Welcome to Paws for Diabetics Inc

Paws for Diabetics Inc is a charitable non-profit organisation of dedicated volunteers, involved in the training and placement of diabetic alert dogs.

Paws for Diabetics Inc is a member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and as such we abide by their internationally accepted code of ethics. We also follow their guidelines in all aspects of training and accreditation of dogs and recipients.

These dogs are the latest tool in Diabetes management, as they give their owners warning well in advance of an impending hypoglycaemic episode, allowing for prompt treatment to avert the episode from happening. A hypoglycaemic attack left untreated can lead to coma and even death, so these dogs are real life-savers.

Dogs are placed with those who meet the criteria and recipients are given extensive training on handling and caring for an assistance dog. Training these dogs is an expensive exercise, and we rely on donations to fund this training.

Click here to find out more about the Application Process

Latest News and Notices

YOUR’E GOING NOWHERE

ANITA NEEDS HER DOG BUT THEY WON’T LET HER GET ON.

Sunday Times, May 13 2012

A ROCKINGHAM woman who needs a medical assistance dog to stop her falling into a coma at any moment will launch a landmark Federal Court case after she was banned from buses and trains. Anita Gustafsson, 40, has a severe form of Type-1 diabetes that causes her to fall into a coma or have a seizure without warning. She fell unconscious in shopping centres or at work – until her life saving dog Mika was trained to alert her to changes in her scent when her sugar levels were too low or high. Mika has Civil Aviation Safety Authority approval to travel on planes, and can get on public transport in every state in Australia – except WA.

Ms Gustafsson needs to catch the train to the hospital for regular treatment and tries to avoid driving because of the danger of falling into a coma, but the WA Public Transport Authority and Transport Minister Troy Buswell have barred the tiny dog. Transperth has even handed out “banned” pictures of Mika to staff with the instructions to escort Ms Gustafsson out of any station. Now she says legal action is the only way to make her voice heard and fight what Diabetes Australia chief executive Lewis Kaplan calls “bureaucracy gone mad”.

Ms Gustafsson said Mika had saved her life many times. “I used to go into a coma twice a coma twice a month, sometimes waking up in hospital, but after getting Mika, I’ve only had two incidents in four years” she said. The transport ban has forced her to drive more than two hours to hospital appointments. Mr Kaplan said “The authorities around the country are in step on this (situation) and WA is not. There are 129,000 Australians who have Type-1 diabetes and we’re fed up with discrimination, and this is one more way a person with diabetes shouldn’t be discriminated against. “It’s absolutely silly that someone should be denied access to transport in WA that they can get in the rest of the country.” Ms Gustafsson took her complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission last year and has engaged disability advocate Alex Van Oeveren to take her case to Federal Court. Mr Van Oeveren said it was “the worse case of callous disregard for a critically ill woman” he had seen while handling more than 50 discrimination cases with the commission. He will file the Federal Court complaint in two months.

Opposition health spokesman Rodger Cook asked Mr Buswell to lift the ban but was rebuffed. “This is another example of an uncaring government”, Mr Cook said. “She can fly a plane across the country, but for some incredibly stupid reason she can’t catch a train across Perth.” A reply was sent on behalf of the minister saying Mika was banned because she was trained by Paws for Diabetics, which is not fully accredited with Assistance Dogs International. Paws for Diabetics president Kaylene Burnell said the organisation was a member of ADI and would be accredited in two years, but the ban should be lifted because Mika consistently passed the same public access test that guide dogs did. Equal Opportunity Commissioner Yvonne Henderson said Ms Gustafsson had a strong court case because amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act allowed assistance dogs on public transport. cannl@pst.newsltd.com.au

Help Anita Gain Access to Public Transport in Western Australia!

Donations for Paws for Diabetics Inc. will help us continue our support of Anita, and diabetics like her, with their use of diabetic alert dogs, such as Mika, giving them the freedom and independence that we all take for granted. Dontations can be made through PayPal, click here to email us or texting 0428 188 841 for banking details. Cheques and money orders can be sent to
Po box 514
Kwinana, WA 6966
Thank you for your generosity and support.