Assistance Dogs cover many diciplines, from Guide Dogs for the blind, and hearing dogs for the deaf. The beneficial support and significance of an Assistance Dog covers a broad range, from physical support through to emotional and psychological support.

These working canines accomplish such tasks as guiding the blind, hearing smoke alarms, knocks on doors for the deaf, pulling a manual wheelchair and picking up and delivering out of reach or dropped items for their wheelchair bound human companions. Some are also trained to open doors, activate switches, deliver items to a counter and carry goods in backpacks. Other Assistance Dogs support people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by being their constant companions through their daily lives.

As with Guide Dogs, Assistance Dogs are fostered out as puppies to responsible families, where they learn social skills. They are then taken back to the dog training center for their serious assistance training.

Unfortunately, there are no such training centers here in South Australia except Lions Hearing Dogs. Some of these dogs are called service dogs and not always recognized as the essential companions and helpers that they are.

Unlike their counterparts the Seeing Eye Dogs, Assistance Dogs may be restricted from public transport and educational institutions. This is discrimination. Legislation has been changed to cover Service/Assistance Dogs, so that both they and their handlers will have the same rights as Seeing Eye Dogs.

Whilst the majority of these dogs are placed with adults with disabilities, some are placed with children with spinal cord injuries, such as Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida. Another group of Assistance Dogs are Seizure Response/Alert Dogs. These Dogs work with individuals who have Epilepsy or severe migraine conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

These Dogs are trained  for a response skill which include vocal alert, physical or stabilizing contact. The main function of the Seizure Dog is to react to its handler's seizure at its onset so that the handler may have warning of an impending convulsion. These children are then much more secure in their daily lives and most importantly, they gain constant non judgmental and loving companionship from their canine helper.