Paws for Effect
Winter 2009

Babbingur
A Special Friendship

Hello from the Guide Dog Team
New Pups in Program
Babbingur Ceremony
Babbingur Hall
What is Babbingur?
Plaques-A-Plenty
Warm Words
Perfect Partners
The Right Path Forward
Guide Dog Street Appeal
Indian Pacific
They Did Help!
Advance Discount Cards
Puppy Parenting
Guide Dog Puppy Club
Marketforce and The West

Hello from the Guide Dog Team
Welcome to our bi-annual Guide Dog newsletter.  2009 was off to a busy start with a number of new puppies entering the program and four teams graduating.  

Guide Dog Week was particularly busy this year with a very special Babbingur Ceremony and our biggest ever Open Day.  

Our Babbingur Hall is now in place and we encourage everyone to pay a visit and admire the plaques.  

And a huge thank you must go to Marketforce and The West Australian newspaper for supporting our Guide Dogs Can Go Anywhere campaign.   It has truly helped us educate the community on the access rights of Guide Dogs.

Thank you all for your continued support of Guide Dogs in WA.
The Guide Dog Team
New Pups in Program
Since the last edition of Paws for Effect, five more puppies have put their paws up to be a Guide Dog and been selected to join our program.  Our Guide Dog program continues to grow with the support of both individuals and business in the WA community.

The Association was chosen as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Charity of the Year in 2008.  Over a 12 month period the CCI staff raised over $27,000 to support the training of Indi.

Wickham is the second Guide Dog puppy sponsored by the Wickham Old Bastard’s.  Their first sponsored pup is now a working Guide Dog, Monty.

Jaxon Construction decided to sponsor a Guide Dog puppy Jaxon to celebrate their 50th year in the construction industry.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is one of our Guide Dogs Australia partners.  Their staff raise money to support the training of Guide Dogs in each state around Australia. Welcome Willow.

Christmas 2008 saw the residents of Prairie Dunes hit two milestones – to raise money for Guide Dogs for a decade and surpass their $100,000 target. This year Guide Dog Puppy Chris joined the program.
Babbingur Ceremony
Sunday 3rd of May dawned with a very special Babbingur Ceremony, marking the unique partnerships that had been formed between four new Guide Dogs with their owners.

Members of the Babbingur community gathered to witness Senator Judith Adams share a heartfelt speech and recognise the proud new graduates of the Guide Dog WA program.  

Damien Andreou with Jenkins by his side, Jeremy McClure & Presley, Alistair Dowsett & Spud and Claire McGlew with Swanee were each presented with a clay plaque featuring their handprint and the paw print of their dog; the Babbingur plaques, commemorating their special bond and marking the beginning of their side by side journey across the earth.  
Proud sponsors the Hughan family, the Bell Family, BHP Billiton, and Swan Taxis received framed photos of their sponsored dogs.

For the first time, our Babbingur Ceremony began and ended in song!  Guide Dog sponsors the Bebb Family joined fellow singers from the “Born to Sing Choir” to share with us a traditional Nyoongar welcome and the ceremony concluded on a high note with the beautiful voice accomplished soprano and new Guide Dog owner Claire McGlew.
Babbingur Hall
Next time you visit us, please take some time to view the Babbingur Community Hall.  The Hall, which was unveiled at our recent Open Day, houses our Guide Dog owners’ Babbingur plaques (a clay plaque of each Guide Dog owner’s hand and their Guide Dog’s pawprint).  The plaques are accompanied by a photograph of each working Guide Dog acknowledging the support of their sponsor. The Babbingur Community Hall leads to our conference rooms, so a gentle reminder to please be aware that these rooms may be in use when you visit. 
What is Babbingur?
The Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the land on which the Association sits, used the word ‘Babbingur’ to describe a loyal friendship. As Guide Dog partnerships are all about freedom of movement across the land and participation in community, ‘Babbingur’ is the perfect choice to describe this special union.
Plaques-A-Plenty
As we fill our Babbingur Hall, we have noticed there are a number of Guide Dog teams that have yet to cast their Babbingur Plaque or have a photo taken of Guide Dog in harness.  Please contact us if this is you, to organise casting your clay plaque (oh, and you get to keep one too!).
Warm Words
We always welcome feedback from our clients, their carers and their families. Sally McClure, Mum to recent Guide Dog owner Jeremy, wrote to us saying, “were privileged to be included in the graduation ceremony on Sunday morning. I would just like to say how much we all enjoyed the morning especially and the follow-up open day. What a wonderful group of people we came across. We would like to thank the Association for the huge amount of support Jeremy has received over the last six years and hope he/we can in some way return the favour in future years.”

And the McClure family were particularly complimentary of our Guide Dog Instructors, “Special mention also must be said of Jean Eastland who is such a terrific, calm and patient but firm lady and of course Phil who was always there in the background. I wish I could think of more words to describe how we feel.    

Jeremy would like to thank Margaret for her very kind words and ongoing interest and recognition of his journey over the last six years.”
Perfect Partners
With a team of highly experienced Instructors providing a dedicated and personal service, our ‘match making’ process is considered paramount to the success of the working team. 

All aspects of the matching process are equally important.  We begin with assessing personality (of applicant and dog), lifestyle, working environment and living arrangements before selecting the perfect companion. 

Just like people, all dogs are different and each match must be assessed on its own merits.  For example, we would never allocate a Guide Dog on a first-come, first-served basis

Such a personal service can mean different wait periods for each applicant because we are so keen on getting the perfect match.

We appreciate that people’s lives change and although a Guide Dog may not be suitable today it could be in the future.
The Right Path Forward
We fully comply with the International Guide Dog Federation guidelines on all aspects of Guide Dog provision.   We understand that Guide Dogs are one of a range of ways that people can be supported to make the most of their lives.  

If we believe a Guide Dog is not appropriate for someone, the nature of our unique organisation means we will know the person and the situation well and are able to provide a wide range of other services tailored specifically to meet their needs.

Applicants are assessed on an individual basis and must meet the following basic requirements.

Minimum age of 18 when trained with their dog (there is no maximum age limit provided the applicant is fit and mobile)
Are resident in Western Australia
Are physically able to manage a Guide Dog and provide an appropriate level of work for the dog
Are able to properly care for the Guide Dog and ensure the dog’s mental and physical well being
Guide Dog Street Appeal
It was an early morning start for staff, volunteers and dogs alike on International Guide Dog Day as our annual Street Appeal in Perth CBD got off to a hectic start.

Street Appeal is the only day during the year that we actively collect donations from the public and Murray Street Mall was our base camp.  Groups of volunteer collectors spread out through the city with their ‘minidog’ collection tins and were overwhelmed by the positive response to the community.

Our marquee in Murray Street drew a continuous stream of visitors as the Guide Dog merchandise was snapped up.  And, for the third year The Holiday Inn City Centre Perth hosted a merchandise stall and generously provided refreshments for our volunteers.  

A big thank you goes to the Holiday Inn and the people of Perth who gave so generously.
Indian Pacific
Brenda Welsh and Monika Volpi with their Guide Dogs CC and Blaze are later this year heading out on an adventure to Tasmania.
Now, while most of us would hop on a flight, the two ladies have decided to cross the country by train and then take the ferry down to the apple isle! Very brave indeed.

We have also been told that the Indian Pacific will be making unscheduled stops in the middle of nowhere for the Guide Dogs to relieve themselves! An incredible example of providing access anywhere and we mean anywhere!
They Did Help!
Recently the ABC interviewed Guide Dog owner, Sybil Tothill, and Tom Blair, one of the first Australian trained Guide Dog Instructors, for their “Can We Help?” program.  

The segment focuses on the introduction of Guide Dogs to Australia by Dr Arnold Cook.  The show airs on Friday nights at 6.30 on ABC 1 and Monday nights at 5.30 on ABC 2 - our segment will be featured some time in the coming weeks.
Advance Discount Cards
As part of the continued support for our Guide Dog owners, we are pleased to announce that, with the support of our corporate sponsor MARS Pet Foods, all Guide Dog owners can access discounted premium ‘ADVANCE’ pet food.

All Guide Dog owners were issued with an ADVANCE Privileged Breeders Card.   Please contact us if you have not received, or misplaced, your card.
Puppy Parenting
It takes a special breed of person to rear a puppy in their own home that might one day become a working Guide Dog.

A Puppy Raiser ensures the pup is toilet trained, able to walk on a lead and is introduced to the sights, sounds and smells they are likely to face as a Guide Dog.  

Puppies are placed with Puppy Raising families at eight weeks of age. When the puppy is about 12 months old, it is assessed for its suitability for training as a Guide Dog. For the successful dogs, a rigorous and intensive five month training program commences. 

To take on the fulfilling role of Puppy Raiser, you need to:
•	Live in a metropolitan location and have your own transport. 
•	Not leave the pup for over 3 hours. 
•	Have a securely fenced yard. 
•	Not have a child under school age. 
•	Allow pups to sleep inside.

Guide Dogs WA are in need of volunteers to foster Guide Dog puppies. To register to become a Puppy Raiser, please contact us on (08) 9311 8202.
Guide Dog Puppy Club
There are many ways of supporting the training of Guide Dogs in WA.  It can cost up to $35,000 to train each Guide Dog.  While sponsoring a Guide Dog can bring immense joy to the supporter there are other options available including our Guide Dog Puppy Club.

Joining the Guide Dog Puppy Club allows you to donate on a monthly basis. Puppy Club provides critical financial support of our Guide Dog program which receives no Government funding. 

To join our Puppy Club visit 
www.guidedogswa.com.au  or phone 9311 8202.
Marketforce and The West
You may have noticed in the West Australian on International Guide Dog Day more than 40 Guide Dogs wandering freely throughout the paper. The dog could be found throughout all sections of the paper - including the usually ‘off-limits’ editorial and feature sections. An anchor ad (featured over) was also printed to bring it all together.

In the days that followed, the West Australian also published a series of very special feature articles with inspirational stories from clients of the Association showcasing our Guide Dog and Confident Living programs. 

This ground breaking campaign was the result of a great collaboration between Marketforce - one of Perth’s leading advertising agencies - The West Australian, Professional Public Relations and the Community Relations team at the Association for the Blind. 

A particularly special thank you to Marketforce for not only driving the campaign but for providing their services pro bono; and to The West Australian for their very generous support!