A major new national centre dedicated to training life-changing Assistance Dogs has officially broken ground in the Adelaide Hills, with Lions Assistance Dogs beginning work on its $16 million National Training Centre.
Described as the “New Home of Extraordinary,” the purpose-built facility will allow the organisation to dramatically increase the number of Assistance Dogs it can train and place across Australia each year.
Once complete, the centre is expected to support up to 120 Assistance Dogs annually, more than four times its current capacity, and create an estimated $6 million in measurable social and economic value each year.
The sod was officially turned by Her Excellency Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, alongside Lions Assistance Dogs Patron Rod Bunten, key supporter and capital campaign advisor Grant Kelley, capital campaign chair Tony Benbow OAM, and Lions Assistance Dogs chair Norm Alcock.
For the people who rely on them, Assistance Dogs are far more than companions. They can alert a deaf parent when a baby cries, detect dangerous glucose changes before medical devices, and provide vital support to veterans living with PTSD.
Each dog costs around $50,000 to train and place, but Lions Assistance Dogs provides them free of charge to people in need. Independent modelling has found the new centre will generate about $6 million in annual value by helping increase independence, improve wellbeing, reduce crisis events, and ease pressure on health and support systems.
Lions Assistance Dogs CEO David Horne said the milestone marked a major moment for an organisation that has spent decades changing lives across the country. “Lions Assistance Dogs has built something genuinely world-class over the past 46 years. More than 735 dogs placed. Hundreds of lives transformed. A model that is personalised, accredited, and provided entirely free of charge to every recipient. There is nothing else like it in this country.”
The need for the service continues to grow. Around 135,000 Australians live with type 1 diabetes, hearing loss remains one of the country’s most common long-term health conditions, and an estimated 30,000 veterans are living with PTSD. As the only ADI-accredited Hearing Assistance Dog provider in Australia, Lions Assistance Dogs is in a unique position to help, but is currently limited to just 21 dogs in training at any one time.
“And yet the gap between what we can do and what Australia needs has never been wider. The conditions we serve – hearing loss, type 1 diabetes, PTSD – affect hundreds of thousands of Australians. Our waiting list tells that story better than any statistic,” David said.
The new National Training Centre is designed to close that gap, with plans for 60 kennels, nine exercise yards, three dedicated training houses, a multifunction training hall, and on-site veterinary facilities. It will support a much larger training model, while maintaining the careful, personalised matching process behind the organisation’s success.
“Today we start closing that gap,” he said.
“What makes it even more remarkable is that Lions Assistance Dogs is funded entirely through donations, philanthropy, and the extraordinary generosity of Lions Clubs across the country.
“To every supporter who has already contributed – thank you.
“This is yours as much as ours. And for those who want to be part of it, there are still opportunities to sponsor and leave a lasting legacy.”
The centre is expected to be completed and operational in early 2028.
For more information, visit https://lionsassistancedogs.com.au/
