Who We Are
Founded in 2018 by Roger and Angie Weeks
PTSD Dog’s Australia is a Not For Profit Charity solely dedicated to the rescuing, re-homing and training of suitable displaced and unwanted dogs to support and assist Australia’s First Responders (Fire, Police Ambulance) and the Australian Defence Force (A.D.F) Air Force, Army and Navy suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) both current and retired. PTSD Dog’s Australia also provides personalised / group training and Assistance Dog Certification for people who already own a dog considered appropriate as a PTSD Certified Assistance Dog.
As a national organisation PTSD Dog’s Australia also provides an education program to inform and promote greater awareness around PTSD certified Assistance Dog’s to the greater community in both relevant private and public organisations.
Llew O’Brien
Federal Member for Wide Bay Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Patron – PTSD Dogs Australia
PTSD Dogs Australia makes a remarkable difference to the lives of Veterans and First Responders with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is a mental health condition that is prevalent among Veterans who have served our nation and First Responders who have served our community, and it can have long-lasting effects that continue to impact many parts of their daily lives.
From my former career with the Queensland Police Service, I know from my own experience and that of my friends and former colleagues just how important it is to acknowledge the condition and seek the right treatment for it.
The provision of a specially-trained PTSD Assistance Dog can make a profound difference to people with the condition by helping them to regain a sense of safety, engaging in the broader community, regaining physical and social function that may have been impaired by their PTSD, and improving their mental wellbeing by caring for an animal who also looks out for them.
As a relatively young organisation, PTSD Dogs Australia is doing an incredible job to support Veterans and First Responders, and has already provided more than a dozen assistance dogs to Veterans, free of charge, which make a significant positive difference to the mental wellbeing and health of the recipients and their families.
The dogs have also been used to visit elderly Veterans and First Responders with PTSD in hospitals and nursing homes, further increasing the reach of this valuable program.
I’m pleased to have been able to support the work of PTSD Dogs Australia and I commend the committee and all volunteers for their impressive work in the community.
We can all look forward to seeing PTSD Dogs Australia increase its impact and its reach as the organisation grows from strength to strength.
Our Team
The following members of the PTSD Dogs Australia team are all unpaid volunteers without who we could not operate.
Angie Weeks
Co-Founder, CEO
Angie has studied across a number of disciplines including Education, Real Estate, Horticulture, Built Environment and Dog Behaviour and Training special interest Assistance Dog. She has owned several businesses in Real Estate, Horticulture and currently a highly successful dog welcoming accommodation business called Angie’s Garden.
Angie, identifies strongly with social responsibility and believes that both individuals and corporations are accountable for making the world a better place and that it starts with our personal actions as an Individual. These actions must benefit the whole of society.
Angie, has been an active volunteer, advocate and supporter in a number of personal interest areas including an underprivileged girls touch football team, where she was known as “the positive people”, RSPCA supporter, Australia Zoo Wildlife Warrior, The Orangutan Project, Wildlife Currumbin Sanctuary and more recently created Project Shelter which helps provide Food Shelter and Vet care for shelter dogs at Maryborough Animal Refuge.
Roger Weeks
BSc (Psych)
Co-Founder, Director
Having been diagnosed with both Complex PTSD and Major Depression, Roger understands what it is like to live with these debilitating conditions and the difficulties faced when a person with these conditions is trying to learn something new.
Drawing on the knowledge gained through his psychology degree along with his military service, Roger is able to liaise with our trainers to ensure our training program is well balanced and sensitive to the needs of our veterans ensuring the best outcomes for all concerned.
Ian Smyllie
Director / Chairperson
Ian is a professional civil engineer with 40+ years experience as a Director, Senior Executive and Manager with particular skills in strategic and operational level business planning and major infrastructure and building project planning and delivery.
A graduate of the Royal Military College Duntroon, Ian served 23 years in the Australian Army, Royal Australian Engineers Corps. The majority of Ian’s service career involved managing planning and delivery of major facilities projects.
After retiring from the Army, Ian worked in senior management positions for leading Australian engineering and construction companies including Kinhill Engineers, Neumann Contractors, Abigroup Contractors and Lendlease for a further 20+ years. Ian has served on the Board of YMCA Brisbane since 2011, including two terms as President from 2014 – 2018 and 2020 to present. Ian also served on the Board of Maroochy RSL from 2018 to 2021.
Stella Phillips
Director
Stella is a retired Psychologist. She has over 30 years’ experience across several settings including the health sector, tertiary education and private practice.
She has worked with a diverse range of people of different ages and backgrounds both clinically and educationally. She continues to be passionate about helping people achieve their best state of physical, mental, and social well-being.
Stella has a great love of animals and believes strongly in their healing qualities.
She enjoys dabbling in the arts of painting, ceramics and mosaics.
She welcomes the opportunity to explore and learn.
Stella sees PTSD Dogs Australia as an opportunity to combine her knowledge and experience with her love of dogs to achieve a mutually beneficial partnership of person and dog.
John Butterworth
Director
Grazier on North West Slopes NSW. During that time served for 11 years on Barraba Shire Council, of which two as Deputy Shire President. General Aviation Pilot Ferrying Aircraft throughout the world. Lecturer in Agriculture at Nambour, including Gympie, T.A.F.E Retired and continued membership of Rotary and Warden of Noosa Anglican Church.
Our Trainers
These dedicated trainers have given so much of their time to ensure that we have a robust and highly successful training program that not only teaches our rescue dogs how to behave in public but also how to interact with their handler so they become an effective team.
Angie Weeks
Wearing dual hats, our CEO Angie is also head trainer.
Angie has been training dogs most of her life and has her NDTF (National Dog Training Federation) qualifications which includes Dog Behaviorist with speciality in Assistance Dogs.
Ariza Nel
Our Western Australia trainer brings a wealth of training knowledge from her previous career which includes training dogs to assist in apprehending wildlife poachers in South Africa and is also fully qualified through NDTF
