Australian Lions has been training hearing assistance dogs for 43 years, pairing more than 690 dogs with hearing-impaired people over that time. More recently, they have branched out to train medical alert dogs for people living with type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition that affects more than 120,000 Australians and over 8 million people worldwide. Laura Harris is a project co-ordinator and trainer with Australian Lions Hearing Dogs, and Eliza Bartlett is an Adelaide nurse and type 1 diabetic, who took delivery of Sal, a miniature labradoodle, 18 months ago. In this podcast we learn about how ..read more

Like many new teaching graduates, Sarah Macdonald started her career full of promise and hope for the potential impact she could have on a child’s life. But she soon realised that a great curriculum and a supportive environment were not enough. Children who weren’t in the right headspace and who were battling mental health issues - anxiety, depression and stress - were not open to learning. After a break from teaching and a spell as a dog trainer, Sarah realised that the two were not incompatible. Using dogs as a metaphor for learning has morphed into a satisfying new career. In today's podcas ..read more

If not for the Dunalley bushfires in 2013, Tasmanian teacher Cheri Allanby may still be delivering lessons to her students in the same way that millions have done before her - standing in a classroom, whiteboard behind her, explaining simple concepts to children and hoping that the sea of young faces before her are taking it all in.  Fast forward 10 years and that classroom has moved outdoors and includes a new teaching aid – horses. Her students are neurodiverse, experience learning difficulties, and struggle with conventional approaches to education. But the combination of nature, a n ..read more

Karen Hollings is a highly experienced paramedic who has been employed by St John Ambulance in Western Australia since 2003.  She loves her job and has been awarded several commendations over the course of her career, but it has also come at a high cost. Like so many other first responders, she is confronted with trauma on a daily basis. She sees people at their best, their worst, and when they are vulnerable. In 2014, a vicious assault by a drug and alcohol-affected patient left Karen with multiple injuries, requiring extensive surgery, rehabilitation and ultimately leading to post tr ..read more

Not many people can put their hand on their heart and say their job makes their heart sing.  Vicki Macdermid counts herself among the lucky few. The executive business coach and chartered accountant has established a model for leadership that accesses the power and wisdom of horses. Her workshops are a little different to the leadership courses that most CEOs sign up for.  "When I see senior business people leaving judgement at the door and allowing an animal that has roamed the Earth for millions of years to teach them a thing or two, it is truly special." Vicki is one  of ..read more

Why do animals play such a pivotal role in helping humans to heal? And how can we ensure this powerful bond is taken seriously by governments and the community?  Child psychologist Dr Aubrey Fine has spent 50 years working in the field of animal-assisted therapy and will deliver the keynote address at the 2023 Animal Therapies Ltd annual conference in Brisbane. Ahead of his visit to Australia in February, Dr Fine shares some insights from a lifetime’s work in the sector ..read more

Seventy per cent of veterinarians know at least one colleague who has taken their own life and almost the same number are experiencing mental health issues within their practice.  Long hours, low pay, high stress, unrealistic client expectations, financial pressures and a lack of mentoring and support for young veterinary graduates have created a crisis for the industry, with many vets leaving the profession.  Veterinary pharmaceutical company Elanco has partnered with Animal Therapies Ltd to  help tackle the problem by offering animal-assisted therapy to struggling vets.  ..read more

With a sense of smell up to 100,000 times more powerful than a human’s, it’s perhaps no surprise that dogs can reliably detect hundreds of different scents, including COVID-19. But as Dr Anne-Lise Chaber explains, their potential as an effective screening tool goes way beyond the pandemic - into the realm of cancer, tuberculosis, influenza and other diseases ..read more

Ever thought of pairing prisoners with retired greyhounds to domesticate the latter for adoption in the community? It's an odd combination but it pays dividends, for inmates and ex-racing dogs alike. Since 2014, the women's and men's prisons in South Australia have re-homed 400 greyhounds as part of the largest foster program of its kind in the world. The results are life changing, as you will hear in this podcast ..read more

Dr Lorin Lindner is a clinical psychologist based in the Californian mountains above Los Angeles. She operates two very special sanctuaries that pair traumatised wildlife with returned US military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. Her recovery program places rescued parrots, wolves and wolf dogs, raccoons and coyotes in a sanctuary, where they are cared for by veterans undergoing rehabilitation from their own traumatic experiences in war.  ..read more