Paw Pause

31/03/2026

Do You Know the Difference?

Understanding the roles of animals in human support is essential—especially when it comes to public access rights under the law.

Here’s a simple breakdown:

🔹 Assistance Animals
These animals are individually trained to alleviate the effects of a person’s disability.

✅ Public Access: Legally permitted in most public places under disability legislation.

🔹 Therapy Animals
Work alongside health professionals to support the wellbeing of others (OTs counsellors, speech therapists, psychologists).

⚠️ Public Access: Not automatically permitted—access is by invitation or organisational approval only.

🔹 Visitation Animals
Work alongside a person who may hold a variety of qualifications to visit or engage with people in various settings (e.g. in hospitals, schools, aged care).

⚠️ Public Access: Not automatically permitted—access is by invitation or organisational approval only.

🔹 Companion Animals (Pets)
Provide comfort, companionship, and emotional support to their owners.

🚫 Public Access: No special legal access rights beyond standard pet-friendly locations.

Clear distinctions help protect:

✔️ The rights of individuals with disabilities
✔️ The welfare and suitability of animals
✔️ The integrity of animal-assisted services

27/03/2026

On the road again! It has been great to connect with families and professionals in Berri and Adelaide this week.

We now have the Paw Pause van, enabling Niki and Eddie to travel safely around the state, and the nation.

It means we can connect with allied health professionals who are interested in joining Paw Pause, and with students who would benefit from having a Paw Pause team support them at school.

We know - because parents, caregivers and teachers told us - there’s a huge need for allied health supports in the Riverland and other regional areas. That’s why we’re recruiting more Paw Pause teams. If that’s you, please contact us!

18/03/2026

Live in South Australia?
Allied Health qualified?
Passionate about working with children?

Paw Pause are currently looking for teams to join them in delivering quality Animal Assisted therapy to students in schools. www.pawpause.com.au

Please get in touch if would like to know more about this amazing role 🐾

01/03/2026

🐾What a weekend🐾
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi
Please contact us if you have any questions that weren’t answered as we understand how busy expo’s can be 🐾

28/02/2026

25/02/2026

Ever wanted to understand how Animal Assisted Therapy could support a child you know?
Are you an allied health professional who is interested in starting your own Paw Pause business?

Come and talk with us in person at:

Source Disability Expo for kids & teens
Adelaide Convention Centre
Sat 28th Feb & Sun 1st March

We’ll be there with Eddie the Golden Retriever demonstrating just how a trained therapy dog can support children and teens to thrive at school.

24/02/2026

Ever wanted to understand how Animal Assisted Therapy could support a child you know?
Are you an allied health professional who is interested in starting your own Paw Pause business?

Come and talk with us in person at:

Source Disability Expo for kids & teens
Adelaide Convention Centre
Sat 28th Feb & Sun 1st March

We’ll be there with Eddie the Golden Retriever demonstrating just how a trained therapy dog can support children and teens to thrive at school.

If you cant make it to the expo, my dm’s are always open for any questions 🐾

23/02/2026

Paw Pause super star Daisy loving her work🐾

23/02/2026

New year…new flyers!🐾

13/02/2026

We’re so happy to be at The Neuronurture Con 2026, sharing the magic of animal-assisted therapy and how we can support children with autism and their families. It’s a privilege to be part of this neuroaffirming space, sharing information to support children and teens to thrive. And Eddie the therapy dog is on hand for free pats for people at the Festival Centre, of course!

10/02/2026

🐾

Who Works in Animal-Assisted Services?

Animal-assisted services are delivered by a diverse, multidisciplinary workforce, supporting people across health, disability, education, justice, community and aged-care settings.

Professionals working ethically with animals may include:

🔹Health practitioners – psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, social workers, counsellors and physiotherapists integrating animals within their professional scope.

🔹 Education professionals – teachers, special educators and learning support staff integrating animals to support engagement, regulation and inclusive learning.

🔹 Disability & community support professionals – disability support workers, youth workers and case managers supporting participation and wellbeing through structured animal-assisted activities.

🔹 Animal-assisted practitioners – practitioners with specialist training in animal-assisted programs, operating within ethical and welfare frameworks.

🔹 Health, aged-care, justice & first-responder settings – nurses, lifestyle staff and practitioners supporting wellbeing, trauma recovery and social connection.

Across all settings, best practice requires:
✔ Appropriate human qualifications
✔ Animal welfare and species-specific training
✔ Clear scope of practice
✔ Insurance, risk management and ethical delivery

Animal-assisted services are not one profession — they are a collaborative field centred on human wellbeing and animal welfare.