Guide Dogs WA welcomes cute puppies set for important role as assistance animals

Guide Dogs WA has welcomed its first litter of adorable home-grown puppies destined for careers as assistance animals.

The five six-week-old labrador retriever pups, born to first-time mum Janet, were unveiled on Thursday ahead of moving in with volunteer raisers who will care for and socialise them for one year before they enter formal training.

Each puppy is expected to eventually embark on a career as a guide dog, autism assistance dog, therapy dog, companion dog or facility dog.

The McGowan Government committed $5 million towards funding a local breeding and cadet training program ahead of the 2021 election, with the cash to be matched by Guide Dogs WA.

The announcement was made in recognition of a growing gap between demand for assistance dogs and those available to help those who are vision-impaired or living with conditions such as autism, dementia or PTSD.

Guide Dogs WA has now used the grant to set up and staff specialist breeding locations across the State and will also re-establish its cadet training program to bolster the number of qualified dog trainers.

Premier Mark McGowan said the “world-class breeding program” would “help to change the lives of many Western Australians”.

Local Government Minister John Carey said assistance dogs dramatically improved the lives of their owners.

“This injection of funding will directly support Western Australians who may live with dementia, visual impairment, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said.

Guide Dogs WA chief executive Anna Presser said the 70-year-old not-for-profit organisation had never previously had its own breeding program.