A Memorial For Bernie, Honourable Doggo Of Oriental Parade

Project 2017-04-26 17:18:38 +1200

As many of you will know, Bernie the Bernese Mountain Dog passed away due to a terminal illness on April 18th. He was 10 years old.

He was a well-known icon on Oriental Parade outside Wellington's Freyberg Pool on Oriental Parade and was the namesake and logo of Bernie's on the Bay cafe.

When news circulated about Bernie’s passing, local business Trade Kitchen suggested a Bernie statue outside Freyberg Pool, which Mayor Justin Lester retweeted and said “He was a very notable doggo”.

Since then, there has been a large amount of support for some sort of memorial for Bernie. A national stuff.co.nz poll of 2000 voters showed 76 per cent supported a statue. A similar poll run by Neighbourly of 268 Wellingtonians had 51 per cent backing a statue, 25 per cent a plaque and 23.1 per cent wanting no tribute.





This is an opportunity for the community to come together and raise money for a memorial for Bernie, given the amount of interest and media attention his passing has generated. Friends of Bernie have come together to arrange this PledgeMe campaign.

We want to do something practical as well, for dogs and dog-owners alike. Right now there is no fresh water for doggos to drink, despite many dog walkers in the area. We think it’d be a lovely memorial for Bernie if we could provide something that would help other dogs in an area he loved.

Local companies have offered to donate the materials, but we need to pay money for installation and for labour.

We're wanting to give a huge shout out to Trade Kitchen, Wellington SPCA, Justin Lester and Bernie's on the Bay for their support and helping us out with rewards. More rewards are on their way! If you are a business who wants to donate more rewards - get in touch at [email protected]

Thanks,

Friends of Bernie

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