Scooby-Doo has nothing on these clever hounds!
Our Psychiatric Assistance Dog Program (the Program) has reached a significant milestone, over the last 12 months we’ve doubled the number of dogs registered in the Program who have been paired with their veteran.
Reaching this milestone during International Assistance Dog Week, made it even more fur-bulous.
To raise awareness of the contributions of service dogs to the veteran community, an event was held at Australian Parliament House during International Assistance Dog Week. The event was attended by veteran handlers and their service dogs, who were supported by Integra Service Dogs Australia.
Parliamentary staff including the Prime Minister, the Minister and Assistant Minister of Veterans Affairs, took the opportunity to chat with veterans and meet their service dogs. We hope someone packed them a lint roller, those dogs are hairy (but cute)!
Each dog in the Program goes through years of training, to perform tasks specific to manage their individual veteran’s condition to best support their clinical recovery.
Feedback received has been extremely positive with veterans advising the Program has proven beneficial for their quality of life, relationships with their family, and an overall improvement with their mental and social health.
It’s heart-warming to see so many dogs exceeding their reputation as not only a human’s best friend, but an important part of a veteran’s treatment program for their wellbeing.
For more information about DVA’s Psychiatric Assistance Dog Program, visit www.dva.gov.au/get-support/health-support/health-services/mental-health-care/our-psychiatric-assistance-dog
image Veteran and Assistance Dog with Prime Minister, the Minister and Assistant Minister of Veterans' Affairs