Rosie the PTSD Assistance Dog takes flight home

Meet Rosie, the exceptional psychiatric assistance dog, as she boards a flight from Canberra with Angie and Roger Weeks as they head home to Queensland. Angie won the 2023 Partner Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards for her dedication to assisting veterans and first responders.

Angie and her husband Roger are the driving force behind PTSD Dogs Australia, who place support dogs with first responders and veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rosie is Roger’s psychiatric assistance dog and a hero in her own right. She embodies the profound connection between humans and their service animals.

Trained by Angie and her team, Rosie – and dogs like her – offer vital support to veterans facing PTSD and related challenges.

Rosie’s attendance at the Awards was also an opportunity to highlight the challenges that owners can face when travelling on public transport with an assistance dog. While a vital member of the family, an assistance dog is not a pet and must be with their handler at all times to do their job. These highly trained animals provide a support service that allows a veteran to safely participate in personal and public activities.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 enables all certified assistance dogs to travel on public transport, including airlines, with their handler. Providers of public transport are reminded that it is against the law to deny a veteran with an accredited DVA assistance dog access to public spaces and public transport.

Hearteningly though, Rosie received the VIP package and gave a tail-wagging review of the treatment she received on her flights. She even had the chance to visit the flight deck to pass on her thanks to the pilots.

DVA’s Psychiatric Assistance Dog Program

In recent years, DVA’s Psychiatric Assistance Dog (PAD) Program has grown exponentially, with more than 200 veterans graduating from it.

If you or a veteran you know would benefit from a psychiatric assistance dog, you can find out more about our program and how to apply on the PAD page of the DVA website.