Along with all the other amazing groups and organizations who provide dogs around to Australia to those requiring support, the team at Smart Pups offer a life changing addition to any child with special needs. 

Smart Pups provide specially trained service dogs to children with special needs, with the goal to have these amazing dogs assist these children every day to help improve their quality of life.
These incredible Labradors and Golden Retrievers are selected at 8 weeks old and begin training within their foster family. They are exposed to all different daily experiences and household routines.
Between the ages of 6 – 8 months old they enter the Smart Pups program of General Training Modules before entering the Advanced Training Program. At this stage of training they learn task specific modules, this way, when they time comes and they are matched with their child to assist, they will meet the exact needs of that child. How amazing is that?!|

The amazing team at Smart Pups train their dogs in 5 areas of assistance.
- Autism Assistance
- Diabetic and Medical Alert
- Seizure Response
- Mobility Assistance
- Vision Assistance 

Read below, from Cody's Mum, how Smart Pup Lulu changed Cody's life from the day she joined his family! ​

After my long stay in hospital, after my accident, I wondered what could be out there to get me through my days where I wouldn’t be bored or have nothing to do. I soon caught the eye of a peer support worker who had an assistance dog!!
I was soon introduced to Barnaby, and we clicked very soon on. It started with him coming out with Ann for some home visits and getting him used to me, then a couple of park visits where we could throw a ball and Barnaby would come back to me and bench on the side of my chair to return the ball. Barnaby helps me by assisting with pushing doors closed or tugs them open with some rope we have placed on the handles. Also when I drop things off my lap he’s first on the scene to retrieve them for me. Barnaby can assist in tugging off of clothes such as my jumper – that’s really handy as I’m always getting stuck.
Since receiving Barnaby we have been shopping together, a couple of restaurants, other outings. We are going camping on the long weekend down the south coast to Lake Conjola and that we are looking forward to.
My famous quote “I would be very wealthy if I received a dollar for every time we are out and someone comments on how beautiful Barnaby is.”
Daniel ​

Throughout Australia, there are many wonderful groups that work tirelessly to train and raise dog's to assist those in need.
A fantastic group we are excited to share with you is 'Australian Lions Hearing Dogs' who are also branching into raising, training and pairing Medical Alert Dogs too for people living with complex and chronic illnesses. 

​Airlie is the first Interstate Diabetic Alert Dog to be placed in their home by ALHD. Her new home is now in Melbourne where she has settled in straight away.
Airlie does amazing work, she is trained detect naturally occurring low and high blood glucose level events in her human. She is scent and saliva trained on her human too. How incredible is that?!
Airlie is also trained to retrieve a medical kit to help treat a low or high blood glucose event, get assistance from another member in the household if needed or pressing an emergency button to alert emergency contacts in case her human falls when home alone and becomes unresponsive.
Along with the other amazing medical alert dogs, Airlie could not only save the life of her owner but will also drastically improve their quality of life. 

Want to learn more? Visit the Australian Lions Hearing Dogs website HERE for more information?

How can you help? The training and placement cost of ALHD  is just under $40,000. There is no cost to their human for this, so donations are greatly appreciated. All donations of $2.00 or more are tax-deductible and will receive a receipt in return for your donation. Click here if you would like to make a life changing donation. 

So all of us know the basic premise of a guide dog. This is a dog that we see with a visually impaired or blind person that helps them to get around. We see signs on store windows that say only guide dogs are accepted on the premises and we should all understand and know that when a guide dog is working (in their harness and / or with their jacket on) they are not to be patted (you send your love vibrationally)

But what do you know about Guide Dogs Victoria? In this Therapy Dog Thursday we share with you a little about the main organisation in Victoria that train Guide Dogs and also share with you about their Therapy Dog Program (not necessarily for the vision impaired) and how you can get involved.

Guide Dogs Victoria
Sine 1957 Guide Dogs Victoria has provided a vital service for Victorians with low vision or blindness.
But today they offer so many more community initiatives outside of training and supplying Guide Dogs, including training and education programs for the humans they support. The team at Guide Dogs Victoria work to ensure people with low vision or blindness are active and involved members of the community.
But back to what we are all really interested in – the Dogs!!!!

Did you know that not all puppies that start off training to be guide dogs will be placed with a vision impaired / blind person?
The requirements for a Guide Dog are high and exacting and not all the beautiful puppies that start the training process will be suitable for the role and responsibilities of a guide dog.
What is great about this is that they maybe suitable to be a Therapy or Companion Dog – providing much needed BUT different assistance to someone whose life would not be the same without them.
So when you see a Therapy Dog or meet a Companion Dog you might be meeting a doggo that started their training as a Guide Dog.
The team at Guide Dogs Victoria have 3 types of reclassified dogs – Therapy Dogs (including PTSD dogs), Ambassador Dogs and Companion Dogs. To be clear these dogs will be required to do different tasks to a Guide Dog and as such are not afforded the same benefits as Guide Dogs. And for dogs that are not suitable for any of these programs they then find a forever home with a loving family as a pet – which we all know the immense value of!!!

Want to Get Involved?
So there are a heap of ways that you and your family can help with raising a Guide Dog. Being a part
of raising these special dogs cannot be under estimated and we encourage you to visit the Guide Dogs Victoria website HERE!
Here you can find out about:

•  Puppy Raising – long term (12 months) or short term (be a temporary carer)
•  Volunteering – there are lots of ways you can help either for a single event or ongoing
• Fundraising – you can get involved with a fundraising event that is coming up
• Donating – there are lots of ways to make a tax-deductible donation – just check out their website.
  
  

In our next Therapy Dog Thursdays, we will share with you some of the dogs that are making a difference in the world that came through the Guide Dogs Victoria Programs. Keep your eyes open for those but in the meantime check out the Guide Dogs website and see how you can get involved.
Thanks for reading Therapy Dog Thursday – we hope you love all the wonderful things dogs do to make so many people’s lives better!

​Keep up to date with Guide Dogs Victoria at their Facebook page HERE! 

This Therapy Dog Thursday we want to share another wonder filled story from the Assistance Dogs Australia Team.
Having trained Frankie for Abi and her family we know that the team at Assistance Dogs Australia are amazing people.
 
Today we want to share with you another wonderful story from the team at Assistance Dogs Australia.


Colin (now 13) from Western Australia is doing his best. He is living with autism, and five years ago he received an Assistance Dog named Phoenix to help him reach his full potential.
Colin used to be homeschooled due to the severity of his anxiety, which prevented him from exploring the outside world.
With Phoenix by his side, Colin now attends year 8 secondary college in Western Australia, everyday. His mum, Kaye, is so proud of how far he’s come. She said,
“Phoenix is amazing. He is relaxed, calm, always willing to work, and devoted to Colin.
Phoenix has helped to reduce Colin’s anxiety by giving him the confidence to take on the daily challenges he faces and by being the one ‘friend’ he can always rely on to be there for him.”
​
For Colin now, the world is his oyster. Colin is a member of a local swimming club, chess club, football club and has a personal trainer at the local gym.
To Assistance Dogs Australia supporters, Kaye says:
“I can’t thank you enough for the amazing gift of Phoenix. Phoenix has taught us so much and I am so very grateful that he is by our side every day.”
Now Colin’s future is even brighter with Phoenix to help him navigate through his teenage years.

It has been a little while since we gave you an update on Abi and her therapy dog Frankie.  Lots of exciting things have happened since our last report so we felt it was time to give you all an update.

As many of you know Frankie, a beautiful female golden retriever, was provided to Abi and her family after her training with Assistance Dogs Australia. 
Since joining the family, Frankie has been not only a wonderful and calming support to Abi but has also provided no end of benefits (and unconditional love) to all of Abi’s family. 

Her parents, Sarah and Michael, and her siblings, Finn, Sage and Lachlan all have a really special relationship with Frankie.
We have shared some images with you so you can see some of the things that Abi and Frankie get up to together.  Frankie goes with Abi to her therapy sessions.  Abi practices her dog handling skills walking Frankie daily and when it comes to bed times, Frankie is there it help settle Abi.  And just a couple of months ago, Frankie was best dog at Sarah and Michael’s wedding.  She was a important part of the wedding party and was a very good girl at the wedding.  Such an event was very exciting and stimulating for Abi and for her to have Frankie there to help her regulate her emotions before, during and after the ceremony was just one of the many valuable reasons why dogs like Frankie are so very important to young people like Abi (and their families).

Again thanks to all those people who helped us to provide the funds for Assistance Dogs Australia to train and place Frankie with Abi and her family.  It truly is a gift that gives every single day.