TRANSCRIPT
That’s Elvis. He's a six year old Labrador and a mobility assist dog.
“He's a social butterfly. He loves interacting with people. When he does work, he's very much straight in uniform. He'll just concentrate and ignore everything that's going on around you. Especially when I'm walking.”
His owner Jess Harper has difficulty walking. She relies on Elvis to help her maintain her balance and stop her from falling.
“So, Elvis just gives me the confidence to go out and do things, so I'm not always stuck at home, cooped up. // He can tell when I'm anxious, so he'll come and do a visit, which is basically where he puts his head on my leg. / If people are in the way he nudges. So, he'll go up and nudge them three times and basically say, excuse me, I'm here, move out of the way please, like on crowded buses and trains. ”
Jess has dystonia of the legs, a neurological movement disorder which causes her muscles to constantly contract.
She says physiotherapy helps, but there is no cure - and other treatments have proved ineffective or caused side effects.
So, for the past four years, Elvis has provided badly needed support.
“If I fall over and things like that, he will alert bark, which will then notify the next door neighbours that I've had a fall. If it's not a serious fall, then I tend to use Elvis in a stand and wait position. And then, I just use my one hand to push myself up using his shoulder blades.”
Elvis was trained by Assistance Dogs Australia.
The not-for-profit organisation provides assistance dogs free of charge to support people with physical disabilities - like Jess.
Senior Instructor Chris Debenjak [says the dogs learn different skills depending on the needs of the client.
“The main tasks that physical assistance dogs do generally picking up dropped items, opening and closing doors and cupboards. And then generally any mobility tasks that our client might require. So, anything from holding items for the person jumping up and giving the wallet to the cashier, whatever they may need to do in their day-to-day life, taking off clothing, helping take off clothing, helping put clothing in the washing machine or removing it from the washing machine.”
Their dogs are Labradors, Golden Retrievers or a cross of the two.
Mr Debenjak says trained dogs also assist clients with complex autism or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder better integrate into society.
“We do a lot of grounding behaviours and emotional support behaviours, which is basically like a weighted blanket or deep pressure. So, we teach our dogs to apply deep pressure to our client, whether that be on their lap, could be on their shoulder, could be across their back, wherever the client may need. And what this is, is the grounding behaviour that helps regulate during difficult times of stress or anxiety.”
A strong bond between a person and their dog is a key factor in successful training, according to Mr Debenjak.
“It does become quite innate. Our dogs are quite in tune with our body, with our characteristics, with our mannerisms. They're quite in tune with our body language and they can sense when we need them most.”
Assistance Dogs Australia started 28 years ago and currently supports about 200 individuals. Trained dogs also work in schools and courthouses.
But in recent years, growing demand has closed their waiting lists.
That's prompted a major expansion. A new 80-dog capacity training centre opened in Sydney's west in August, thanks to federal funding.
It will soon be home for several fresh litters from a new breeding program.
CEO Tim Taylor plans to re-open applications next year, supporting 300 clients within three years.
“We acquired a breeding operation in 2022, and that's helped us together with this national training centre that's helped us address our capacity. So, we're now looking forward to the future where we can actually start helping a lot more people.”
Training an assistance dog takes two years and costs $60,000 dollars - from breeding, to skilling and matching with a client.
That's largely funded through donations and corporate sponsors.
Volunteers - known as puppy educators – also lend a hand, helping to raise the dogs from 8 weeks to one year.
Tim Taylor says more volunteers are needed.
“The puppy educators, our volunteers of the lifeblood of this organisation. We're not able to place dogs with clients and help people without volunteers. So, we've been working diligently over the last six months to really look at our volunteer program, improve the experience, and we're actively now looking for more people to join and to help us.”
One former volunteer is Chris Debenjak, the senior instructor we heard from earlier.
He started as a puppy educator six years ago but learned most of his skills as a trainer on the job.
As part of its expansion, ADA is now developing a Certificate IV in Assistance Dog Training that will be the first of its kind in Australia.
Chris says the work is extremely rewarding.
“It's about the results that I see, the clients, the changes in a client's life. We have clients that have never left the house. They've been unable to leave the house. And with our support, they can get back out there, back into the world and do what they need to do.”
Jess says Elvis has broadened her world.
She also hopes it's broadened the mind of people she meets.
“One thing I want more people to know is just because you have a disability, it doesn't stop you from doing everyday things normal people get to do.”]]
