Assistance Dogs Australia, is a national charity, that trains dogs to assist people with physical disabilities to have independence and freedom in their daily lives.
Each dog takes two years and a lot of money to train but you can help just by assisting with socialising skills or care for dogs in training for short periods of time.
You can care for a puppy in its early stages of training or puppy sitting when their trainers go on holidays. You could be required for a weekend or a whole week or more.
These highly trained dogs can open and close doors and cupboards. They can retrieve dropped items and press buttons at traffic lights. They can even take washing out of the machine.
Each dog has a working life of eight years before they are retired and given to a loving family.
Dogs are provided, free of charge, to people with disabilities and provide emotional support as well as a physical service to their team mate.
All service dogs have full public access rights so they accompany their owner anywhere in the community. They wear a special blue jacket in public. Refusal of entry is not allowed by law.
