ABOUT US

The little Australian program that’s changing lives, day by day

Verndogs Australia is an Australian Based Program with the aim to increase accessibility for Assistance Animals within Australia.

Assistance Animals in Australia are among the most inaccessible medical aids available. Assistance dogs cost an average of $40,000 to train in Australia. These costs would need to be covered by individuals with disabilities, often with no subsidies or concession available. Verndogs aim is to significantly decrease these costs, while still providing the highest level of support possible.

We are a new program but are growing quickly. With 1 owner-operator, and a team of 6 volunteers providing much needed support, mentorship, advocacy, and training to assistance animal handlers in Australia, we are slowly making big steps to change the way Assistance Animal teams can access society.

With many avenues of increasing accessibility in Australia, Verndogs has the aim to make all these avenues available to our teams. This includes consistent research on programs, concessions or subsidies which will help our teams, and notifying our teams of any changes in current legislation in place for the protection of people living with disabilities, and their assistance animals.

Assistance animal training and accreditation is the hardest achievement for assistance animal handlers, but Verndogs is slowly changing that. With programs costing only up to $95 annually, we can provide much needed assistance on the journey, start to finish, of training and assessing an assistance animal. 

For the more experienced teams, the most they’d be looking at annually is $65 annually for membership, which includes all assessments and 24/7 support.

Applications are always open, and applications can be found under our “Apply” tab on the website.