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General Information

What:	The Million Paws Walk gives lovers of all animals the opportunity to support the important work of the RSPCA and get a little exercise in the process! You don’t have to have a dog to join in the fun, the RSPCA’s Million Paws Walk has something for everyone. In addition to the feature event (a walk of between 2km and 5km) there will be stalls, displays, entertainment, vet checks and a host of other activities. So bring a dog, bring a friend or just bring your walking shoes and help the RSPCA help animals in need.
When:	Sunday 18 May, 2008
Where:	Over 70 locations across Australia, including in every capital city. Visit www.millionpawswalk.com.au for location details.
Why:	This is the RSPCA’s major national annual fundraising event. Did you know that the government only provides around 1.8% of the RSPCA’s national funding annually? Most funding comes from public donations, memberships, bequests and from events like the Million Paws Walk! Each year, the RSPCA in Australia accepts around 138,000 animals from the community and investigates more than 42,000 complaints of animal cruelty and neglect. Funds raised through the MPW help us to run our shelters, investigate animal cruelty cases, provide community education programs, operate our animal welfare centres and ambulances, manage RSPCA accreditation programs and provide dog obedience training. The MPW also gives us an opportunity to say a big thank you to our partners and sponsors – particularly our major national sponsor, Hills Pet Nutrition - without their generous support this event would not be possible.
How:	To get involved visit www.millionpawswalk.com.au. You can save time and money by pre-registering online.
History:	MPW was the brainchild of RSPCA Queensland’s Dr Cam Day and since the first walk in 1994 it’s grown phenomenally and is a now a major event on the national and international calendar. The idea began as a fun day out for pets (and people) while raising awareness of responsible pet ownership and of course, raising much needed funds for the RSPCA. While the initial target of a million paws (250,000 animals) is yet to be reached, the event does get bigger every year. In 2007 there were more than 60 walks throughout the country with around 40,000 people and 17,000 animals taking part in every state and territory of Australia.