Mother-daughter duo flourish in Defence Families Program

Emma and her daughter joined the Defence Families Program in 2023. As a veteran, Emma says she has experienced “the good, the bad and the ugly sides of being a military family.” 

“We have had a long journey of recovery, establishing our new normal since [I left] the Defence Force. The Happy Paws Happy Hearts Defence Families Program fit in perfectly,” Emma says. 

Hearing about the program through her employer, a veteran-focused support service, Emma decided to join the program with her daughter Charlotte. 

“I wanted us to do something together that focused on her interests but also allowed us to engage with others as we are both quite introverted,” Emma says. 

“My daughter has a huge love for dogs, so she was very excited when I told her about the program.” 

The Defence Families Program is a unique 10-week program funded by RSL Queensland. Families joining this program will learn animal training skills while working with the shelter animals in the care of RSPCA Queensland. Families build strategies for better communication and cohesion, while engaging with other participants and the broader community. 

“I really loved watching my daughter come out of her shell. [There were] a number of kids her age, which was amazing,” Emma says. 

“Each week, the kids (and parents) began to interact more with each other, making the experience even better. Each week, we would walk through the shelter to visit the cats and dogs, and it was really nice to see a number of new animals each week as past [rescue animals] found their new homes.” 

One of the highlights for Emma was spending time with the puppies and seeing the joy this brought to her daughter. 

“The HPHH team taught us all a number of techniques for training and soothing the animals, which we all got to practice with our session visitors,” Emma says. 

“It was great seeing my daughter try techniques at home with our dogs each week.” 

Emma says she would highly recommend the Defence Families Program to families wanting to engage with animals and re-engage with their families. 

“I feel both things work beautifully together,” she says.