Pictured here is Natalie with BNI Parnell’s mobility dog-to-be … Parnell!
Mobility Dogs is a registered charitable trust with the mission “to enhance the lives of people living with long term physical disability by providing mobility dogs to increase independence, confidence, self esteem and participation in New Zealand communities”.
Mobility dogs are the ‘arms and legs’ of their partners.
Development Manager Helen Spence, together with Mobility Dogs ambassadog ‘Chance’, joined BNI Parnell in 2008. Helen’s role is to raise awareness, and crucially funding. It costs $25,000 over two years to raise and train a mobility dog.
Collectively members of the Parnell chapter have supported Mobility Dogs in many ways – assistance with products/services, a weekly coin collection, donation of prizes for golf days, referrals to external sources of funding and individual fundraising efforts; noteably, Grant Southam – Campbell Photography – cycled from Cape Reinga to Bluff for the Trust!
In recognition of this support, Mobility Dogs has assigned the chapter its very own golden retriever puppy, ‘Parnell’.