Frequently Asked Questions

There are a few different ways to get involved in PAWGUST, whether you’re participating solo, joining a team, or getting your workplace involved. Below are the direct links you can use or share, along with a quick explanation of each option:

Register as an Individual
Register as an Individual
This option is for people who want to take part on their own (with or without their dog). You’ll set up your own personal fundraising page and can start walking and raising funds right away.

Join Existing Team
Join an Existing Team
If you’ve been invited to join a team—whether it’s friends, family, a workplace, or a community group—you can use this link.
Please make sure you are logged into your PAWGUST account before joining a team.

Create a New Team
Create a New Team
Want to get your own team together? This link lets you create a new team, and the person who creates it will automatically become the Team Captain.
Team Captains with 5 or more team members will receive exclusive Team Captain socks as a thank you!

Create an Organisation (Workplace or Group Level)
Create an Organisation
Perfect for workplaces or larger organisations. This allows you to set up an organisation page where multiple teams can join under the same banner, and the total fundraising amount is displayed for the whole organisation—ideal for encouraging friendly competition between teams.
Teams within organisations still have Team Captains, and those with 5 or more team members will also receive Team Captain socks.

The PAWGUST challenge starts on 1 August and finishes on 31 August. Registration opens in May and fundraising pages close on 30 September.

Rewards are shipped twice a week from the time you unlock them. Once you hit a reward milestone, your reward will be on its way within a few days. If you feel like it’s been a while and you haven’t received it, feel free to contact us for shipping information.

PAWGUST is a fitness and fundraising challenge in August that encourages people to brave the cold and walk or run at least 60km in August to raise funds for Guide Dogs.

Yes, absolutely! We’d love you to!

You can sign up to take part in PAWGUST if you don’t have a dog. Just be prepared to receive lots of dog puns!

Registrations for PAWGUST open in May and will stay open over August. You can register via the PAWGUST page.

Nope! It is free to participate.

Yes, absolutely! We love to see under 18s getting involved in this event and we welcome your involvement. We do, however, need a parent/guardian to complete the registration form on your behalf.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns - pawgust@guidedogs.org.au

Online via your PAWGUST fundraising page which is set up for you when you register. You will be sent a free PAWGUST pack which will have some great tips and hints to assist you. There are also downloads available online which will greatly assist you on your PAWGUST journey. You can check out our Fundraising Top Tips page or contact us directly pawgust@guidedogs.org.au.

Simply login and edit your fundraising target on your profile page.

Please don’t worry — your fundraising target is simply there to motivate and inspire you. There’s absolutely no obligation to reach it, and you definitely won’t need to cover the difference yourself. Every dollar you raise makes a big impact and helps support life-changing Guide Dogs services, so just do what you can and have fun along the way!

Definitely not! You can start fundraising as soon as you register. Check out our Fundraising Top Tips and get started now (the sooner, the better!).

Login to your PAWGUST dashboard, click on My Fitness Activity'. There are 4 fields that you can complete. 'Date', 'Distance (km)', 'Duration (mins)', and 'Steps'. Then click 'Log Activity'. These will now display on your PAWGUST fundraising page and in your dashboard.

Money raised during PAWGUST supports Guide Dogs organisations across Australia and New Zealand. The funds you raise will go to your local state.

The money raised during PAWGUST will go towards providing orientation and mobility training, Guide Dogs, adaptive aids, counselling, case management and other vital services to people living with vision loss or blindness. All these services are provided at no cost to our clients. 

Registration stays open until Friday, 9 August. Fundraising stays open until Monday, 30 September.

Yes. If they donate more than $2 they will receive a tax receipt which will be sent to the email address they put into the online donation form. It's sometimes a good idea to also check your junk mail in case it has gone in there for some reason. 

We suggest walking or running a minimum of 60km across the month of August (which is roughly 30 mins a day!). You can, however, choose to walk or run less or more!

Please note: all dogs are different, so if you are moving with a dog it’s important to keep in mind the fitness, age and size of your dog when walking or running during PAWGUST. If you are unsure about your dog’s capacity to walk or run for this amount of time each day, please consult your local vet.

Yes. However if you're having any difficulties please contact us on 1300 00 PAWS (7297) and we are more than happy to help.

Yes, we require all repeat participants to sign up again. Please remember to use the same email address, contact PAWGUST@guidedogs.org.au  if you need assistance. And welcome back by the way! We are SO excited to have you back on board! 

Yes, absolutely! And Hello from wherever you are joining us from! We welcome your participation and you are in good company. We have participants walking and running from all parts of the world – from the UK, Japan, New Zealand and beyond! 

That’s not good at all and we have our tail firmly between our legs. Have a look through your junk folder and if it still hasn't shown up, please email us straight away at PAWGUST@guidedogs.org.au and we will resend it to you asap! 

Pawgust merchandise, such as jumpers and other items, is currently only available as part of our fundraising rewards program. These rewards are designed to celebrate and thank our amazing fundraisers for their efforts in supporting Guide Dogs.

At this stage, merchandise is not available for direct purchase. However, if we have any leftover items at the end of the campaign, we may offer them for sale—so be sure to check back later!

In the meantime, keep fundraising! The more you raise, the more rewards you unlock—and every dollar goes toward helping people with vision loss live independently with the support of Guide Dogs.

You can register as a team captian when you create the team or organisation. Please note you can not change your team name after it has been created. Team captains of teams that have 5 or more active pariticpants will receive the team socks reward. 

Which apps work and how to use them:

Fitbit

• Syncs your total daily steps even if you don’t log a workout.

• If you log a workout (start, stop, and save an activity), only that workout’s data syncs—not your total daily steps.

• To get the most accurate tracking, start and save activities in the Fitbit app.

• If you have syncing issues, try reconnecting both your Fitbit account and the Fitbit smartphone app.

Strava

• You need to start, stop, and save your workout in the Strava app.

• Once saved, your activity will sync automatically to PAWGUST.

MapMyFitness

• Like Strava, start your workout, stop it, and save it to sync with PAWGUST.

Garmin

• Start, stop, and save workouts in the Garmin app to have them sync.

• Make sure to include both “Walk” and “WALKING” or “Run” and “RUNNING” in your activity settings for the best syncing results.

How to connect your app:

1. Download and set up your Fitbit, Strava, MapMyFitness, or Garmin app if you haven’t already.

2. Log in to your PAWGUST account.

3. Go to the Connect your preferred Fitness App section on your profile page.

4. Click on the app you want to connect and follow the prompts to link your accounts.

5. Next time you work out, start and save your activity in the fitness app. Your distance will automatically appear on your PAWGUST page the next day!

Not syncing or prefer manual entry? No problem!

You can manually add your steps, distance, or workout time anytime:

1. Log in to your PAWGUST account.

2. Go to My Fitness Activity.

3. Click Add Activity and fill in the details.

4. Your fundraising page will update right away.

You can register more than one dog during the registration process.