Come to the bark side and help Assistance Dogs of the future

Maggie and Chris with some of the dogs in training. Photo: Melinda Jane.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes – and the cutest of them all need your help before they don their capes.

Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA) is searching for volunteers to care for dogs-in-training over weekends from Friday afternoons through to Monday mornings.

National Welfare Manager for ADA Maggie Armistead explained there are no minimum commitments for volunteers; the furry companions just need a loving home where they can rest and play after clocking off.

“We train dogs to help people with unique needs in Australia. Each of our dogs cost approximately $60,000 for the organisation to develop and train and we rely heavily on our volunteer network to achieve our goals,” Armistead stated.

“Our weekend care program is about replicating a home environment and giving our dogs a wonderful break for the weekends.”

All food and accessories are provided, and all different kinds of homes are suitable. From apartments to houses, from pet-free homes to hobby farms, and from toddlers to teenage children – all you need is an open heart and safe environment.

“The model we have here with our kennel facility does miss a lot of that home piece during development,” explained Chris Debenjak, the NSW Team Leader.

“The weekend program gives us a little bit of insight into what the dogs are like in a home environment when they’re not actively working.”

After that, they go on to do incredible things.

“ADA has been operating since 1997 and we started with mobility dogs, so physical dogs for people in wheelchairs or with Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, or any kind of physical condition that limited what they could do on a day-to-day basis,” Debenjak said.

“Roughly 10 to 12 years ago, we started to look at autism and PTSD, and we also have an education support dog program.”

But until they’re ready, the pups in Advanced Training need to practice their house manners away from the training facility in Orchard Hills.

“It’s great company over the weekends, and we specifically breed our dogs to love cuddles,” Armistead convinced.

“It’s also a way to give back to your community because these dogs are going to make a life-altering impact to clients in need later on down the path and volunteers are going to help us get there.”

Find more information online at https://www.assistancedogs.org.au.

Ally Hall

Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.

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