Guide dogs prove to be model students at UQ

The University of Queensland’s iconic Great Court has formed the back-drop for a photo shoot with Guide Dog puppies Sally, Nigel and Libby.

The dogs are the April pin-ups in the newly released Guide Dogs Queensland fundraising calendar.

Guide Dogs Queensland Marketing Manager Janelle Mogridge said the calendar featured iconic locations throughout South-East Queensland.

“We chose to feature our puppy talent in the Great Court at UQ this year because it is such a uniquely Queensland location,” she said.

Ms Mogridge can attest to the challenges of working with animals, especially puppies.

“I have worked on every shoot and can say that each situation is different as you can never predict what will happen on the day.

“Flexibility and an extensive repertoire of doggie-attention-getting noises are a must.

“Some photographs take minutes to get while others take a lot longer, meaning we work on the calendar for a couple of months.”

The UQ April shot celebrates International Guide Dog Day.

“We wanted to link this day of celebration to UQ because it’s a place of education and training,” she said.

Other locations featured this year include Bribie Island, a historic home at West End and a laneway in Fortitude Valley.

All puppies and guide dogs-in-training featured in the calendar are members of the Guide Dogs Queensland colony.

Ms Mogridge said all profits from calendar sales go toward providing mobility, independence, freedom and support services to blind or vision impaired Queenslanders.

“We only receive seven per cent of our funding from government, with  the remainder generated through community support.

More than 90,000 Australians are blind and 300,000 have vision conditions that can’t be corrected by glasses or surgery.

The calendars are available through Guide Dogs Queensland’s online shop for $24 delivered.

Media: Guide Dogs Queensland Marketing Manager Janelle Mogridge, 3261 7555 or j.mogridge@guidedogsqld.com.au.