Assistance Dogs Empowering People

ADEP (Assistance Dogs Empowering People) is a not-for-profit charity that empowers people with disabilities by providing professional assistance dog partnerships free of charge.

Mission: To empower people with disabilities by enhancing independence, confidence, and community connection through assistance dogs. Vision: A world where every person has the support they need to live more independently and inclusively with the help of assistance dogs.

Compassion, Partnership, Integrity, Empowerment, and Community.

Yes. Thanks to donors and community support, ADEP places assistance dogs at no cost to the individual. While ADEP provides the dog, training, and placement free of charge, the ongoing care and maintenance of the dog is the client’s responsibility. This includes food, veterinary visits, grooming, toys, bedding, and other daily expenses.

People living with disabilities who would benefit from a trained assistance dog to improve independence, daily functioning, and social participation.

Clients are selected from our waitlist based on the best match between the dog’s personality, lifestyle, and location—not on a “first come, first served” basis.

Assessment happens in several stages: Phone interviews A supporting medical letter Home visit to check the living environment Standardized assessments to measure the client’s ability to meet a dog’s basic needs and cognitive capacity, identifying what supports may be required.

Yes. Thanks to donors and community support, ADEP places assistance dogs at no cost to the individual. While ADEP provides the dog, training, and placement free of charge, the ongoing care and maintenance of the dog is the client’s responsibility. This includes food, veterinary visits, grooming, toys, bedding, and other daily expenses.

Training varies between 2 weeks and 1 month: Week 1: Full-time, hands-on and classroom lessons covering dog handling, welfare, and cues. Includes daily assessments. Remaining weeks: Community-based training tailored to the client’s needs (work, school, shopping, parks). At the end, a final assessment ensures both client and dog are ready for public access and daily life together.

Weekly follow-up during the first month Monthly follow-up for the next 6 months Annual follow-up after that

During yearly follow-ups, trainers assess the dog’s workload. When it’s time to retire, the client may choose to keep their dog as a pet, or the dog will be rehomed in a loving pet environment.

Yes. Thanks to donors and community support, ADEP places assistance dogs at no cost to the individual. While ADEP provides the dog, training, and placement free of charge, the ongoing care and maintenance of the dog is the client’s responsibility. This includes food, veterinary visits, grooming, toys, bedding, and other daily expenses.

Yes. ADEP has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, meaning all donations over $2 are tax-deductible in Australia.

Every donation supports the training, care, and placement of assistance dogs, as well as community education and support programs.

You can support ADEP by volunteering or raising awareness about assistance dogs and disability inclusion.

ADEP is a registered Australian not-for-profit company (Pty Ltd) and charity under the ACNC. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.

Yes. Annual reports and audited financial statements are published to ensure transparency and accountability.