About 150 dogs and their companion families unleashed the fun at Wollongong's first Paws4ACause charity dog show on Sunday, May 7.
Held at Illawarra Dog Training Club in Wollongong’s JJ Kelly Park and hosted by West Wollongong Rotary Club, the event featured a competition to find the cutest puppy, most dignified old timer, best tail wagger, best dressed, best hairdo and best fancy dressed dog and owner pair. There was also dog lotto – where senior dog Buddy was tasked with weeing on one of 20 numbered tyres donated by Figtree Tyres & More – and demonstrations by Guide Dogs NSW, Wollongong City Council rangers and Dapto’s Wonder Woof Flyball competitors.
Club secretary and Paws4ACause chairman Dianne North says she was inspired to bring a dog show with a difference home to the Illawarra after volunteering at a Paws4ACause event in Sydney.
“I got the idea from King's Cross Rotary Club because they ran one up in Sydney in September last year, and they actually invited me up to give a hand, and it just seemed like a great idea and I thought, 'We can do this',” Dianne says.
“They're just different categories to your normal dog show; it's not for serious dog owners, it's just your average family dog.”
Though the event was free to attend, entering a competition cost $5 and this fee was donated to Interplast Australia, a charity focused on reconstructive surgeries that was started by Rotary District 980 (now 9800) and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1983.
Including registration fees and public donations, Dianne says about $6000 was raised for the charity.
“This year is the 40th anniversary of Interplast, and that's why we chose it, and it sends teams of plastic surgeons – so Interplast actually stands for International Plastic Surgeons – to countries in the third world, countries in the Asia-Pacific… [that] just don't have access to the same surgical care that we have.
“Our plastic surgeons will do cleft lip, cleft palate, all that sort of surgery, yet doctors in those countries just aren't trained to do that, so you sometimes see adults walking around in those countries with an untreated cleft lip and that's terrible.
“We send teams of plastic surgeons to do that, to repair that, so you do life-changing surgery today, but we leave sustainable health systems because while they're there they're actually doing training as well.”
An estimated 250 people and their dogs braved the morning’s ruff weather to take part in the competitions and enjoyed the demonstrations, stalls and raffles.
Dianne says the community response was tremendous.
“The Lord Mayor turned up to open the show, the [Wollongong City Council] compliance officer was there… to give advice on responsible dog ownership, so the support from council was wonderful. It's support from the community that makes these things a success.
“The stallholders were absolutely thrilled with the turnout from the people of Wollongong to come and see and buy, and I think everybody was happy – it was a great family fun day.
“My club members who – oh, they worked so hard today – they all said at the end of the day they'd had a fantastic time and we'd better have another one next year.”
If you would like to support Paws4ACause and the work of Interplast, visit the website
