Vote For Pedro!

On the 20th of August 2010, Assistance Dogs Australia volunteer puppy raisers Brian and Elaine Everett farewelled Pedro the black Labrador, their charge for the previous 4 months. Pedro was on his way back to the National Training Centre in Sydney for his final months of intensive training before his eventual placement with someone living with a physical disability.

Brian and Elaine welcomed Pedro into their household when he was 13 months old. Here is what they had to say about their experiences training and raising an assistance dog:

"We enjoyed learning training techniques and having the opportunity to attend the seminar on reactive dogs with Linda Marston. We have also really enjoyed meeting lots of really lovely people who have the same passion for animals as we do.

"Pedro is a really lovely soul who blended into our house very well. The crate training makes it very easy to have an extra dog in the house and minimises disruptions. Watching the dogs learn new behaviours and seeing them go on to better skills is also very rewarding."

Georgia Karajas is the K9 Program Co-ordinator for the WA branch of Assistance Dogs Australia. Georgia will be visiting Pedro in Sydney towards the end of October to see how he is progressing!

Keep reading to find out more about Assistance Dogs Australia...

Assistance Dogs Australia obtains, trains and maintains dogs in community settings to assist people with their disabilities, to give them more confidence and to help them achieve a greater level of independence.

The Assistance Dogs are fully trained to international standards and provided to recipients with physical disabilities free of charge. Each Assistance Dog costs the organisation just over $25,000, which covers the two year training period and follow up support.

Assistance Dogs are already making a dramatic difference in the quality of life for individuals with physical disabilities. Not only do they assist them physically, but also these special dogs relieve loneliness and social isolation, helping their owners integrate more with their local communities. This increase in independence allows them to get on with their lives, often attending college, getting employment or just mixing more.

Find out if your household is suitable to raise an Assistance Dogs Australia puppy, by checking out their website, www.assistancedogs.org.au.

Our gallery shows Brian and Elaine working with Georgia to train Pedro in various settings.