Assistance Dogs

What is an Assistance Dog?
An Assistance Dog is a dog that is specially trained to assist a person with disabilities in their daily life. Trained assistance dogs may legally accompany their handlers out in public places that are not pet friendly.

Types of Assistance Dogs
There are many types of assistance dogs, the most well-known type of assistance dog is a guide dog. Other types of assistance dogs can include (but are not limited to): diabetic alert dogs, seizure detection & response dogs, psychiatric assistance dogs, autism assistance dogs & mobility assistance dogs.

Do I qualify for an Assistance Dog?
In order to get an assistance dog you must first qualify for one. To qualify for an assistance dog you must have a disability that a dog could help to mitigate the symptoms of. It is best to discuss with your doctor whether you are disabled by your condition(s) and if an assistance dog would significantly improve your quality of life.

If you have determined that you qualify for one and would benefit from one, then you can start looking in to your options.

How do I get an Assistance Dog?
There are a few options when it comes to obtaining an Assistance Dog. There are training programs which fully train the dogs for specific needs and place them with chosen handlers - some of these programs donate the dogs and some require payment. They usually have a very long wait list and you could be waiting upwards of two years for a dog that is suitable for you. The programs may or may not be GHAD (Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs) certified under Queensland state law. Another option is to owner train your assistance dog – this means that you train your own dog with or without the help of a trainer (who again may or may not be GHAD certified) up to a high standard in order to achieve public access. This is allowed throughout Australia (including QLD – GHAD public access tests are not mandatory even for those residing in the state) and owner trainers are legally allowed to enter non-pet-friendly environments providing they meet the standards outlined in Part 1, section 9 point (2) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

Do Infinite K9’s provide Assistance Dogs?
No, unfortunately at this stage we do not provide assistance dogs or dogs in training. We help owner trainers to train their own dog under the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act 1992). We are not currently GHAD certified.

The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act 1992) and Assistance Dogs
Part 1, Section 9, point (2) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 states that:

(2)  For the purposes of this Act, an assistance animal is a dog or other animal:

                     (a)  accredited under a law of a State or Territory that provides for the accreditation of animals trained to assist a persons with a disability to alleviate the effect of the disability; or

                     (b)  accredited by an animal training organisation prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this paragraph; or

                     (c)  trained:

                              (i)  to assist a person with a disability to alleviate the effect of the disability; and

                             (ii)  to meet standards of hygiene and behaviour that are appropriate for an animal in a public place.

Note:          For exemptions from Part 2 for discrimination in relation to assistance animals, see section 54A