Certified Assistance Dogs Australia

14/10/2026

NSW leading the way on welfare. 👏

NSW GOVERNMENT HAS INTRODUCED A BILL TO ESTABLISH AN INDEPENDENT OFFICE OF ANIMAL WELFARE.
The Minns Labor Government introduced a Bill to Parliament yesterday on a key election commitment to strengthen transparency and accountability of organisations responsible for enforcing animal welfare laws in NSW.

The Bill will establish a new statutory Office of Animal Welfare to oversee their performance and review public funding provided to the RSPCA NSW and the Animal Welfare League NSW that is used for enforcement activities, and ensure it is used in line with community expectations.

In the 2026-27 Budget, these organisations were allocated $12.8 million in government funding to carry out animal welfare enforcement functions under the "Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act" (POCTA).

The new Office of Animal Welfare is part of broader reforms to modernise the state's animal welfare laws and ensure effective protections for animals.

The reforms include:
> Delivering independent advice, reviews and recommendations related to animal welfare and to organisations entrusted with animal welfare enforcement powers.
> Making recommendations to the government on issues relating to enforcement funding made to approved charity organisations.
> Receiving, investigating and reporting on complaints from the public related to enforcement actions taken by these organisations.
> Promoting best practice compliance and enforcement across the animal welfare sector through greater coordination, information sharing and performance oversight.

It is proposed the new Office will sit within the Premier's Dept portfolio and report to the Minister for Agriculture.

The NSW Government has already strengthened animal welfare in the state by:
> Banning illegal puppy farms, regulating dog breeders and strengthening rules for selling puppies.
> Banning anyone with serious animal cruelty convictions from keeping or working with animals.
> Increasing funding to the RSPCA NSW and the Animal Welfare League.
> Proposing improved animal welfare regulations through the "Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (Enforcement and Operational Powers) Bill, 2026.

To read the full transcript go to www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases .

(Source: the Minister for Agriculture dated 13 October 2026)

06/08/2026

One of our amazing Assistance Dog Teams are finalists. Juliette McAleer and her extremely handsome boy, Benzo.

In addition to offering his mum important medical alerts, he gives back to the community in his role as “Ambassadog” for the RBWH Foundation raising money for important research.

Please, if you can access this competition please vote for Juliette & Benzo.

Afterall, it is International Assistance Dog Week.
🙏

🤩Now is the time to vote for the Fraser Coast's cutest dog!

🐶We have chosen 100 pooches for the finalist's list including Franko, Ralph, Poppie and Luna.

VOTE HERE➡️: https://bit.ly/4q3gyIg

05/08/2026

Our assistance dog teams are welcomed on buses, trains & city cats. The airlines, other than Virgin Australia are a work in progress.

For me, Assistance Dog Week is an opportunity to be grateful for how far we’ve come.

Every assistance animal and their handler has the right to travel together. 🐕‍🦺❤️

During Assistance Dog Week, we are proud to support Safe Transport Victoria's Drive with Heart campaign, promoting awareness of the rights of people who rely on assistance animals when travelling.

Whether catching a taxi, rideshare, bus, ferry or train in Queensland, assistance animals are part of the journey too.

Learn more about assistance animal rights and responsibilities 👉
https://brnw.ch/21x4CVL

Safe Transport Vic - CPV & Bus

04/08/2026

It’s International Assistance Dog Week!

Seems appropriate to share Kona demonstrating how his nose works better and quicker than CGM for his T1 diabetic girl, Kennedy.

Diabetes can ravage the organs over time. Kennedy’s family invested in a suitably bred dog and had him attend specific training to be familiarised with high and low blood glucose levels.

Will we ever know the true value of how Kona is protecting his beautiful little girl’s organs and life.

Please follow on Facebook and Instagram

24/07/2026

Did you know? Tasking trumps obedience. Sometimes called intelligent disobedience.

03/06/2026

Showing our puppies the positives about car travel should start long before the car moves.

29/05/2026

Xylitol warning. ⚠️

Tonight I ended up trying to help a friend whose puppy ate a kid's vitamin containing xylitol. Simple accident: kid dropped vitamin, puppy scarfed it down. (Note: this household is knowledgeable and is xylitol free, but a relative bought the vitamins, unaware of the risk to the dogs.)

The puppy only ate *one* vitamin. Which turned out to contain 1500 mg of xylitol.

100 mg/kg is the threshold for hypoglycemia which can be fatal. At 500 mg/kg, hepatic necrosis occurs -- destruction of liver tissue.

So just ONE chewable vitamin ended up creating a serious problem for a 30 pound pup (which is not quite 14 kg).

The emergency vet induced vomiting. Thankfully, the puppy had had a meal and so there was food in her stomach. In the vomit was the orange tablet, identifiable though dissolved.

Quick thinking on the owner's part (including grabbing the bottle of vitamins) and fortunately a nearby 24/7 emergency vet hospital meant that this pup received prompt treatment, and should make a full recovery.

Check your medications, vitamins, gum, candy, toothpaste, mouthwash, peanut butter and more for xylitol, also known as birch sugar.

This is useful information to have on hand:
https://www.calculatorsfordogs.com/health-nutrition-calculators/xylitol-toxicity-calculator

ALWAYS contact vet and ASPCA Animal Poison Control center immediately!

As for everyone (the non-vets) recommending the use of hydrogen peroxide, please update your understanding:
https://www.gsvs.org/woodbridge-nj/blog/hydrogen-peroxide-for-dogs-emergency/

Pass this along. I hope you never have to use it.

25/04/2026

07/04/2026

I’m often asked what it takes to train your own assistance dog. This. Patience and sufficient love not to throw your dog in the deep end. are public access certified - they still spend time together in public settings (like this shopping centre) without pressure. That means the handler is not asking anything of her dog, except to enjoy feeling calm in an environment that is often anything except calm. If you also allow your assistance dog the opportunity to ‘watch the world go by’ like this, feel welcome to add your own photo.