Assistance and therapy dogs
Groodle puppies raised for support and companionship
Our groodles are making a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities and special needs — from working as diabetes alert dogs to being gentle companions for people with PTSD and families with special needs children. Whenever people or families with special needs reach out to us, we do our best to prioritise their enquiry and match them with a puppy whose temperament is the right fit.
Please contact us directly if you’re looking for a puppy to suit specific needs — we’re happy to talk through how we can help.
Raising our groodle puppies right means they have a strong foundation for this kind of work. Every one of our groodle puppies raised in real family homes — not kennels — through our Champion Families program.
From birth, they’re socialised around children, other pets, and everyday life, so they grow up confident, calm, and adaptable. Every puppy also goes through Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and early scent introduction, guided by Groodles Australia volunteer and occupational therapist Mathilde Backhouse.
Together, this combination of home-raising and evidence-based early development gives our puppies an exceptional start — especially for roles that require a steady, people-focused temperament.
Groodles make great assistance dogs
Groodles are naturally suited to assistance and therapy roles. They’re intelligent, eager to please, and known for their gentle natures. Many also have low-shedding coats, which can be a better fit for families managing allergies.
One of our own breeding dogs — Meiske, a Golden Retriever owned by Mathilde — is herself an approved service dog.
This is an area we’re passionate about growing. If you think an assistance or therapy dog might be right for your family, we’d love to hear from you.
Testimonials
“My beautiful Lulu May (daughter of Belle and Rollo) is a F2 mini Groodle. She is a fully qualified diabetic alert assistance dog with Paws for Diabetics. She is the sweetest natured dog and very loving and very clever. She wags her tail with excitement every time she alerts me to when my glucose levels are too high or too low. She will put her paw on my hand and push down when I am low or push my hand up with her nose when I am high. She has even detected high blood glucose in other people with diabetes. This is a recent picture on a visit to Melbourne Zoo. She loves animals and was having a great day”
“Rory is a standard poodle pup from Madu and Charlie’s litter. He is being trained as a diabetic alert assistance dog through Paws for Diabetics. Despite his young age he is already alerting to high and low blood glucose levels quicker than modern technology. He has the most beautiful calm temperament and is destined to be a life saver.”
“Wanted to share this beautiful photo of Austin. He is three years old. He was allocated to our middle son and has been the most amazing companion and Diabetic Alert Dog. Austin is also a Story Dog. We encourage you to check out the amazing things this organisation is doing.”
“Camille is doing so well out and about. She has such a calm nature. She is the most adorable little bundle of joy and loves to cuddle and play. She has already began training to be a diabetic alert dog and is responding well for her age to my hypo scent.”
