How special assistance dogs are helping Australia’s Paralympians

Australians are usually pretty popular members of the athletes’ village at the Paralympic Games, but there are a few furry members of the squad who have proven to be more sought after than most.

Meet the dog squad: Gigi, Willow and Suki, who have certainly been put through their paces these Games. Sure, they love soaking up all the attention, but we still think they have earned some tasty treats and TLC* after working their behind-the-scenes magic to support our Paralympians.

Gigi is the pat princess who supports vision impaired* athlete Taryn Dickens.

Willow is on her fourth international tour, alongside paraplegic* multi-sport star Matt Brumby. And Suki, well, Suki is always excited to wait for sit skier Dave Miln to cross the finish line.

Finally, let’s not forget Odell, the support dog who often sits alongside snowboarder Amanda Reid.

Dickens, who races with the support of vision guide Lynn Cullen, said chocolate labrador Gigi couldn’t get enough of the extra attention that came with being a very good girl around all the new people at the Games.

“She just loves her job,” Dickens said. “She wakes Lynn up in the morning and Lynn gets good cuddles.

“The service dogs here have just brought so much light to everything. The world is a scary space now. We are in this little bubble where we are focused on sport, but we have these beautiful assistance dogs to share with every athlete we cross paths with.”

Gigi never officially clocks off. One of her most important duties comes late at night, when she keeps a close eye on how Dickens is sleeping.

“I get a better night’s sleep knowing she is in the room,” Dickens said.

“If I have nightmares she will wake me up. I used to get really bad nightmares. They seem to have calmed down a bit but if I stir in the night, she will come up and lay on my chest until I can get back to sleep and during the day she is just there always looking at me.”

Dickens’ eyesight faded after she was diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy* at age 36, but she said she could still get enjoyment from looking deep into Gigi’s eyes.

“Gigi has the most beautiful eyes. I love looking at her eyes, because my eyes don’t work so well anymore,” she said.

“She sees the world the way I think we as humans should see the world a bit more and she is just happy from the moment she wakes up. They bring so much happiness to everyone they touch.”

Members of the navy, Gigi and Suki came to Dickens and Miln respectively through the Defence Community Dogs project, matching up four-legged friends with defence personnel.

Miln said Suki was vital to his ability to keep a cool head in competition on the World Cup tour and shrugging off nerves.

“She is taught to pick up on those things, and work with those anxieties and that nervousness, she is there to help balance that,” he said.

“Part of that is a look at me and to try and draw my attention to her rather than anything else I am thinking about. A lot of it would be excitement as well.”

Brumby, who is also a naval veteran*, met Willow through Life Unleashed by Integra Service Dogs Australia, which also pairs defence personnel with new best friends.

Willow is always keen to wait for Brumby to finish a race and reunite, but she also loves to sneak a nice lie down when the sun is out.

“I think she just loves being outdoors and in the sun,” Brumby said.

“We have been together for eight years and done a lot of races. She just wants pats.”

And those good, good girls clearly deserve all the pats they can get.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• TLC: tender loving care
• impaired: damaged, not operating as it should
• paraplegic: someone who cannot move the lower half of their body, for example because of an injury to their spine
• cone-rod dystrophy: group of genetic or inherited eye diseases that affect the retina and cause vision loss
• veteran: someone who has served as a member of the armed services and more generally someone with experience in a particular activity or job

EXTRA READING
Australia wins Paralympics silver
Celebrating our female champions
Olympic heroes welcomed home

QUICK QUIZ
1. What are the names of the four dogs mentioned in the article?
2. What condition was Taryn Dickens diagnosed with at the age of 36?
3. What are the two services that pair defence personnel with assistance dogs?
4. Dave Miln said Suki has been taught some specific skills – what are they?
5. How many international tours has Willow been on and which Aussie Paralympian does she support?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Reward them!
Design a special Olympic medal that could be awarded to Gigi, Willow, Odell and Suki for their contribution to our Paralympic Team.

Time: Spend at least 30 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social Capability

2. Extension
What type of training do you think these service dogs would need to prepare them for high level competitions and events like the Paralympics? Write a training guide. Use information from the story and perhaps your research skills.

Time: Spend at least 30 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education

VCOP ACTIVITY
Our inspirational athletes
What has been the most inspirational moment you’ve seen in the Paralympics so far?

Describe the event and how it made you feel.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking