At Guide Dogs WA, we often wonder if our adorable puppies are aware of the life-changing impact they will have on the lives of Western Australians living with low vision, disability or illness. At the tender age of eight weeks, they join our training program, and the journey they embark on is nothing short of remarkable.
Take Maggie for example, born in March 2022. Thanks to the generosity of Western Australians like you, she benefited from two years of intensive training with our dedicated volunteers and specialised trainers and instructors. Our team recognised that Maggie’s most suitable career wasn’t as a Guide Dog however she was destined for another special and impactful role, as you will soon read.
Meet Oscar, Oscar, a vibrant 12-year-old boy from Bunbury, has faced life’s hurdles with an intellectual disability and ADHD.
The recent loss of Bella, their family Labrador and Oscar’s closest confidante, left a void filled with anxiety and uncertainty. For Oscar’s mother, Lorrae, and his sister, Isla, watching him struggle without his four-legged friend was heart-wrenching.
Lorrae described to us how Oscar would lose control and it was impossible for her to calm him down. “His frustration would boil over, and Oscar would explode, sometimes for hours at a time, he would get so upset. It was so heartbreaking.”
But hope arrived in the form of Maggie, a Companion Dog whose presence has been nothing short of miraculous.
You can help train more puppies to become future life-changers! Your donation today, will fund the training of Guide Autism Assistance, Therapy, Facility and Companion Dogs like Maggie.
Dogs like Maggie are intuitive, warm and devoted. The comfort they bring reduces stress, improves health and helps children with disabilities like Oscar to be able to engage and live more joyful lives as every child deserves.
Your donation today can help replicate this miracle for other families. It will support our Breeding Program, allowing us to train more Guide and Assistance Dogs, and reduce the long waitlist that stands between many West Australians and their chance at a better life.
We are the only organisation breeding, raising and training Guide and Assistance Dogs in Western Australia. But while we have a shortfall of funds to expand our Breeding Program, the wait list will remain long.
“I’m so grateful to everyone who has made it possible for Maggie to come to us. She is the life-changing support Oscar needed to be able to navigate the world. They share an unconditional connection that only they can understand.” Lorrae says.
We need more trainers on our team, who understand each dog’s unique personality to know which career is the best fit. Is it Guide Dog, Autism Assistance Dog, Facility Dog, Therapy Dog, or Companion Dog? Only then, can we find their perfect match, like Maggie is for Oscar.
You can help train more puppies to become future life-changers! Your donation today, will fund the training of Guide Autism Assistance, Therapy, Facility and Companion Dogs like Maggie.
Oscar and his family have generous people like you to thank for the gift of Maggie. Your support changes lives.
