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Doggy blog

By Mark Cox
October 29, 2009 at 3:37 pm

Here’s something that might give you paws for thought. Did you know that, over the past century, dogs have directly raised thousands of pounds for the Red Cross?

It’s true. Cocking a leg at the notion that only humans can be effective fundraisers, our canine friends have been helping raise money for decades now. As far back as the First World War, Red Cross pets were regularly stationed outside theatres and pubs with collection boxes round their backs. Individually, some star pooches raised hundreds of pounds. And, in truth, it irks me that they don’t get more credit for it.

Sure, there are lots of famous dogs around today – Barrack Obama’s ‘first puppy’, Bo, for example; and that selection of rat-like fuzzballs always peeking out of Paris Hilton’s handbags. (At the time of writing, Madonna hasn’t yet decided to adopt a pooch – but surely it’s only a matter of time before she’s off on a mercy mission somewhere to ‘save’ a disinterested Mexican Hairless.)

However, none of these dogs actually do very much except flounce about looking cute. And I’d like to make a song and dance about the Red Cross canines who are actually out there doing good work. If you own – or know of – a dog that’s helping the Red Cross, do let me know.

Impressively, fundraising isn’t the only thing that Red Cross dogs do. In America, the improbably named Fidos for Freedom provide comfort and reassurance to everyone they meet – the old, the young and the wounded. The Italian Red Cross already routinely uses Newfoundland dogs for water rescue work.

Here at home, the British Red Cross boasts Loki, the wonder rescue dog (pictured) who works with our swift water rescue team in the Highlands. And my fellow blogger Brad tells me of a partially-sighted Red Cross fundraiser in Hertfordshire whose tail-wagging guide dog is always guaranteed to bring in a few extra pounds during collections.

As fundraisers start to think seriously about next year’s Red Cross Appeal Week, I wonder if more serious consideration should be given to the potential role of four-legged fundraisers. After all, there’s nothing to lose, and we could winalot.

So chums, a future where Red Cross dogs are raising serious funds on behalf of the Red Cross? It’s not an idea to be sniffed at…

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Comments (4) »

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Tags: animals, celebrity, emergency response, fundraising, volunteer

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