Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire Mary Mitchell O’Connor has today (Thursday) called for greater regulation and safety standards to be imposed on private companies that supply assistance dogs to children with Autism.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor made the call after a meeting with groups that represent the families of children with Autism.

“I requested this Health Committee meeting after witnessing first hand the life changing role that assistance dogs can play for children with Autism and their families.

“These dogs, when professionally and properly trained, can provide safety, independence and companionship to children who would otherwise live in a very isolated and chaotic world.

“There is an issue however. 700 families are now on the waiting list for these dogs and due to the shortage of assistance dogs in Ireland, families have turned to private trainers, who in many cases are, unfortunately, unqualified.

“I support Irish Assistance Dogs’ call for a number of measures to improve the situation, including:
· Assistance Dogs users to have the same legal access as guide dog users.
· All organisations, whether “not-for-profit” or “private” must ensure public liability insurance is provided for all qualified assistance dogs partnerships upon graduation.
· All organisations must as a priority ensure the welfare and safety of both the client and the dogs at all times and ensure proper procedures are in place to address any problem that would arise in this area.
· All current allowances received from revenue to guide dog users should be extended to all assistance dog users.
· All assistance dogs should be exempt from having a dog licence, in the same way as guide dogs are.

“I have seen how these dogs help to transform the lives of children and their families. We now need to take steps to ensure this important work continues and these dogs are properly trained in all cases.”