Norlane wolfhound-Bull Arab cross puppy Bowser might not be too keen for Variety’s Petember campaign, but his human companion Laura Eves certainly is.
“He hates getting dressed up but I’ll make him anyway,” she told the Independent.
“He’s such a handsome boy.”
She plans to dress up her five-month-old, 23 kilogram “goofball” each week of September to raise money for the campaign.
“He’s probably half the size he’s going to be – the vet reckons at least 50kg,” the 28-year-old said.
“He loves to retrieve fluffy items, like my slippers. At the moment he’s licking his toy elephant on the floor.”
Bowser lives with Laura, her parents and their dogs: 15-year-old border collie Charlie and eight-year-old Kelpie Kate.
“Charlie just tries to ignore him,” Laura laughed.
But Bowser has found another best friend in canine companion Kate.
“They try to rough each other up all the time and they sleep together, which is adorable,” Laura said.
Each week in September Variety will send participating dog owners like Laura “paw-some” themes to dress up their beloved pooch.
The campaign aims to raise money for assistance dogs, which Variety describes as “a lifeline for children in need”.
Last financial year, Variety funded nine assistance dogs to help improve the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, anxiety and epilepsy.
Training a Variety assistance dog can cost up to $40,000.
Supermarket worker Laura described the campaign as a good way to break up the monotony of work and lockdown.
“It just looked fun – it’s something to do in my free time,” she said,
“Everyone deserves to have a support animal.”
Details: fundraise.variety.org.au/event/petember/home
Luke Voogt
