Local artist brings Smart Pups headquarters to life with colourful community mural
A colourful new mural is now taking pride of place at Smart Pups’ Sunshine Coast headquarters following a community day that brought together families, animal lovers, local businesses and supporters to celebrate the work of the assistance dog charity.
The Smart Pups Paint Party, held at the organisation’s Verrierdale headquarters on Friday 11 September, saw local artist Josh Wright paint a vibrant mural directly onto a shipping container, while visitors enjoyed puppy cuddles, children’s activities, giveaways and a sausage sizzle.
Smart Pups has trained and placed almost 370 assistance dogs with children across Australia over the past 15 years, supporting children living with autism, epilepsy, diabetes, mobility challenges and other complex needs.
The event also marked an important step in the ongoing revitalisation of the Smart Pups site, including the development of the organisation’s new Community Shed.
Dulux supported the Smart Pups Paint Project through a paint donation, helping revitalise community spaces and create a more vibrant environment for Smart Pups staff, clients and visitors.
Through the Dulux Community Program, Dulux partners with communities and not-for-profit organisations across Australia to protect and enhance the places that matter most. By contributing paint and coatings expertise, the program supports projects that foster community pride, connection and wellbeing.
Smart Pups Operations Manager Sharni Pinder said the event was a great opportunity for the local community to see the organisation and its work firsthand.
“It was fantastic to welcome the community to Smart Pups, have some fun together and see the first stages of our Community Shed come to life,” Ms Pinder said.
“Our assistance dogs change the lives of children and families across Australia, and having a space where we can bring people into our world, including school and disability groups, will be incredibly valuable.”
Each assistance dog takes between 12 and 18 months to train, with the process costing around $50,000 per dog.
The Smart Pups Community Shed will provide additional space for the organisation to engage with the community, welcome school and disability groups and enhance its existing training facilities.
About Smart Pups
Smart Pups is an Australian assistance dog organisation founded in 2011, dedicated to training and placing assistance dogs with children with autism, diabetes, epilepsy, mobility challenges and other complex needs.
Artist Josh Wright with one of the Smart Pups assistance dogs.