Thousands Of Freshly-Baked Puppies Due This Week

Media Release, 29 March 2011

Thousands Of Freshly-Baked Puppies Due This Week

Red Puppy Bikkie Day Launches 1 April 2011

The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) has received hundreds of registrations for its inaugural Red Puppy Bikkie Day, part of the annual Red Puppy Appeal.

Set to take place on Friday 1 April, Red Puppy Bikkie Day will see thousands of red-coated puppies around New Zealand - all for a great cause.

Over two hundred organisations, including several major New Zealand companies and a number of schools, have registered and will be baking delicious puppy-shaped biscuits to sell to their friends and colleagues. All funds raised will go to the Red Puppy Appeal, which will help the RNZFB continue its essential work in Christchurch, and around the country.

"We have over 1,200 blind, deafblind and partially sighted members in the greater Canterbury area, including some 40 guide dog owners. Many of these guide dogs will need retraining as their usual routes and routines have changed dramatically," says Sandra Budd, RNZFB Chief Executive.

"The RNZFB receives no Government funding for Guide Dog Services so every dollar collected during the appeal counts and we hope that Red Puppy Bikkie Day will encourage people to get involved - whether they bake a difference or enjoy a bikkie or two in exchange for a donation," says Ms Budd.

To become a RNZFB guide dog, puppies train for two years, pass 55 different tests and walk many thousands of steps. And with the help of a RNZFB guide dog, many New Zealanders with little or no sight have greater freedom, confidence and independence.

The 2011 Red Puppy Appeal, which is supported by the Prime Minister's wife Bronagh Key, will run from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 April.

Go to www.redpuppy.org.nz to make a donation, register to hold a Red Puppy Bikkie Day event, or to volunteer for the street appeal. Alternatively please call 0800 Red Puppy (0800 733 787) to make a donation.

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