Become a Pioneer of Inclusion

When K9Assistance was founded in 2020, only Seeing-Eye Dogs for the Blind were permitted in public places.  We engaged with the different government stakeholders to seek the broadening of public access for different types of Assistance Dogs.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Social and Family Development, Eric Chua announced on 28 June 2024 that access on public transport, public housing and licenced food establishments would also be extended to Assistance Dogs supporting people with physical disabilities and the deaf and hard of hearing.

This announcement marks a momentous development for Assistance Dogs and inclusion for persons with disabilities in Singapore.

K9Assistance is very grateful to MSF for bringing together representatives from various government agencies for this purpose, including the Animal & Veterinary Service, Housing & Development Board, Land Transport Authority, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, and Singapore Food Agency for their support of our cause. They have been working closely with us to expand access for different types of Assistance Dogs in public places.

We have every confidence that this people-public partnership would take inclusivity one step ahead.

Whilst this is a significant milestone, we are disappointed that the Autistic community is excluded from the benefits of Assistance Dogs. We note that the government is taking a phased approach towards other types of Assistance Dogs besides Seeing-Eye Dogs.

K9Assistance will continue to work with the government to include Autism Assistance Dogs in public spaces, as it is our founding principle to provide Assistance Dogs that aligns with the definition of disabilities in Singapore, including the Physically disabled, D/deaf and hard of Hearing, Blind and Vision Impaired, and the Autistic.