Cape Town invited to walk for SA Guide-Dogs Association at The Great Pup Parade
Bring your family and four-legged friends to a community walk to raise funds for future Assistance Dogs
Cape Town’s dogs, families and animal lovers are invited to walk for the South African Guide-Dogs Association at The Great Pup Parade, brought to you by Investec, on Saturday, 7 November 2026 at Willowbridge Shopping Centre Greenbelt.
The Great Pup Parade is a dog-friendly community fundraising event supporting the South African Guide-Dogs Association, which breeds, raises and provides specialist training for Guide Dogs, Service Dogs and Autism Support Dogs. These Assistance Dogs go on to make a life-changing difference to people living with disabilities.
While the cause is serious, the Great Pup Parade promises to be anything but. The event will feature a dog-friendly walking parade, the Great Pup Parade Dog Awards, music, coffee and pet-friendly brands showcasing products and services. Every participating dog will also receive a free goodie bag.
“An Assistance Dog is much more than a highly trained animal. It is a partner that can fundamentally change what is possible for a person living with a disability,” says Toni Erasmus, Marketing Manager at the South African Guide-Dogs Association. “There is an enormous amount of expertise, time and care behind every dog we place – from carefully planned breeding and the first weeks of puppyhood, through to raising, specialist training and matching. Events such as The Great Pup Parade help us continue this important work and ultimately enable more people to experience greater independence, mobility and confidence.”
The event has set an ambitious fundraising target of R200 000, with funds raised going towards supporting the training and placing of Assistance Dogs. If the fundraising target is achieved, eight puppies can be supported for a full year, helping to cover the costs of their puppy-raising journey and preparation as future Assistance Dogs. This includes essential supplements and enrichments, in-training jackets, collars and leads, as well as training sessions and some of their healthcare needs as they grow.
How Assistance Dogs make a difference
The South African Guide-Dogs Association has been working to transform the lives of South Africans with visual impairment, physical and developmental disabilities for more than 70 years. The Association currently has approximately 270 active dogs in service and its broader work reaches over 400 people with disabilities each year.
From birth to graduation, an Assistance Dog’s journey takes approximately 18 to 24 months and involves careful breeding, puppy raising, socialisation, specialist training and, ultimately, matching each dog with a person whose needs and lifestyle it is best suited to.
The South African Guide-Dogs Association estimates that producing a qualified assistance dog can cost around R500,000, highlighting the significant investment required before a dog is ready to change a person’s life.
“The Great Pup Parade is a celebration of the power of community to create positive change,” says Jerome Passmore, Regional Head of Investec Private Bank in the Western Cape. “As a business deeply invested in the communities we call home, we are committed to creating opportunities for connection, inclusion and meaningful impact. We are proud to partner with an organisation doing extraordinary work and invite families and their four-legged companions to join us for a morning of purpose, fun and community spirit.”
Additional sponsors on the day will include Dotsure, Bob Martin and Pet Storey.
Event details
What: The Great Pup Parade, brought to you by Investec
When: Saturday, 7 November 2026
Time: 07:30–10:30
Where: Willowbridge Shopping Centre Greenbelt, 39 Carl Cronje Drive, Tyger Valley
Supporting: The South African Guide-Dogs Association
Tickets: For tickets and more information click here