‘Pawgust’ is the name affectionately being used for the event, which challenges dogs and their faithful companions to take on a 30 minute walk every day for the month of August.

Griffithite Ashlea Patterson has recently signed herself up, along with her partner Kyle, roommate Ryan, and her six-month-old Kelpie x Jack Russell Jeff, or ‘Jeffy’.

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Ms Patterson said it’s important to walk dogs, especially her adopted pooch, who has a lot of energy to use.

“He likes to chew on everything – he’s pretty active, but he also sleeps a lot,” Ms Patterson said.

And, for a breed like a Kelpie, it is especially necessary to take the time to give Jeffy the opportunity to expend that energy.

“Otherwise, he’ll be agitated and destructive,” she said.

“He goes from one extreme to the other – he either goes flat out or he’s asleep.”

Ms Patterson’s household shares walking Jeff for Pawgust, but they always make time to walk him even outside of these events.

And, despite starting the Pawgust challenge late, Ms Patterson said she is already catching up with Jeffy.

“We take him for walks on Scenic Hill – he really likes it up there.

“We take him up the street to walk him, when we get a coffee – he gets upset if he doesn’t meet other dogs.”

Ms Patterson and her partner adopted Jeffy from a farm in Victoria, and when asked why ‘Jeff’ of all names, Ms Patterson said she and her partner could not agree on a name, and ‘Jeff’ seemed to come to mind.

“It kind of suited him.

“But, my family has always named their dogs old man names.”

Originally, they were going to adopt another puppy for whom they had picked the name ‘Dusty’, but Dusty wasn’t interested in Ms Patterson and her partner.

“He was too busy playing but, little Jeff came up to us and rolled over onto his back and put his little paws up, and wanted a belly rub.”

They then decided to take Jeff home.

And, when asked whether the challenge of walking 30 minutes a day was enough, Ms Patterson said:

“It’s a good start – a lot of dogs don’t even get that, so it’s definitely a good start – it’s important to give your dogs plenty of exercise.”

Ms Patterson said activities and events like Pawgust are a great opportunity to get dog lovers into the routine of exercise, and she encourages everybody to get involved.

“Part of being a responsible pet owner is making sure you’re dog’s looked after.”

So far, over $440k has been raised through sponsors for Guide Dogs Australia.

Upon registering, participants will be mailed an PAWdometer for the event. And, they will also be overwhelmed with an incredible number of paw- and dog-related puns.

Donations can be made to Ms Patterson’s team on her fundraiser page.