog in training. He showed them what he had learnt as a result of people like them who raised money for his training. We have several students with disabilities who are in wheel chairs, and inviting them along and seeing the smiles on their faces made the student’s fundraising efforts seem even more special. Now they want to do something bigger and better for Dogtober 2011, they will be trying to get permission to bring their own dogs to school for a start!

Individual Event

Nadeen from Tranmere in Tas decided that pup cakes and fancy dress was her Dogtober. During the month she made lucky colleagues an assortment of pup-cakes to keep them going throughout the month. A friend Dared her to spend the day in a dog costume if she raised over $500. 400 pup-cakes later, Nadeen completed her dare (see pic) and raised a staggering $584 for Dogtober.