Meet Team Homer!

ExxonMobil Australia is once again proud to support Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA), a national charity that places highly trained, accredited Assistance Dogs with people with physical disabilities, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and autism.

Introduced to the company by Renee Ellul, chair of employee resource group ABLE, ExxonMobil Australia’s association with ADA has made a difference to the lives of people with PTSD and Autism.

It takes two years and costs more than $60,000 to train an Assistance Dog, which is provided to the client at no cost, and can provide up to 8 years of life-changing support.

Homer was placed with Kate as a PTSD Assistance Dog in 2019. Homer assists Kate with things like outings to the shops which she had previously struggled with, allowing her a renewed sense of independence.

When Kate experiences anxiety, Homer is trained to pick up on her body language and will “nudge” her. This interrupts occurrences of stress, flashbacks or can help Kate regulate her emotions when she needs it most.

“He’s my soulmate,” says Kate, “It’s an indescribable bond that gets stronger by the day. He gave me a bit of my old life back.”

ADA currently supports over 200 clients with accredited Assistance Dogs, education support and dogs that are an essential part of their holistic support team.

“Our waiting list has been closed for a few years because the demand from the community is so high. We provide Assistance Dogs at no cost to the client, and offer ongoing care, support for the whole tenure of the partnership,” said Fran Diogo, ADA’s Partnerships Executive.

Support from organisations like ExxonMobil Australia is vital to keep ADA serving the community. ADA receives little reoccurring government funding, relying on public donations, corporate partnerships, grants and bequests.

Assistance Dogs enhance clients’ independence, improve their social connection, and increase economic participation.  With emotional support, mobility assistance, anxiety response, and other types of aid, more than 81% of recipients report actively engaging in their community after receiving their Assistance Dog.

“We are incredibly grateful to Community Partners like ExxonMobil Australia who get behind our fundraising and mission, ensuring that we can match more Assistance Dogs with those who need them the most,” said Fran.