FAQs

PetRescue’s Best Friends Walk is a flexible, Australia-wide fundraising challenge running throughout September 1–30.

It’s your chance to get moving with your best friend while raising funds to help homeless pets find loving homes through PetRescue’s adoption platform.

You can choose how you participate - walk, run, roll, swim, or move in any way that suits you (always keeping your best friend’s comfort in mind).

Once you register, you’ll receive access to your personal fundraising dashboard, where you can:

• Track your distance
• Set fundraising goals
• Unlock milestones and rewards
• Enter prize draws
• Share your progress with supporters

Best Friends Walk celebrates the bond between people and pets, whether your best friend is a dog, cat, bird, horse, lizard, or human.

Best Friends Walk runs from 1–30 September.

You can complete your activity at any time during the month.

Anywhere that suits you and your best friend.

This could be your neighbourhood, a local park, the beach, bush trails, or even at home.

Please stay safe and be mindful of others sharing the same spaces.

That’s completely up to you.

Popular challenge distances include:

• 30km
• 50km
• 80km

You can choose any distance that feels achievable and motivating.

Examples:

• 1km a day across September = 30km
• 5km a day for 10 days = 50km
• 5km on weekdays = 100km

If your pet is joining you, choose a distance that suits their age, fitness level, and ability.

If your best friend prefers staying at home, you can still take part with activities such as:

• Indoor obstacle courses
• Treasure hunts
• Brain games and puzzles
• Training sessions
• Backyard enrichment activities

Taking part is simple:

Sign up here.

You can:

• Join as an individual
• Join a team
• Create your own team with friends, family, or colleagues

2. Choose your challenge

Set your distance goal for September.

You can walk, run, roll, swim, dance, or move in any way that works for you.

Choose something fun, achievable, and suited to both you and your best friend.

3. Fundraise

Set your fundraising goal and share your page with your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.

Every dollar raised helps PetRescue connect homeless pets with loving homes.

4. Complete your challenge

Move at your own pace throughout September.

Every step, roll, or swim contributes to helping pets find love.

Best Friends Walk is open to all ages.

We’ve had participants join in from every stage of life - from little ones still in prams to enthusiastic walkers in their 80s.

Whether you’re young, young at heart, or somewhere in between, you’re welcome to take part in a way that suits your ability and comfort level.

The challenge is flexible, so you can move at your own pace and choose activities that work for you and your best friend.

Wow, that’s the pawsitive spirit we love to see! 

All kilometres will reset to zero on 1 September, so everyone begins the official challenge together.

It’s free to join Best Friends Walk.

This is a peer-to-peer fundraising challenge, so participants raise funds by sharing their page and asking for sponsorship.

You can register until 11:59pm AWST, 29 September 2026.

We recommend registering early to give yourself time to fundraise.

Fundraising can continue after your challenge ends and will close on 10 October 2026 at 11:59pm AWST.

Yes.

You register as an individual and tell us who you’re walking with.

When planning your challenge, consider the needs of all pets involved, especially if they vary in age or energy levels.

Yes, absolutely.

You can take part on your own and still be part of the awesome Best Friends Walk community.

Creating a team:

• Set up your team during registration
• Give your team a name
• Add a description and team photo
• Share your page to invite others

You can also make your team public so others can search and join.

Joining a team:

• Accept an invite from a team captain, or
• Search for a public team during registration

Adding team members:

• Send invites from your team dashboard, or
• Share your team page link (if your team is public)

Your dashboard tracks your total distance automatically.

You can connect:

• Fitbit
• Strava
• Garmin

Once connected:

1. Log in to your Best Friends Walk account
2. Connect your preferred app in the dashboard
3. Start and save your activity in your fitness app
4. Your distance will sync to your dashboard (usually within 24 hours)

If syncing stops working, reconnect your app.

Important app notes:

• Fitbit: Activities must be saved to sync correctly
• Strava: You must start, stop, and save each activity
• Garmin: You must start, stop, and save each activity

You can also manually log activity:

1. Log in to your account
2. Go to “My Fitness Activity”
3. Add your distance
4. Save your entry

Remember, all of your kilometres will be reset to zero on 1 September, so we can all start our challenges together!

Go to your dashboard, click My Account, then select Reset Password.

Yes.

You can join the Best Friends Walk Facebook Group to:

• Connect with other participants
• Get updates
• Ask questions
• Share progress
• Hear inspiring stories

You can adopt via PetRescue in two ways:

• Browse adoptable pets at https://www.petrescue.com.au/
• Create an account and set up email alerts for new pets that match your preferences

Funds raised during the Best Friends Walk go directly towards PetRescue’s adoption platform and adoption assistance programs.

Find out more about how your fundraising helps here. 

Read more about PetRescue’s work here.

You can:

• Share your fundraising page
• Ask friends, family, and colleagues to donate
• Run small fundraising activities (e.g. bake sales, dog walking, challenges)
• Update your page regularly to keep supporters engaged

Head here to see more of our fundraising tips.

No minimum is required.

Every dollar raised makes a difference for pets in need.

Yes.

All donations over $2 receive a tax receipt sent to the email used at checkout.

If a receipt can’t be found, donors should check their spam folder.

If it’s still missing, contact: bestFriends@petrescue.org.au

Yes.

You can simply sponsor yourself by clicking the 'Donate' button and making a donation to your fundraising page.

Self-donations may be eligible for matching offers (see full terms in your dashboard).

Yes.

Go to your dashboard, select Edit my page, and update your goal.

Your dashboard shows:

• Total raised
• Individual donations
• Progress towards your goal

Participants can earn rewards based on fundraising milestones.

Fundraising milestones:

• Limited edition Best Friends Walk bandana (first 1,500 registrations)
• Best Friends Walk t-shirt for participants who raise $250
• DIY Paw Print Kit for participants who raise $500
• Limited Edition Pin for participants who raise $1,000

When will I receive my reward?

Rewards* are shipped once a week from the time you unlock them. Once you hit a reward milestone, your reward will be on its way within a few days. If you feel like it’s been a while and you haven’t received it, feel free to contact us.

*This includes pet bandanas, DIY paw print kits and pins. 

If you're eligible for a Best Friends Walk T-shirt, we'll email you instructions on how to order your shirt within a few days of reaching the $250 fundraising milestone.

Prizes

There are opportunities to go in the draw to win prizes along the way. Find out more here.

Important notes:

• Incentives apply per individual, not per team
• Rewards are earned based on personal fundraising totals
• T-shirts, DIY Paw Print Kits and pins are not available for general purchase
  

Watch for signs your pet may be tired:

• Excessive panting
• Lagging behind
• Whining
• Loss of interest

Keep pets safe:

• Walk during cooler parts of the day
• Bring water for both of you
• Avoid hot surfaces
• Use shaded routes where possible

If your pet is injured:

Stop immediately and seek veterinary advice.

• Comfortable shoes
• Leash and harness
• Poop bags
• Water and a portable bowl
• Optional: first aid kit

If you can’t find an answer, please contact:

bestfriends@petrescue.org.au

PetRescue is a national not-for-profit organisation connecting people with adoptable pets across Australia.

We support rescue organisations, shelters, vets, and councils through:

• Australia’s leading pet adoption platform
• Technology tools for rescue groups
• Crisis care and transport programs
• Food and product donations
• Community education and engagement

Find out more here.