Friday 26 June is ‘International Take Your Dog to Work Day' ® so let's discuss Pets at Work - Myths Debunked. A furry tradition established by Pet Sitters International in 1996, they believed too many pets were being left at home while their owners were at work. They wanted to highlight the human-animal bond, while also bringing awareness to their efforts saving animals from local...

In this Smart Pups story, we meet Valli and her autistic daughter Akira, and their adorable Smart Pups Assistance Dog Jagger, who is trained to help Akira with her autism and seizures to enhance her quality of life. Children with autism can feel safer, calmer and more understood through their bond with a Smart Pups Assistance Dog. They can increase an autistic child’s ability to...

Being an advocate for pet rescue and adoption is my passion, so when I was asked to come on board as the Ambassador for the Rescue Awards 2020, it was a no-brainer! The Jetpets Companion Animal Rescue Awards 2020 marks the third year of these awards, which help to celebrate and inspire rescue groups and animal shelters to continue their efforts in saving companion animals,...

One of my goals when creating Pooches at Play was to play a role in helping to drastically reduce the numbers of pets, dogs in particular, that end up in pounds and shelters each year.  After filming this week’s story with Dog Rescue Newcastle, my resolve is strengthened even further. When filming this story, I also visited the team at the Socares Wyong Animal Facility...

The Australian Lions Hearing Dogs, based in the Adelaide Hills, trains dogs for the hearing impaired to provide independence, security and confidence. They’re also helping save dogs’ lives, with the majority of their dogs being rescues. Whilst staying in the Adelaide Hills to film Episode 5 of our pet-friendly travel special, I visited the ‘home’ of the Lions Hearing Dogs to meet some clever rescue...

I have seen first hand the amazing role dogs can play in helping people cope with the world around them. That’s why I am honoured to be the Ambassador for the Paws4Kids matched giving day this Wednesday 22 April. This wonderful program helps to raise funds for that MacKillop Family Services Paw Pals program which is helping kids who’ve been through childhood trauma to feel...

National Puppy Day is on March 23 and is a day to celebrate the magic and unconditional love that puppies bring to our lives. It's also a day to help save homeless puppies across the globe and raise awareness about the dark nature of puppy mills and backyard breeding practices by choosing to adopt not shop. Unfortunately I believe some people are still getting a...

If you are a regular reader of this blog and website, you would see many examples of dogs doing amazing things to help people in the community. The MacKillop Family Services PawPals program is another example of this. MacKillop Family Services supports at-risk children living in Melbourne’s west to engage in education through its Specialist Schools and education outreach services. Education is the cornerstone of...

In this coming weekend’s episode of Pooches at Play, I visit the Victorian headquarters for Guide Dogs Australia and learn more about how Guide Dogs can help change lives We often don’t think about the isolation or frustration that people with blindness or low vision can feel in their daily lives. That’s where a Guide Dog and white cane can help to provide independence and...

You would have to be living under a rock to not be aware of the devastation that is being caused by the bushfires raging across Australia.  If your heart is breaking like mine at the thought of all the Australian wildlife losing their life or suffering injuries, I would like to urge you to donate to the PETstock Assist Bushfire Relief. With estimates of one...