Blind and Low Vision NZ is inviting people to take part in the "Pawgust" challenge in August.
Senior administrator Karen McCormick said the challenge is a fun fitness regimen as well as an opportunity to give to the charity.
People can register as an individual or group, set a daily walking or running target and then invite family, friends or work colleagues to sponsor them during the challenge.
Funds raised will go towards the cost of breeding, raising and training guide dogs.
Guide dogs are "pretty costly" to train — it can cost about $170,000 to raise, train and keep a guide dog in service.
"The guide dogs are amazing. They will give blind and low-vision people complete independence, quite different from using a cane," she said.
Local dog lover, Eilish McIntyre, has registered to take part in the challenge, with her dog Mabel.
"Our goal is to walk 100km in the month of August."
One week into the challenge, she was already up to 19km, so she was thinking she might have to increase her walking goal.
From her own experience of training Mabel, she knew how difficult and challenging it could be to train a dog, so she understood how important well-trained blind and low-vision guide dogs were for people.
"They are so heavily relied on, and they are kind of a way of seeing and getting around the world."
Taking part in the challenge has been an enjoyable process.
She has been providing her dog Mabel a variety of experiences for Pawgust.
"We will do big ones on the weekend, so we like to do bigger hikes around Dunedin because we have such amazing walks.
"And then during the week, we do different spots around our neighbourhood, and I like to give her some walks that are 'sniffaris', where she gets to sniff."
While recognising it can be difficult at the moment to raise funds, she encountered "amazing" goodwill.
"People have just been so supportive, and I think everyone knows innately that it is such a good cause."
• Visit pawgust.co.nz to register.
