NORSEWEAR

It’s time for the hardest working member of the team to clock off. 

There are staffers on most New Zealand farms who never pull a sickie, won’t complain about the rain, aim to please and (usually) take feedback on the chin. 

They're our working dogs and if you’ve ever seen them moving a flock of sheep from one paddock to another in mere minutes, you’ll know they’re worth their weight. 

These trusty animals spend their lives at the farmer’s side, working in the blazing heat, the bitter cold, the mud, the dark. They’re our heroes of agriculture and our wool industry wouldn’t survive without them. It’s hard to find a comparison on the relationship between dog and farmer, and one thing for sure that these dogs love nothing more than to get the job done alongside their shepherd.  

Unfortunately, though, working dogs aren’t solar powered or battery operated! Eventually, they age out of the valuable work they do. There might be a telltale limp, a less enthusiastic welcome at dawn, or a tail that isn’t wagging quite as much. When this time comes, lots of dogs are unwillingly to give up the job. They despise when the moment arises each morning, where they’ve got to stay behind for their own good while their dog mates are heading off to work. 

That's where Retired Working Dogs NZ comes in. We’re getting in behind this incredible not-for-profit organisation that advocates for retired working dogs across the country, helping match them with new homes where they can get the retirement they deserve. 

And this International Dog Day, Wednesday 26 August, Norsewear is going to the dogs.  

Well, kind of. For one day only, 10% of all Norsewear online sales will be donated to Retired Working Dogs NZ as our way of honouring the animals that have spent their lives on the back of the four-wheeler or the deck of the ute, right behind (or beside) our farmers. 

Each time you pull on a pair of Norsewear socks on a cold morning, a working dog has been an integral part of the journey that wool took to reach you – heeding instructions carefully, rounding up, steering a flock towards the shearing shed. 

The least we can do is give something back and help our working friends move one step closer to a warm, quiet home, to trade the paddock for a couch. 

Got a dog who's ready to retire to a new spot, or interested in adopting a retired working dog (they make the best companions!)?

Head to www.retiredworkingdogs.org.nz