Paws, Purpose, and PolioPlus: Rotary Borderlands in Action
The Rotary PolioPlus Society Kennel Klub is proud to celebrate the Rotary Club of Borderlands (Passport Group), whose extraordinary commitment to polio eradication was recently highlighted in Rotary GB&I Magazine’s July 2026 Leading by Example feature.
The club has achieved an impressive distinction: Rotary Borderlands is the first club in Great Britain and Ireland in which every member supports the PolioPlus Society.
Chartered in 2023, Rotary Borderlands is a relatively young club with approximately 20 members serving communities throughout the Scottish Borders. Although small in number, its members are demonstrating just how much impact a committed Rotary club can make. With 100 percent PolioPlus Society participation, the club contributes approximately $5,500 each year toward Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio.
When members of Rotary Borderlands learned about the Rotary PolioPlus Society Kennel Klub, they enthusiastically invited their animal companions to become part of the mission.
Through the Kennel Klub, pets lend their names, personalities, and very photogenic faces to the fight against polio. Their pawrents commit at least $100 annually to PolioPlus, and each animal member receives a red End Polio Now bandana as a symbol of their support.
The Borderlands Kennel Klub is made up primarily of dogs, but its membership also includes a Swiss Valais Blacknose sheep—wonderful proof that the Kennel Klub truly welcomes animals of every kind.
Among the club’s Kennel Klub ambassadors are Mabel, Angus, Applepip, Tess, Todd, Cora, and Fleet. These furry and woolly advocates are helping make the message of polio eradication more visible, approachable, and fun throughout the Scottish Borders and beyond.
A Very Special Kennel Klub Photo
The Borderlands pack also created a very special photo with Past Rotary International President Gordon McInally, an honorary member of Rotary Borderlands. Gordon’s wife, Heather, served as the club’s president during the 2025–26 Rotary year.
Although club member Beth Thomson joked that bringing the entire Kennel Klub to one of the club’s breakfast meetings might be “a recipe for chaos,” the animals have become valuable ambassadors for the club and its commitment to ending polio.
Their photographs in red bandanas do more than make people smile. They start conversations, introduce new audiences to Rotary’s work, and remind people that everyone can play a part in creating a polio-free world—even our pets.
Leading by Example
Rotary Borderlands shows what can happen when an entire club unites behind a shared purpose. Every Rotarian is supporting the PolioPlus Society, their pets are proudly representing the Kennel Klub, and together they are helping keep the promise of a polio-free world in the public eye.
Their involvement is also a wonderful example for other Rotary clubs. Starting a local Kennel Klub can make PolioPlus fundraising more engaging, involve members’ families and friends, and create new opportunities to share Rotary’s story within the community.
We congratulate the members of the Rotary Club of Borderlands and their remarkable Kennel Klub pack for receiving this well-deserved recognition. Thank you for leading by example and showing that, when Rotarians and their animal companions work together, we can move closer to the finish line—one club, one member, and one paw at a time.