For the founder of Deaf Dogs Rescue Australia, Jai Wilson, the PetRescue website has been invaluable in enabling the Wollongong-based organisation to save and rehome almost 30 dogs with disabilities over the last 18 months.

“PetRescue has been amazing, the website has allowed us to communicate with people all over Australia, and potential adopters can understand our dogs’ specific needs before even making a formal enquiry, it really is priceless to us,” says Jai, who has spent the last 10 years dedicated to studying dog behaviour after adopting her own deaf rescue dog, George.

“We are focused on selecting the right people to adopt our dogs, those that are prepared to put in the time and training to teach them sign language and basic commands to keep them safe.

“In two years we’re very proud that we’ve never had a dog returned, we are here for those who adopt from us 24/7 and really do strive to offer the best service we possibly can.”

Just some of the adorable faces from Deaf Dogs Rescue Australia​

Jai explains that all of the dogs adopted by Deaf Dogs Rescue Australia undergo specific training before going up for adoption, after which they go through another bespoke and individualised 12-week training programme with their new owners.

“We offer 24-hour support for life to new owners, they never lose us and so we are always there for them,” explains Jai, whose day job sees her working as a forensic scientist.

“A new owner may need to give us a call just to be reminded about how best to wake a dog up, or how to work on gaining their attention, and I think they know they can’t fail given we are here for them whenever they need us.

“We are only a small group and yet we’ve received so much support from PetRescue - only recently we were the benefactors of a food donation drive that PetRescue, and their partners Mars Petcare and PETstock, kindly organised for us. We couldn’t be more grateful.

“At any one time we have around five dogs available for adoption, with another five undergoing training to bring them up to our adoption standard. And with PetRescue’s help, we hope to rescue and rehome many more deaf and also blind dogs into the future.”

Dogs currently available for adoption at Deaf Dogs Rescue Australia can be viewed on the PetRescue website.

For more information about training deaf or blind dogs, please go to Deaf Dogs Rescue Australia on Facebook where you can subscribe to their monthly newsletter for lots of helpful tips and tricks.