PAWS

PAWS (Parents Autism Workshops and Support) brings together parents of children with autism, with specialist dog instructors to share experiences and explore the benefits that a dog might have within the family. Based on the PAWS program in the UK and the Netherlands, it has been successfully running in Australia for the last four years.

Workshops

Our workshops cover the important pros and cons to be considered when thinking of applying for a dog to help your child and your family.

The workshops cover pros and cons of getting a dog to help your child and your family. They are designed to provide parents with the information for sourcing, choosing, handling and training a dog specifically to benefit a child with Autism and the family as a whole.

At the end of the series you may feel that you are prepared to bring a pet dog into your home or you may wish to explore the option of applying to Assistance Dogs Australia for an Autism Service Dog with Public Access Rights, meaning this dog can be of support to your child in areas of the community where pet dogs are unable to access.

The workshops cover:

• Questions you might have about owning a pet dog
• How dogs can help a child with autism
• Selecting the right dog to live with a child with autism
• Options for finding a suitable pet dog
• Things to think about when training a dog
• Selecting an appropriate training club/trainer
• Dog welfare and equipment needs

PAWS is delivered over three workshop days, held over three consecutive Saturdays. Attendance at each workshop day is compulsory to obtain all the relevant information required in making an informed decision as to whether a pet dog or Autism Service Dog is suitable for your family.

*Please note completion of all three workshops is a prerequisite before we can accept an application for an Autism Service Dog.

Due to limited resources, we can only run workshops in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. If you are located in a rural area of one of these states or another state, we may be able to run workshops in your area. We require a minimum of 10-15 interested families before a workshop can be organised, if you feel you can organise this number of people, please contact us.

REGISTRATIONS. 

Due to the overwhelming amount of interest and immense success rate, applications have closed. We thank you for your continued interest and support in our PAWS program.