Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust

Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust Providing purpose-trained Assistance Dogs to enrich the lives of Kiwis living with a disability 🐾
(1)

Join our mailing list 💌: https://mailchi.mp/b06900135243/adnztsubscribe

Due to overwhelming demand, we have reached capacity and are unable to accept further applications at this time. We know...
02/03/2025

Due to overwhelming demand, we have reached capacity and are unable to accept further applications at this time.

We know how long many families have been waiting for this opportunity, highlighting the urgent need for more support to Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust.

As a not-for-profit organisation that receives no government funding, we rely entirely on the generosity of our donors, sponsors, volunteers and supporters to continue this life-changing work. Each dog Assistance Dog costs $75,000 to raise, train and support throughout its working life. While our resources are limited, our commitment to helping New Zealanders living with disabilities remains unwavering.

If you missed out this time, we encourage you to keep an eye on our page, website, and newsletter for future reopening announcements. We have undertaken a review of our staffing and strategy, with the goal of reopening applications more frequently in the future.

If you did manage to apply, we are carefully assessing applications to determine eligibility and suitability. This process may take up to 6 weeks and we will contact you as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience.

If you have any questions regarding applications, please contact us at [email protected]

To our incredible supporters, thank you - your generosity makes our work possible, and with your continued support, we can reach even more New Zealanders who need our help 💙

Assistance Dog Applications are open! 💙🦮We encourage you to take action quickly, as applications will close as soon as c...
28/02/2025

Assistance Dog Applications are open! 💙🦮

We encourage you to take action quickly, as applications will close as soon as capacity is reached.

Apply and see our eligibility criteria here: www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz/apply-for-an-assistance-dog

This is a huge milestone for ADNZT, after our waitlist being closed since 2022. Thank you to our donors, volunteers, sponsors, staff and the wider community for making this possible.

We look forward to supporting more young New Zealanders in need of an Assistance Dog 🐾

🌟 February Employee of the Month 🌟This month, Assistance Dog Jojo went above and beyond to keep her handler, Kat, safe i...
27/02/2025

🌟 February Employee of the Month 🌟

This month, Assistance Dog Jojo went above and beyond to keep her handler, Kat, safe in a dangerous situation. This story is a powerful reminder of just how life-changing these dogs can be. Here’s Kat’s firsthand account of what happened:

"Jojo truly saved my life yesterday and kept me safe during a really scary situation. An Uber Assist driver kept moving his pickup location, forcing me to walk further than I physically could.

He took so long to find me that I had to sit on the side of the road in the sun and wait. Jojo alerted me that I was in the danger zone and wouldn’t let me stand up because I likely would have passed out. The driver eventually found me but expected me to cross a busy main road to get to him."

I'm so grateful Jojo was firm and kept me sitting because if I had tried to stand, I likely would have collapsed in the middle of the road. The Uber driver eventually cancelled my ride, leaving me on the side of the road, in and out of consciousness, unable to stand or move.

Jojo stayed calm the entire time, helped me get my phone so I could call for help, and made sure I was never truly alone. Because Jojo was with me, a stranger and her family noticed us, recognised Jojo was a service dog, and stopped to check if I needed help. They moved me to the shade and stayed with me until my emergency contact arrived.

Through it all, Jojo was incredibly professional and never left my side. She licked my face when I started losing consciousness or shutting down from the stress. Once I was home, her deep pressure helped stop a full-blown meltdown. She always knows how to cheer me up with her playful, silly side, and it worked like a charm.

It was an exhausting and terrifying experience, but Jojo took it all in stride. She did her job perfectly and handled everything like a champ, which meant no hospital, no ambulance, and no bad outcomes.

And I’m not left so traumatised that I can’t leave the house again—because this proved that I can, as long as she’s with me. She’s always there to keep me safe and help me get through the hard things." — Kat (Jojo's handler)

Incredible work, Jojo! We are so proud of you. You can read more about Jojo and Kat here: https://www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz/post/kat-and-jojo 💙

Does your Assistance Dog or puppy in training deserve a shout-out? Nominate them to be our next 'Employee of the Month'! Send their name and why they deserve next month's award to [email protected]. We’re excited to celebrate the achievements of our hardworking puppies and dogs! 🥰🦮

Are you interested in applying for an Assistance Dog? Please take a moment to read the important information in this pos...
22/02/2025

Are you interested in applying for an Assistance Dog? Please take a moment to read the important information in this post.

We have made some changes to our application eligibility criteria to improve access for those we can support most effectively. The aim of these adjustments is to consolidate our point of difference within the New Zealand service dog sector and to better align our services with an early intervention approach.

ADNZT is the only internationally accredited service dog organisation in New Zealand that provides disability assist dogs to children under the age of 16. We know from academic research and experience that early intervention results in greater long-term health outcomes. Our vision is to provide the most effective assistance possible for individuals living with disabilities and their families, creating a ripple effect to better serve our communities.

Applicants Must:
☑️ Apply on or before their 18th birthday.
☑️ Have a diagnosis of at least one of the following primary disabilities:
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Cerebral Palsy
• Brain Injury
• Down syndrome
• Or another neurological or physical disability

We will consider applications where the applicant has:
☑️ Epilepsy, ADHD, or Sensory Processing Disorder as a secondary diagnosis, provided they have at least one of the primary disabilities listed above.

Please note, to be accredited as a disability assist dog, each dog must perform at least three tasks that directly benefit their client, as per Assistance Dogs International (ADI) standards.

We understand that these updates may affect individuals who have been hoping to apply for an Assistance Dog, and we sincerely acknowledge any disappointment this may cause. We appreciate your understanding as we move forward with these changes and focus on providing the best possible outcomes for the New Zealanders we serve.

📅 Applications Open: Midday, Saturday 1st March 2025
📅 Applications Close: Friday 14th March (or earlier if capacity is reached)

💙 The application form will be available on our website from midday Saturday, 1st March 2025.
💙 The online form will take approximately 30–60 minutes to complete. The form asks general questions about the applicant, their diagnosis, capability and living situation.
💙 No supporting documentation is required at this stage.

https://www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz/apply-for-an-assistance-dog

The ADNZT Client Services Team will carefully assess applications to determine eligibility and suitability. This process may take up to 6 weeks.

Please note, submitting an expression of interest application form does not guarantee that the applicant will be accepted to join our official waiting list to receive an Assistance Dog.

Thank you so much to the generous support of our sponsors, donors, volunteers, and the wider community who have made it possible for us to take this step in re-opening Assistance Dog applications.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] 🐾

Last week, our Puppy Development Coordinator, Naida, hosted a fantastic puppy class in Hamilton with Rose, Ruby, Robbie,...
17/02/2025

Last week, our Puppy Development Coordinator, Naida, hosted a fantastic puppy class in Hamilton with Rose, Ruby, Robbie, Queenie and their puppy raisers.

The pups worked on important skills like food refusal—learning to ignore food unless given by their handler—settling in their bed, lead work, and general obedience.

A big thanks to our wonderful puppy raisers for making it such a great session 💛🥰🦮

Happy Valentine’s Day from Mr. Ronnie and the whole ADNZT team! 💕🥰🐶Today is about celebrating love in all its forms—frie...
13/02/2025

Happy Valentine’s Day from Mr. Ronnie and the whole ADNZT team! 💕🥰🐶

Today is about celebrating love in all its forms—friendship, family, and of course the special bond we share with our pets.

Ronnie sends you his best puppy cuddles and hopes you feel the love today ❤️

Queenie and Uncle frank - Oh how times have changed! 🤭
12/02/2025

Queenie and Uncle frank - Oh how times have changed! 🤭

Sooo, what do you think of Uni in his new training jacket? 🤔😍VERY cute in our opinion!
11/02/2025

Sooo, what do you think of Uni in his new training jacket? 🤔😍

VERY cute in our opinion!

Obi’s ready to take on another week of Formal Training with Hannah in Christchurch! 💪🥳Right now, we’ve got 13 dogs in Fo...
09/02/2025

Obi’s ready to take on another week of Formal Training with Hannah in Christchurch! 💪🥳

Right now, we’ve got 13 dogs in Formal Training—the most we’ve EVER had!—plus 18 puppies in development. That’s 31 dogs in our programmes, which is amazing… but it also means our costs are high.

To everyone who donates regularly—thank you! Your support makes this possible 💙

If you haven’t donated before or can give a little extra, now is a great time to help. Every donation, big or small, goes directly toward training these incredible dogs so they can change the lives of New Zealanders living with disabilities.

Please consider donating today: https://www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz/make-a-donation 🦮

Here’s a wee update on our handsome boy, Rufio! 😍Rufio recently stayed with some wonderful boarders and had quite an eve...
05/02/2025

Here’s a wee update on our handsome boy, Rufio! 😍

Rufio recently stayed with some wonderful boarders and had quite an eventful week! He visited the pool, library, hospital, a mountain bike race, watched planes, and even went shopping.

His boarders said he was a sweet, gentle boy who was very well-behaved and easy to look after (good boy, Rufio!!! 🥰).

He’s making great progress in our Puppy Development Programme, along with his 10 siblings, and is on track to start Formal Training later this year 🙌

We're so proud of all our 'R' litter pups and incredibly grateful to all puppy raisers and boarders involved 💙💙💙

Happy 2nd birthday to Izzak and Izzy!!! Look how far they've come 🥹Izzak’s working hard in Formal Training to become an ...
03/02/2025

Happy 2nd birthday to Izzak and Izzy!!! Look how far they've come 🥹

Izzak’s working hard in Formal Training to become an Assistance Dog, and sister Izzy is helping create the next generation of Assistance Dogs, recently having her first puppy, Uni 🥰

Thank you to everyone who’s been a part of Izzak and Izzy’s journeys so far - they wouldn’t be where they are without you!🦮🤍

Orchid’s agenda for today! 🤩
02/02/2025

Orchid’s agenda for today! 🤩

Congratulations to our January Employee of the Month, Rose! 😍This month, Rose has been working closely with our Puppy De...
30/01/2025

Congratulations to our January Employee of the Month, Rose! 😍

This month, Rose has been working closely with our Puppy Development Coordinator, Nadia, who says Rose has been giving it her all in training.

Rose is a determined and hardworking pup who's made great strides in two areas: dog distraction (wanting to greet other dogs) and scavenging (sniffing around on the ground during walks). We're incredibly proud of her progress and can’t wait to see her continue to develop these skills, and many others, as she progresses through our Puppy Development Programme.

Keep up the amazing work, Rose!

Our Formal Training squad is currently the largest in ADNZT history! 🤩With Opal, Orchid, and Obi starting this week, we ...
30/01/2025

Our Formal Training squad is currently the largest in ADNZT history! 🤩

With Opal, Orchid, and Obi starting this week, we now have 13 dogs in the programme. In the next 6 months, these dogs could begin their life-changing careers, working with New Zealanders who are eagerly awaiting their support.

This growth isn't down to chance —it's a testament to the continued support of our sponsors, partners, donors, volunteers, and the wider community. Thank you so much, we really can't thank you enough 💙

You can see our 13 dogs in Formal Training here: https://www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz/meet-the-dogs

(Photo 1: Poppy and Opal, Photo 2: Orchid and Obi)

Photo dump of our new boy 'Uni' to brighten your Tuesday! 🥰🥰🥰(Plus a pic of mum, Izzy, keeping cool in the bushes 😜)
27/01/2025

Photo dump of our new boy 'Uni' to brighten your Tuesday! 🥰🥰🥰

(Plus a pic of mum, Izzy, keeping cool in the bushes 😜)

🦄✨ Meet Uni! 🦄✨We're pleased to introduce you to our newest team member, proudly named by our supporters Filmthreesixty ...
24/01/2025

🦄✨ Meet Uni! 🦄✨

We're pleased to introduce you to our newest team member, proudly named by our supporters Filmthreesixty (inspired by this photo which captures him as a little unicorn 🥺).

Uni is Izzy's first puppy, and he's half-siblings with Queenie, sharing the same dad (it seems single-puppy-litters run in the family!)

We can't wait to see Uni start his journey to become an Assistance Dog for a New Zealander living with a disability 💙

Our 36 puppies and dogs in training are having a wonderful summer and they're ready to get stuck into 2025 ☀️🐶💪Thank you...
21/01/2025

Our 36 puppies and dogs in training are having a wonderful summer and they're ready to get stuck into 2025 ☀️🐶💪

Thank you to our amazing puppy raisers and boarders for giving our dogs the best chance of success in their Assistance Dog training 💙

We can't wait to see what we achieve together this year!

This month, we sadly bid farewell to our General Manager/CEO, Logan McMullen. Logan has played a pivotal role in shaping...
20/01/2025

This month, we sadly bid farewell to our General Manager/CEO, Logan McMullen. Logan has played a pivotal role in shaping ADNZT into the thriving not-for-profit organisation it is today. We thank Logan for his contributions and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

As we say goodbye to Logan, we're pleased to welcome Fenella Aldrige as our interim General Manager/CEO.

Originally from South Africa, Fenella arrived in New Zealand in 1997. She's a wife and mum to a blended family of 5 adult children (and one very spoilt Maltese-Sh*tzu cross called Billie, plus 10 Pekin ducks).

Fenella has held senior management roles in the New Zealand Health sector over the past 20 years. She's had experience across a multitude of community and social enterprise settings, including the disability sector. Until recently, she was Director of Health for the National Telehealth Service/Whakarongorau, which is responsible for over 31 helplines, including Healthline.

As a Registered Nurse, Fenella has a deep understanding of what a profound difference having an Assistance Dog has on the lives of young people and their families, as they strive to achieve their goals and aspirations in a real and meaningful way.

We look forward to what the future holds for this exciting new chapter of ADNZT 🌟

Address

PO Box 36406, Merivale
Christchurch
8146

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust:

Videos

The story of Indie and her Assistance Dog Arlo
The story of Indie and her Assistance Dog Arlo

To kick off our Assistance Dog Appeal 2024, it gives us great pleasure to share this video with you. This is the story of 9-year-old Indie, and her Assistance Dog Arlo 🐾 Indie was diagnosed with autism and sensory processing disorder when she was just 5 years old. One year later, she was also diagnosed with ADHD. Life was a daily struggle for Indie and her family. For Indie's mum JoJo, it was incredibly difficult seeing her daughter navigate everyday life and not want to leave the house. But earlier this year, their world became brighter when Indie was matched with Assistance Dog Arlo. Six months on, Indie is now comfortable leaving the house and she has begun participating in the wider community in ways she couldn't previously. She recently performed in her school production, which was a huge milestone for her. There's hope for her future. This month we desperately need to raise $75,000 so we can re-open our waitlist and help more families across New Zealand. There are still 34 families on our waitlist, and since having to close our applications two years ago, we have received over 600 enquiries from New Zealanders in need of a dog. Donate to the Assistance Dog Appeal today: www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz/appeal Thank you 💙

Gavin is proud to show you his new skill 🤩 Trainer Aaron has been teaching Gavin to retrieve a medicine bottle on command. This could be valuable for someone who suffers from seizures, enabling them to quickly get into a safe position and access their medication when they sense an oncoming episode. Way to go Gavin and Trainer Aaron! P.S. How cute are his excited wiggles when he does the task right? 🥹

Last goodbye to our ‘R’ litter pups before they head off to their puppy raisers 🥹🥰 These guys will be in Christchurch, and the rest of their siblings in Auckland! Have fun puppy raisers 🥳🥳🥳

Thank you so much to Rātā Foundation for supporting the work we do and creating this video with us ❤️ We're proud to share the story of Lachlan, Lady, Baxter, Sinead and their family, and we thank them for participating in this video. You might remember them from our recent Seven Sharp feature! Thank you once again to our incredible supporters at the Rātā Foundation for getting behind us and sharing our mahi.

Have you seen the video we recently created with ANZ Aotearoa? 🎥🐕🌟 Our organisation needs more support to keep up with the growing demand for our Assistance Dogs. Please head to our website to explore the various ways you can support us: https://www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz/ Thank you to Natalie, and mum Philippa for sharing their story 💙

The demand for Assistance Dogs is growing every day
The demand for Assistance Dogs is growing every day

There's a growing demand for our Assistance Dogs, and to keep up we need more support. Thank you to our supporters ANZ Aotearoa for creating this video with us and helping spread awareness about the need for our dogs. Some of the ways you can support us are: 💙 Donating 💙 Sponsoring a puppy in training for $5 a week 💙 Becoming a Puppy Raiser or Boarder 💙 Fundraising for us 💙 Sharing this post! Please head to our website to explore all ways you can support us: https://www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz/ OR send us an email at [email protected] 🐾

Shortcuts

Share