Natalya earns praise for pawsome work
ANew Plymouth woman has met some of the four-legged friends she’s been supporting. Last month, Natalya Manton, from New Plymouth, was invited to attend a dog team graduation held at the Dog Training Centre in Trentham.
Natalya says after fundraising for the New Zealand Police Dog Trust since 2021, she was pleased to get an invitation to attend the graduation and meet some of the dogs she has helped.
“It was a great day at the graduation — when Mum and I arrived, Max Speeding from the Taranaki Dog Unit said they were just about to do the last dress rehearsal and Mum and I could watch. Then one by one, the handlers and the dogs that were graduating came and introduced themselves to us.”
As well as meeting some of the pooches and getting a tour of the dog training centre, Natalya also had a special surprise. She received a Certificate of Appreciation from Central District Commander Superintendent Scott Fraser.
“Max then asked me how I would feel about going up on the stage with the other dignitaries. I didn’t know that they were going to present something to me, so that was a great surprise. I also received a Dog Squad Puppy School T-shirt, so it was a very nice surprise.”
Natalya started fundraising for the New Zealand Police Dog Trust after she heard the news of Kosmo the police dog being stabbed in Christchurch.
“I knew then I wanted to do something to help them out. I researched about police dogs and found out that they were not fully governmentfunded. I wanted to do something to help raise money for the police dogs.”
After discussing ideas with her carer Tamzin, she decided to make healthy dog treats and sell them.
“They have sold well and we have a few regular customers.”
Natalya says they have also done a couple of raffles, which they will continue doing.
Supporting the trust is important, she says.
“They go over and above to keep our communities safe and we need this to continue, as without them NZ would be not as safe. Not only do they support the police dogs, they also
support the narcotic detector and explosive search dogs. And for these operational dogs to continue, they
need as much support as possible. So I will continue to raise money for them for as long as I can.”