Have you ever wanted to make a difference, but felt powerless to do so?
When someone you care about receives a cancer diagnosis, it’s devastating. Not least because if love, care and patience could conquer cancer, then it would have been history long, long ago. But realistically, it’s science that’s going to beat cancer, which is where we can make a difference. By raising funds for Cancer research, prevention, information and support services, you can make a vital difference to the future of all cancer sufferers, including your nearest and dearest.
Now, you might be asking yourself what’s cancer research got to do with a blog all about dogs? Well my friends, Puppy Tales will once again be getting behind, participating and supporting ‘Bark for Life’ – a pawsome doggie event that also raises funds for the Victorian Cancer Council. Read on for more info furiends, and how we’d love for you to become involved too.
A Pawsonal Tale… Why we ‘Bark for Life’
Cancer isn’t just a concept, some vague threat we all dread. It’s real and it live among us. It touches everyone.
This was brought into sharp, painful focus for me, when my Dad received his cancer diagnosis several years ago. And even more so, when my husband Sam (aka, Mr Puppy Tales) in August this year was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma & he began treatment at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Suddenly the ground shifts under your feet. It changes how you think about life, indeed, it cuts right to the core of what’s important and what’s not. It was through Dad’s experience that last year we came to join the Bark for Life relay. And this year, with Sam we’ve experienced first hand where and how such fundraising helps. Our fundraising efforts have now become so much more meaningful – we want to ‘pay it forward’, to do as much as we can. We want to be one of the top fundraising teams.
My Dad is one of the lucky ones. His treatment has been successful and he’s in remission, as is a beloved aunt who has overcome breast cancer. And Sam he’s going to be one of the lucky ones – he just has to be.
Others in the family have not been so fortunate though. We’ve lost two close family members to a brain tumor and to skin cancer respectively.
Cancer sucks. It really, really sucks. Which is why we’re determined to do something.
What is ‘Bark for Life’?
Bark for Life is a celebration of the huge impact dogs make it our lives and how they help for the better, especially when we’re sick. We all know, that in our deepest, darkest times your dog is there by your side. With loving looks, healing licks, and a well-placed paw to the knee, our canine companions nurse our battered and bruised souls, just as the valiant doctors and nurses tend to our bodies.
At a Bark for Life event, teams of dogs and their people get together and walk to show that cancer will not defeat us. The dogs show their support by wearing team outfits (including fancy dress) or Bark for Life bandanas.
Part of the event includes a lap of honour where cancer survivors and sufferers walk with their dogs to celebrate surviving and to remember those who are gone. But it’s also a time of great positivity, an empowering time that helps us understand we are not alone and that together we can help beat cancer. Supporting Bark for Life raises much needed funds that empower researchers to find the answer.
Tales of Fluff ~ The Puppy Tales Team
Having had a pawsome time last year, Keiko and Summer are straining at the leash to this year be ‘team leaders’. During their efforts to raise money for cancer research, they have created our team ‘Tales of Fluff‘ and will be ably assisted by their fur-friend & co-captain Kimba, and human staffers Kerry (that would be me!), Sam and Larissa.
Tales of Fluff Team Captains
Of course, a vital part of the team is YOU! We need you and your four-leggers to bark and wag to raise awareness and aid our fund raising efforts. This year, when you join the Puppy Tales team send me a photo of your dog in a Bark for Life bandanna, and I’ll post it right here and on social media. Let’s see how big we can make our team!
Tales of Fluff Team Members
Show your Support for the Puppy Tales Team
Keiko and Summer love their human Sam and their ‘Grandpa’ very much. They want to make them proud. But for this they’re going to need help. Your help!
There are three ways you can do this:
#1: Join Us!
Join ‘Tales of Fluff’ and pawticipate in Bark for Life! On Sunday 29th October 2017 at Jells Park in Wheelers Hill we’d love to meet you and your best bud/s in person. What could be better than talking dogs and sharing the love for fur-kind, whilst at the same time making a difference. Oh, and Keiko and Summer have hunted out the most excellent goodies to put in our Puppy Tales swag bag for those that join us on the day. It’s not something to be sniffed at….actually, yes, sniff away!
Become a Virtual Team Member – We know many of our furiends live out of state or it’s simply not pawsible to be there in person – but that doesn’t mean you can’t paw-ticipate. We warmly invite you to join Tales of Fluff and get the bandanna. Then show us how beautiful or handsome your four-legger looks in the bandanna by sharing photos on social media, with the aim of joining in our fundraising efforts. Knowing we have your support, will make us all the more determined to put in extra distance on the day on your behalf.
#2: Make a Donation
We’d love to meet face to face, but we understand for many this isn’t going to be possible. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be part of helping.
If you can’t join us, then please, make a donation to the Tales of Fluff team. Every little counts and we’d be hugely grateful on behalf of cancer relief for every cent or dollar you can spare. And in celebration we promise to give you (or your dog) a big barky ‘thank you’ shout out on the Puppy Tales Instagram feed.
#3: Business Sponsors, Let’s Bark about your Brand
Keiko, Summer and Kimba want to raise money for cancer research and are going to bark about it big time. If you’re a business or a brand then please contact us to discuss how you can make a difference by helping us fundraise….and how we, in turn, will help with your business . The sky’s the limit where this is concerned, from social media shout outs to proudly wearing your t-shirts on the day.
We’re sending our huge thankyou’s to the businesses that have helped and su-paw-ted Tales of Fluff:
A Final Word from Keiko and Summer
WOOF! Woofie! Woof!
OK, this roughly translates as “Let’s hear it for Tales of Fluff and Bark for Life”
From pet parents joining the team or making a donation, to business and brands donating products for goodie bags or working with us to fundraise – please help us. Do what you can to support Keiko, Summer, the team and their humans, and help this event to achieve all its aims and more, for the sake of all loved ones with or who’ve been through cancer. Please don’t do nothing. We really appreciate any gesture you can make, even if it’s simply sharing on social media or tagging friends you think might want to get involved.
Thank you!
