Young pups working to their future careers as assistance dogs need foster families in Bendigo to give them a home while they train.
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Dogs For Life currently has eight pups training in the Bendigo region but more are arriving soon.
Bendigo area trainer Lana Field said Dogs For Life (formerly known as the Centre for Therapy and Assistance Dogs Australia) provided assistance dogs for people who have an autism spectrum disorder, suffered from PTSD or are returned war veterans.
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"There are quite a variety of people we train dogs for," she said. "We have four new pups coming in a couple weeks but they are coming all the time. Once we have got foster families for them, we can take more."
Ms Field said Dogs For Life funds the food, medical and equipment costs for the pups in training. The most important thing for families was not leave the dog for more than four hours at a time.
"It means the dog can go to work or be at home with them," she said. "I come in for an hour each day, to take them for training.
"There is no out of pocket costs for families. Families are more required to teach the dog how to behave in the house, take them for walks to build their confidence."
Ms Field some families found it hard to give the dogs up when their training is completed but that it was a rewarding thing to do.
"That's the biggest ting people say to us, I don't know how I can give it back," she said. "But we just remind people if you look at the quality of life you're providing for someone else, raising the dog becomes really rewarding in itself."
Visit www.dogsforlife.com.au for more information.
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