Dog Blog Issue Sixteen
To the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas
There are many things to be grateful for in 2024, and still much to hope for in 2025. So, here’s a seasonal countdown of 12 things we are proud of, thankful for and dreaming of.
12. Twelve Gorgeous Photos
And heaps more in our beautiful 2025 calendar, now available to purchase online for just $20 plus P&P https://www.k9md.org.nz/2025-calendars
11. Eleven months of grant forms
As a charity, we rely on grants and donations to keep us going. Without the very generous support of the wonderful businesses, charitable trusts, foundations, gaming trusts and private individuals who donate to us we wouldn’t be here now, celebrating a hugely successful year for our dogs detecting cancer, and a game-changer for future cancer sufferers. And we’re so grateful for the awesome Kay completing all those application forms and building our community partnerships.
10. Ten years free of cancer
That’s what we wish for cancer patients, to hear that magic number and the news they have won their battle with this devastating disease. With the help of the K9MD scent detection team, that wish will come true for many more Kiwis in the future.
9. Nine dogs-a-sniffing
We have a team of nine beautiful dogs successfully proving their smarts at cancer detection so we can make our diagnostic test available to New Zealanders everywhere. A very happy Christmas to all from Levi, Weta, Freida, Ace, Magic, Hero, Hogan, Hunter and Skye!
8. Eight Hundred urine samples
That’s what we’re working towards to complete our stage 2 validation and prove the effectiveness of the K9MD test for cancer. We are grateful to the hundreds of patients who have participated in 2024, and to those who have agreed to donate samples for our next round of validation tests in 2025. Thanks too, to the team of nurses around the country who meet with patients and collect samples on our behalf, and to the cancer specialists who support our patient trials. You are all legends.
7. Seven Foster Families
As you know if you’re a regular reader of the Dog Blog, our dogs’ happiness and health means everything to us, and we are so grateful to the magnificent seven families who care for our dogs and give them normal family home lives when they are not at work. We know how much our dogs adore you, and we’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
6. Six Amazing years
That’s how long K9MD has been working towards a simple, non-invasive test for cancer that can be used to diagnose accurately at stage 1, while there is still every hope of survival. Let’s wish our CEO and founder, Pauline Blomfield, peace and goodwill this Christmas, and time to relax before her hard work begins again in January. There is much to do in 2025!
5. Five Trus-tees
Best wishes to our hardworking Trustees, Nita, Elisabeth, Alan, Vicky, and Pauline, calmly steering the K9MD ship through all the red tape towards success.
4. Four Nifty Buses
If you live in Mosgiel, you will no doubt have seen the K9MD ‘school buses’ as they are fondly known. Each one is kitted out with safety crates and tinted windows, to keep our dogs safe as they travel to and from work each day. We are very grateful for the funders who have made these possible and hope to raise sufficient funds to add a further vehicle to the fleet in 2025 to cater to our growing team of cancer detection dogs.
3. Three Trainers Training
We’ve met some of our amazing trainers in past issues of the Dog Blog, and readers will know what incredible results this dedicated team are achieving. Well done to you, Sam, Lynette, Peter, as well as trainee handler Richard, and Canine Welfare Trainer Krystle, on all your successes this last year. We’re so proud of you!
2. Two Lab Technicians
And Christmas hats off to our brilliant laboratory technicians, Karren and Elizabeth who conduct the delicate work of managing patient samples and preparing them for testing. This is precise work and is crucial to the success of our diagnostic test, so we salute you tech team!
1. And a lovely, comfy kennel for the team
One of the highlights of 2024 for everyone at K9MD was the installation of the new kennel complex in the Autumn. The dogs have certainly enjoyed their comfortable rest area this year and will be even more grateful for it when the hot weather arrives when they will have the benefit of the fully air-conditioned space to relax in between scent detection sessions. We are so thankful to the Lion Foundation and Kiwi Gaming Trust for their generous support for this project. And Hamilton Builders who led the project.
Happy Christmas to you all. Our thoughts are especially with those who are missing loved ones who are no longer with them.