Summary
Assistance Dogs provide assistance to individuals with disabilities (mobility, sight, hearing, and other physical and/or psychiatric issues). Assistance Dogs have public access rights and are protected by the Australian Federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
The right of public access
Assistance Dogs in Australia have very specific ‘rights’, namely the right of public access. This means that Assistance Dogs are allowed in public places and on public passenger vehicles. Businesses such as restaurants, hotels, shops, taxis, theatres and sports facilities must not refuse entry to an Assistance Dog – and strict penalties do apply if access is refused.
The legislative guidelines pertaining to Assistance Dogs are governed at both a Federal and a State level. Where there is conflicting laws on the same subject, Section 109 of the Australian Constitution stipulates that federal law overrides the state law (or, for example, the part of the state law that is inconsistent with the relevant part of the federal law).
How to get an Assistance Dog
In Australia, there are generally four options for a person that may require the services of an Assistance Dog. These are:
- Being accepted in to an organisation that will place an Assistance Dog with you.
- Being accepted in to an organisation that will assist you in training your own dog (subject to certain criteria being met).
- These organisations require you to pass their own Public Standards Assessment.
- These organisations may or may not be accredited by state authorities.
- Training your own dog to Assistance Dog standards and applying to sit the Public Access Test through a state government body.
- Training your own dog to meet standards of hygiene and behaviour that are appropriate for an animal in a public place.
Note that in all, it is generally a requirement that a General Practitioner AND a Psychiatrist or Psychologist (in the case of a psychiatric disability) must specifically prescribe an Assistance Dog for your medical condition.
How they can help
Assistance Dogs can alleviate the symptoms in the following instances:
- Mobility Assistance Dogs
- Retrieval of items
- Aid in walking
- Placing items away in cupboards etc.
- Medic Alert Dogs
- Food allergies
- e.g. peanuts
- Food allergies
- Psychiatric Service Dogs
- PTSD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Panic Disorder
However, before thinking about owner-trained Assistance Dogs, it is highly recommended that you think very carefully about utilising an Assistance Dog in your daily life.
CANINE ESSENTIALS DO NOT SUPPLY ASSISTANCE DOGS.
PLEASE CONTACT TAPUA LABRADORS WHO MAY BE ABLE TO ASSIST.
Proudly Force Free!
I have been training with Dr Geller for the last 1.5 years. In this time I have trained my beautiful Labrador Zola to be my Assistance Dog and we have now passed all of our formal training. Working with Dr Geller has been an amazing experience. She is kind, caring, extremely knowledgeable and honest. She will always give you the honest feedback that is so necessary when it comes to dog training. She has an exceptional grasp on what she teaches and why and will always explain the reasons behind why she teaches what she does. Training up my Assistance Dog through Canine Essentials has changed my life. I have gained a confidence and independence in my everyday life I didn’t know was possible. It has been an honour working with Dr Geller and I look forward to many more years being a part of the Canine Essentials family!
thankyou for all your help and encouragement.…a lot of people need you and your company .
I got Canine Essentials Trainer Georgia to start me off on a good foot with my new puppy Nachos. Everything was explained really well and my puppy who doent like anyone came to her the first time and licked her lots and cuddled her. I made sure I chose her because she knew the breed well staffy x and i booked extra sessions to make sure Nachos and me could walk well and he didnt pull like he was. She also tought me about vaccintians and worming.
Canine Essentials have helped our family in more ways than I can possibly put in words. Going back 2 and a half years ago it was suggested to me my then 4 year old son would benifit from having a assistance dog to cope with his Autism and uncontrolled epilepsy so I started to Google for help. Well the waiting list for fully trained dog’s was not only huge (over 2 years) but also extremely expensive well into the $20k mark and this was just money we didn’t have, until I came across Canine Essentials I first made contact with the owner Dr Geller and explained our situation. Well…… her response was so heart warming she was extremely understanding and more than willing to help. We had brough a puppy and made arrangements to meet her. Fast forward we have a fully accredited assistance dog for our son and this has help us so much with outings and all his medical appointments. We also have another dog in training. I want am to let anyone know who is looking to please contact Canine Essentials it has changed our life’s and will certainly change yours. We have also made life long friends along the way and I have never looked back. A HUGE thank you for helping us and becoming part of our family💕
I began training my 12 week old puppy Koda without a clue of what I was doing. We began our journey in Good Manners Level 1 and I was so nervous. But on the first day of training, Dr. Georgia Geller handed me her training booklet and went through it with me step by step. She told me what I needed to focus on specifically with Koda and how to get him excited for training! Within a few weeks Koda and I went from being nervous and shy to walking through those doors with confidence! From there, Dr. Georgia Geller supported Koda and I to become an Assistance Dog – Handler Team!
Dr. Georgia Geller is thorough and informative with her class workbooks, training logs and years of experience. Not only does she support the dogs, but she supports the handlers through their journey. She goes above and beyond for her clients, supporting them through any difficulty they encounter whether its Advocacy, Public Access Rights, or dog training. She offers a knowledgeable and personalised approach to force-free training, considering each individuals needs.
As a young person with a lifelong disability, I am so thankful for Dr. Georgia Geller’s support in helping me build mine and Koda’s confidence, and achieve my goals.
Canine Essentials is a community of people that support each other, and I am so glad to be a part of it.
I am proud to wear the badge, and I highly recommend Canine Essentials to anyone whether it’s for simple Good Manners training, or Assistance Dog training.
Dr. Geller was highly recommended to me and is well known within the autistic community, so I knew she would work with me in ways I could follow. I was given easy to follow hand outs and demonstrations with my dog that I could then do at home.
Dr. Geller has helped my child and our family in so many ways and changed our life! We are very grateful for her training of the dog, support and encouragement. To see my child be able to leave the house with their Autism Assistance Dog when they would not be leaving the house before is a life changing moment. Thank you Dr. Geller! (Staying anon to protect child identity – hope you understand).
