Additional information
The DDA (1992)
Assistance dogs are trained to help their human manage the effects their disability/ies have on their lives. They work with their disabled handler to provide important medical support.
An Assistance Dog must be trained to mitigate the effects of their handler's disability, the disability must be confirmed by a medical professional and meet the criteria of the Australian Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA).
This Act also protects a handler's right to have their Assistance Dog with them in public places just like any other piece of medical equipment.
We operate under the federal law and under our own own set of behaviour and training standard which go above and beyond this law.
The Disability Discrimination Act (1992) defines an Assistance Dog as:
"Section 9(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."