Richard Lord, Top Dog and CEO of Assistance Dogs Australia visits with Marcie and Whistle about how they are working to change Australia one assistance dog at a time! Richard talks about the cutting-edge types of assistance dogs they are training. Did you know dogs can be trained to live with an individual or even a couple with dementia and provide a host of tasks to assist them in everyday activities? Richard also talks about serving as the current Chairman of Assistance Dogs International--the  organization that is setting the standards for assistance dog organizations worldwide. Richard is one of the global leaders in assistance dog training and placement and you’ll be captivated by all the information he so generously shares!

Questions or Comments? Send them to: marcie@petliferadio.com.

Founded in 1996, Assistance Dogs Australia is a national charity which trains Labradors and Golden Retrievers to help people with disabilities, providing them with greater freedom and independence.

Assistance Dogs Australia provides a free service to people with disabilities. Our recipients include those born with developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy and spina bifida, those who acquire debilitating illnesses like multiple sclerosis, and those who have been in tragic accidents and will never walk again. 

We also provide dogs for children with autism, people living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are excited to launch a new pilot working with people living at home with dementia.

Each Assistance Dog takes two years to train and requires an investment of over $27,000 – however Assistance Dogs are provided to people living with disabilities free of charge throughout Australia.

As a result of our program these highly trained dogs allow recipients to have greater mobility, gain confidence and allow them to have higher self-esteem.