Dog assistance training and therapy. Its not easy but its very rewarding. Seek NDIS support early!

Vicki Skelley is a permanent carer who was looking to find a way to look forward to brighten her granddaughters future after a bleak FASD diagnosis. Vicki wanted to support her granddaughter with a best friend, and also find a way to make an invisible array of disabilities visible to others. The solution came in the form of Zara, a beautiful Italian Lagotto Romagnolo, a type of non shedding poodle, trained as an assistance dog by DogsforLife.

Vicki learned that you don't just turn up and receive a fully trained assistance dog. It involves weekly training with her granddaughter and a variety of dogs. Weekly sessions of an hour each following many rules, such as toileting off the property to picking up after the dog. All of this was her granddaughters responsibility, not Vicki's. An extra challenge when one has a SPD diagnosis too!

Did they succeed? Did they get funding assistance or NDIS support?
Listen in or read the transcript to find out.

00:00 - Start
00:40 - We wanted an assistance dog to help with making hidden disabilities visible and to support my granddaughter with ASD, ADHD, SPD, LD, trauma, anxiety, depression, coordination and FASD.
03:10 - Our assistance dog is a Lagotto Romagnolo, similar to a large poodle, and came to live with us at 14 months old, after she was raised by a foster family. She goes to appointments, like the dentist, and the shopping centre with my granddaughter.
05:25 - The training program is two years long and weekly. OT and Psychologists from Dogs4Life observed Zara with their trained assistance dogs and set out in a contract what they could do for us.
12:09 - You can chose smaller dogs if they are suitable to train, but Dogs4Life mainly work with 2 dog breeds and mainly females. They work with Lagottos or Labradors.
13:14 - I chose Dogs4Life because I did research and made a connection at a community fair with a Dogs4Life dog trainer.
14:36 - It costs around $40,000 for an assistance dog in addition to food, medical and maintenance.
16:44 - You work with many dogs over 2 years and then chose the dog that's the best fit for you. Dogs4Life trained Lagottos and Labradors and we chose Lagottos due to their high energy.
19:42 - Don't start too young - your child needs to be responsible for the dog.
21:51 - The child is the dog handler, not the carer, and has to feed, water, toilet the dog daily.
26:25 - The benefits are many: mental health and wellbeing, having a best friend and sense of purpose.
29:02 - The hardest challenge is when the dog first comes to live with you. So many rules such as toileting off the property and its not allowed to eat scraps.
34:54 - Assistance dog training differs to dog therapy training. Your dog is specifically trained to suit your exact needs and is covered by a Public Access Test so you can take it anywhere.
39:58 - You can live anywhere with an assistance dog. Its your right.
41:55 - NDIS Support - Make it a goal and be prepared for a two year appeal process
47:16 An assistance dog does not replace therapy.

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