Farm dogs put their paws up for climate action this Dog Day
26 August 2020. Farm dogs are putting their paws up for climate action this Dog Day (26 August) with the launch of a new social media campaign, #Paws4Climate.
The campaign, launched by Farmers for Climate Action, recognises the role played by man's best friend as farmers tackle the impacts of climate change.
Farmers - and rural supporters - are being encouraged to share pics of their four-legged helpers with the hashtag #Paws4Climate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with a description of how their dog (or cat - we won't discriminate) is helping them in the fight for climate action.
The public will soon have the opportunity to vote on a selection of the best on the Farmers for Climate Action website, with the top 12 to be featured in the farmer-led movement's 2021 calendar.
Farmers for Climate Action CEO Wendy Cohen, a devoted dog owner, said: "Aussie farmers have so much on their plate, grappling with the impacts of climate change as well as the day-to-day stresses of running a farm.
"The #Paws4Climate campaign recognises that behind almost all of the climate-smart farmers in our movement is a faithful four-legged friend. They provide critical physical and psychological support, the value of which really can't be measured."
Harden farmer and Farmers for Climate Action Farm Outreach Officer Peter Holding said his border collie Dusty rose to fame when, as a pup, he attended Farmers for Climate Action's rally outside Parliament House in October 2018.
While Bear, the labrador, belongs to his wife, he too is a constant at Mr Holding's side.
Mr Holding said the pair help him to manage the ups and downs of the seasons, which in recent years have become much more erratic.
"Two years' ago I was in the worst drought I'd ever experienced. Today we're having one of the best seasons we've had for as long as I can recall. My dogs are with me through it, thick and thin."
Farmers for Climate Action is a movement of farmers and rural Australian seeking to ensure that farmers, who are on the frontlines of climate change, are a part of the solution.
