Assistance Dogs Australia

What we do

Assistance Dogs Australia trains dogs in community settings to assist people with physical disabilities, to give people more confidence and to help them achieve a greater level of independence.

The Assistance Dogs are fully trained to international standards and ALWAYS provided to people with physical disabilities free of charge. Each Assistance Dog costs the charity just over $26,000 which covers the two year training period and lifetime support.

Assistance Dogs make a dramatic difference in the quality of life for individuals with physical disabilities. Not only do they assist them physically, but these special dogs also relieve loneliness and social isolation, helping their owners integrate more with their local communities. This increase in independence allows people to get on with their lives, often attending college, getting employment or just mixing more.

Examples of tasks Assistance Dogs perform for people with physical disabilities

Picking up dropped items
Opening and closing doors
Pressing the button at the traffic lights
Alert barking if their team mate is in trouble
Getting bottles of water out of the fridge
Retrieving the phone
Unloading the washing machine
Pay the cashier at the shops
Help their team mate access public

We have currently placed over 130 dogs all aroundAustralia. We have over 60 dogs currently in training, many of which are pups in prison. Assistance Dogs Australia is currently helping over 300 people in Australia.

And an Assistance Dog can save the community significant monies by reducing the needs of a carer.

Assistance Dogs Australia has an ambitious training program ahead and has to rely on community, individual and corporate funding to be able to provide Assistance Dogs to those in need. The charity requires significant funding to achieve its goal of placing at least 30 dogs per year with recipients and needs your help.

Our Five Year Plan

Over the next five years we intend to significantly increase the number of dogs trained for all placement categories, reduce the current waiting list in terms of numbers of people waiting and the waiting time period. It is planned for the management of the puppy raising and training program to eventually produce 100 trained Assistance Dogs each year. The current waiting list as from December 2011 is 50 applicants.

To achieve the Assistance Dogs Australia’s five-year plan it is imperative for the following:

To build a larger multi-purpose National Training School to house, train and provide more Assistance Dogs
To significantly increase the number of Assistance Dogs trained per year
Increase the number of puppy raisers across Australia
To dramatically reduce the waiting time to receive an Assistance Dog
To create awareness of the charities services throughout the disability sector
To continue to create awareness through the pet industry, vet agencies and staff, dog boarding kennels, breeding clubs, dog training clubs/organisation and state canine councils
To develop our breeding program
To continue to expand on our highly successful Pups in Prison Programs
To expand our ‘Reading Labs’ Program
For the Fundraising arm of the charity to form a greater number of partnerships with service clubs, commercial organisations, trusts and corporate companies
To significantly increase the number of individual people donating to the charity through the use of tried and tested marketing techniques
To continue to create a strong public image is a priority for the Charity
To continue to place segments of the Charity in print and electronic media
To advance the Sponsor a Puppy Program
To develop corporate work place giving
To create awareness and funding through major events in all states
To develop legacy giving

Download our Annual Report

Our Board of Directors

Rowan McDonald

Rowan McDonald is a Partner and National Head of the Corporate Advisory Group at Middletons law firm. He has over 20 years experience in the equity capital markets industry, 15 of those years as a lawyer. His previous experience includes working as a senior lawyer at Gilbert & Tobin and Clayton Utz and holding a senior role within the Companies section of Australia Securities Exchange Limited. Rowan was elected President of Assistance Dogs Australia in 2005.

Sean Brogan

Sean joined the board of Assistance Dogs Australia in 2003 and was elected Vice President in 2006. He brings a mix of media and PR skills to Assistance Dogs Australia having worked in broadcast journalism for most of his professional life. Sean’s career began at Channel Nine where he worked on shows such as A Current Affair and 60 Minutes and later as a producer on the Today Show, Today Tonight and Sunrise . Sean left television in 2005 to become a media consultant and now works at The Walkley Foundation for Journalism.

Robert Biggs OAM

Bob is a director of Hanrob Pty Ltd and Therian Pty Ltd and the Founder of Assistance Dogs Australia. Bob’s background is in accounting and marketing has seen these businesses grow to become the largest dog and cat boarding and training facility and animal design and construct businesses respectively in Australia. Bob was re elected Secretary/Treasurer of ADA in 2005. Bob was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2006 for his service to people with disabilities

Ashley Hayden

Details to follow

Yvonne Duncan

Yvonne is a Physiotherapist with over 30 years experience working with people with Spinal Cord Injuries and Acquired Brain Injuries. She is currently Education Coordinator at the Independent Living Centre, part of Yooralla in Melbourne, a Physiotherapy Consultant on the Transport Accident Commission's Clinical Panel, a Clinical Advisor on the State Wide Equipment Program and a private physiotherapy practitioner.

Sam Haynes

Sam Graduated from Murdoch University as a Vet in 1996. He did a four month stint with the Flying Vet out of Kununurra in 1987. He began his own practice in 1990. In January 2005 he established Sydney Animals Hospital – Norwest is a large veterinary hospital which operates 7 days a week.

About Us