If you’re a dog lover with a bit of time to spare, and a dog-friendly home, then local charity, PTSD Dogs Australia would love to hear from you.
The organisation, who rescue dogs from pounds and shelters, and train them to become loyal and supportive Assistance Dogs, are looking for Foster Dog Educators to provide a home, for their dogs whilst undergoing training.
You can help the organisation to carry out their great work, rescuing dogs, who in turn, rescue our Veterans and First Responders battling the very real and debilitating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The dogs they rescue find themselves abandoned and homeless placed into uninviting cold metal cages and kept in foreign environments that are noisy, scary and completely unfamiliar to any home environment.
Through no fault of their own, or unfortunate circumstances, these often once well-loved and often well-trained dogs, find themselves on death row in pounds and shelters, hoping for a second chance at life.
PTSD Dogs Australia have been on the ground since 2018, rescuing dogs and are leading the way in training rescue dogs to become Psychiatric PTSD Assistance Dogs, instead of utilizing puppy breeding programs, reducing dog euthanasia rates and reducing wait times for an Assistance Dog.
Receiving an Assistance Dog can be utterly life-changing and in some cases, even lifesaving.
Their Assistance Dogs are provided at no charge to their clients (handlers), who have given a lifetime of service, plus, they provide lifetime support to each PTSD Assistance Dog and their Handler.
They currently need more Foster Dog Educators to assist with caring for the dogs, until they are ready to be placed with a Handler. Educators are required to attend a weekly training session. PTSD Dogs Australia provide all the equipment needed to care for the dogs.
If there are any individuals or families in the area who would love to welcome a dog into their home for the duration of their training, they would be making such an incredible contribution for such a worthy cause.
CEO Angie Weeks said the need for these Assistance Dogs is immense.
“The amount of ex service personnel that have dutifully served our community, that are suffering from PTSD, is enormous, and unfortunately, we can’t train the dogs quickly enough to keep up with demand,” she said.
“We need help from dog lovers in the community to help us to educate the dogs and get the training process started.”
The organisation will be holding an information session shortly for anyone interested.
To register your interest, fill in the application form available on their website at www.ptsddogs.org.au/foster
Time and location of the information session is to be advised. Volunteer now to help save two lives in one go.
