When Angie Weeks’ husband shared his exit strategy with her in 2018, she knew something had to change. Roger, an Air Force veteran of 14 years, could no longer endure the constant night terrors and flashbacks, the chronic pain from 15 spinal procedures and an artificial knee, the heart disease and dissociative seizures. That heartbreaking conversation became the turning point—not just for Roger, but for dozens of veterans and first responders who would come after him. Not to mention a pack of rescue dogs biding time in dog shelters.
Angie Weeks, based in Noosa, had already spent years volunteering and working in human services. Her background had given her a profound understanding of the multifaceted challenges faced by individuals living with disability and PTSD. But this was different. This was her husband, Roger, a man who had served his country and was now battling demons that wouldn’t let him sleep at night. Together, they started researching solutions and discovered the transformative power of assistance dogs. The problem was the waiting time—three to four years was standard. For someone in crisis, that was an eternity.
So Angie and Roger, along with accountant Julie Morrison and barrister Pattifield, co-founded PTSD Dogs Australia in 2018 with a different approach: rescue displaced dogs from pounds and shelters and train them to become loyal, confident, and supportive certified psychiatric assistance dogs for veterans and 000 first responders suffering from PTSD. The model was elegant in its simplicity—save a dog’s life while saving a veteran’s or first responder’s life. Two rescues for the price of one.
The charity’s strength is delivering dogs in a significantly shorter timeframe than other organisations, thus reducing a three or four year wait to less than 12 months. For someone like Roger, that difference could mean everything. Roger knows the power of that bond firsthand, saying his assistance dog Rosie literally saved his life, helping him turn his pain into purpose.
Angie is an NDTF qualified trainer and dog behaviourist whose work with PTSD assistance dogs goes beyond merely training dogs to perform tasks. She focuses on recognising the inherent abilities and drives in each dog and channeling those into skills that can significantly help individuals with PTSD. It’s about finding dogs with the right temperament, dogs that might otherwise be on death row through no fault of their own, and giving them a second chance whilst giving veterans and first responders a lifeline.
Angie and the PTSD dogs team train the rescue dogs to perform specific tasks that sound almost miraculous to those who haven’t witnessed them. From waking someone during a night terror to creating personal space in crowded environments, and even providing deep pressure therapy by lying across their handler, these dogs offer critical emotional and physical support that helps individuals regain control over their lives. They can detect when their handler is about to have a seizure or anxiety attack. They provide a physical barrier between their handler and crowds. They ground someone experiencing dissociation.
The work is done almost entirely by volunteers and funded entirely by donations, sponsorships and grants – all of which Angie works tirelessly on. All members of the PTSD Dogs Australia team are unpaid volunteers. Yet Angie has built something remarkable. Over the years, Angie has trained and placed 26 service dogs with veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD. The organisation has witnessed firsthand the transformative effects the dogs have had on their clients, reducing anxiety and depression and improving their overall quality of life, as well as the positive impact on their families, helping them to reconnect and improve their relationships. While at the same time the growth and joy of the dogs is undeniable.
The recognition has been substantial. Angie was named 2023 Noosa Queensland Day Awards recipient, CEO of the Year (Australia) Global Excellence Awards 2023 by CEO Monthly Magazine, and winner of the 2023 Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Award in the Partner Entrepreneur of the Year category. But awards aren’t what drives her. It’s the veterans who can finally sleep through the night knowing their dedicated dogs are in a loving home and out of a shelter. It’s the first responders who can go to the shops without panic attacks. It’s families who get their loved ones back – and the joyful addition of a four-legged loved one.
The organisation continues to grow. PTSD Dogs Australia has been operating for eight years. The organisation recently announced a move to new property in Cooroibah. They’ve introduced innovative programs like the “Train Your Own” program, an online initiative that increases accessibility by empowering individuals to train their own dogs as PTSD assistance dogs, providing much-needed independence for those who may not otherwise have access to this service.
The need remains immense. Angie said the amount of ex-service personnel that have dutifully served the community who are suffering from PTSD is enormous, and unfortunately they can’t train the dogs quickly enough to keep up with demand. 130,000 dogs are surrendered or considered stray annually in Australia. The potential to match more of these dogs with people who desperately need them drives Angie forward.
Angie Weeks didn’t set out to become a CEO or win national awards. She set out to save her husband’s life. In doing so, she’s built an organisation that has saved dozens of lives—both human and canine—and will save hundreds more. She’s proven that the bond between a person and a dog isn’t just emotional, it’s therapeutic, life-changing, and sometimes life-saving. And she’s shown that sometimes the best way to solve a crisis is to look at it differently, to see opportunities where others see problems, to recognise that saving one life might be the key to saving another.
Recent:
Finalist – Kings Trust Awards 2025 – Commonwealth Bank Business of the Year
Finalist – Sunshine Coast Business Awards 2025 – Social Impact
Finalist – Telstra Awards 2024– Championing Health
