Join the Puppy Academy

From wobbly first steps to exciting training milestones, you'll follow one very special litter of puppies as they grow, learn and prepare for their life-changing role supporting Australians in need.

Puppy Academy is Assistance Dogs Australia's regular giving program, created for supporters who want to make a lasting impact through monthly donations.

As a Puppy Academy member, you'll receive exclusive updates that bring you closer to the puppies you're helping raise, including:

• Regular puppy progress updates

• Exclusive photos and videos

• Behind-the-scenes stories from our trainers and puppy raisers

• Early learning and training milestones

• Insights into how Assistance Dogs are raised and prepared for their future roles.

Every puppy needs a community of supporters behind them.

By joining Puppy Academy, you'll become part of a special group of monthly donors helping provide:

• Expert puppy care and development

• Specialist training and socialisation

• Veterinary care and wellbeing support

• The foundations for a future Assistance Dog partnership.

  
  

Together, we're helping more Australians gain greater independence, confidence and connection through the support of an Assistance Dog.

Training a playful puppy to become a life-changing Assistance Dog for someone with PTSD, autism, or physical disability costs more than $60,000 and takes two years.

To help meet growing demand and achieve its ambitious goal of doubling the number of assistance dogs in three years, Assistance Dog Australia has launched the Puppy Academy - a community of supporters who follow a litter of future Assistance Dogs on their journey from puppyhood through training and placement.

Six healthy Labrador puppies were born recently: Venetia, Virgil, Vanilla, Volt, Velvet and Vienna. As a Puppy Academy member, you’ll get exclusive updates as the V litter grows - from sleepy newborn days and wobbly first steps, through early learning, socialisation, and the foundations of their future roles as Assistance Dogs. 

The Puppy Academy gives supporters a unique and exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the V litter is carefully bred, raised, socialised and trained to perform vital tasks that help people live more independently and confidently.

You can sign up to become a bronze, silver or gold member of the academy. Every contribution helps fund expert trainers, veterinary care, specialised equipment, and the intensive training required to prepare each dog for its role in giving someone an independent life. 

For more information about signing up for the Puppy Academy, visit  https://give.assistancedogs.org.au/puppy-academy/join