About the author

Jennifer Gravrok has been studying and working with assistance dog organizations, clients, and assistance dogs since 2016. She completed her PhD in December 2019 at La Trobe University, where she studied the benefits and challenges that first-time assistance dog handlers experience. She worked with people who received a variety of types of assistance dogs from different organizations around Australia and the world. Her doctoral thesis was awarded the Nancy Millis Award for exceptional merit, rated in the top 5 percent of theses examined.

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During this time, she also did volunteer work, assisting in raising and training numerous dogs at different stages, from puppies to fully trained assistance dogs.

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Since then, she has also worked for two assistance dog organizations in the United States, where she predominantly worked with handlers. In this, she has involved herself in all aspects of the journey: interviewing prospective clients, assisting in the matching process between client and dog, preparing and teaching clients how to work with their matched assistance dog, and problem-solving ongoing challenges they experienced years after placement.

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Throughout, she has collected scientific research and anecdotal notes about the challenges handlers experience and information that clients have stated they wished they knew before partnering with an assistance dog. In Understanding Assistance Dogs, she has compiled these benefits, challenges, and experiences for your benefit, aiming to share the true journey of getting an assistance dog with the world.