Yes, an NDIS Support Worker can help with tasks that involve your dog, as long as the support is for you and your disability-related needs, and it connects to the goals in your NDIS plan. The NDIS does not pay for your dog’s care or exercise on its own. It can pay for a Support Worker’s time helping you with daily living tasks or supporting you out in the community, and your dog can be part of that support.
This guide explains what that looks like in practice, which parts of your plan it usually sits under, and how PetCloud connects self-managed and plan-managed participants with Support Workers who are strongly encouraged to hold a current police check.
What can an NDIS Support Worker help with when you have a dog?
A Support Worker provides human-centred support. When you have a pet, that support can include tasks that involve your animal. PetCloud describes two kinds of support it offers to NDIS participants who own pets:
- Animal Assisted Mentoring in the Community: a trained Support Worker accompanies you and your dog to pet-friendly places such as parks, shops and cafes, to help you build skills like communication, social interaction and confidence.
- Assistance with pet-related household tasks: a Support Worker visits your home to help with tasks you find hard to manage, such as changing kitty litter, backyard poo patrol, washing pet bedding, and feeding and watering your pets.
In both cases the focus is on you: your independence, your routine, your confidence and your participation in the community. Your dog is part of the activity, not the reason for the funding.
Does the NDIS fund dog walking?
Not on its own. Generic dog walking, where someone simply exercises your dog for you, is not an NDIS support. The NDIS lists pets, pet food, vet costs, pet boarding and pet grooming for animals that are not NDIS-funded assistance animals as things it cannot fund (see the NDIS document Supports that are not NDIS supports).
What can be fundable is a Support Worker assisting or supervising you while you walk your own dog, when that activity is tied to a goal in your plan, such as building a daily routine, getting out of the house, improving fitness or meeting people in your local area. The difference is who the support is for. PetCloud explains this in more detail on its NDIS Support page.
Which part of my NDIS plan does this come from?
The NDIS groups funding into support budgets and support categories. The two PetCloud supports usually come from different parts of your plan:
- Assistance with Pet-related Household Tasks: usually sits under Core supports (Assistance with Daily Life), which the NDIS says can pay for support workers to help with everyday tasks like cleaning, yard maintenance, cooking and personal care.
- Animal Assisted Mentoring in the Community: is billed under Capacity Building (Increased Social and Community Participation), because it focuses on building your skills, confidence and independence to take part in community life.
You can read the NDIS explanations on its pages What are core supports and What are capacity building supports. Your plan manager or support coordinator can confirm what your own plan allows.
Does PetCloud stay within the NDIS price limits?
Yes. PetCloud stays within the NDIS price limits set by the NDIA in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Your quote sets out the support and the rate before anything is agreed.
Who can use PetCloud for NDIS support?
PetCloud is not an NDIS Registered Provider. That means PetCloud works with participants who self-manage their funding or use a plan manager. If your plan is NDIA-managed (also called agency-managed), the NDIS says you must use registered providers for those supports, so PetCloud would not be an option unless your management type changes. You can learn more in our guide to plan-managed vs self-managed NDIS funding.
What makes a good Support Worker for a pet owner?
If you love animals, you want someone who respects your pets and your routines. PetCloud says its NDIS Support Workers are:
- Strongly encouraged to hold a National Police Check
- Trained in NDIS orientation
- Vet-supported
- Offered optional PetCloud Academy training
- Government ID checked
- Working under a written agreement
If you don’t have a dog, PetCloud may be able to find a Support Worker with a dog of their own, although it prefers to work with yours.
PetCloud also recruits NDIS Support Workers across Australia, so there is a growing network of animal-loving workers in many local areas.
Here is how one PetCloud NDIS participant describes her support:
“As an amputee I was so happy when I found Befrin via PetCloud in July 2022. We love the support we receive from Befrin. She’s always enthusiastic when she arrives and my dog Olie absolutely loves her. Befrin is friendly, reliable and comes every day that she is scheduled and I trust her wholeheartedly with him. Our family really appreciates her and we hope to have a long relationship with her. As a person with a disability it is very challenging, so to have this service available is wonderful.”
Lachelle & Olie, NDIS Participant and Pet Owner
How to get started
- Check your plan goals. Look for goals about independence, daily living, routine, fitness or community participation.
- Talk to your plan manager or support coordinator about which category the support would come from.
- Request a quote from PetCloud’s NDIS Bookings Coordinator using the Request NDIS Support form. PetCloud stays within the NDIS price limits.
- If you are happy to go ahead, PetCloud creates a written agreement.
- A government ID checked Support Worker, matched to you and your pet, visits you at home.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my NDIS funding to pay someone to walk my dog?
Not for dog walking on its own. The NDIS does not fund the care of pets or companion animals. It may fund a Support Worker assisting you while you walk your own dog, if that support links to a goal in your plan.
Can a Support Worker help me look after my cat?
A Support Worker can help you with household hygiene tasks that involve your pets, such as changing kitty litter, if you find those tasks difficult to manage independently and the support fits your plan goals.
Does the NDIS pay for pet sitting while I’m in hospital?
It depends. The NDIS document Supports that are not NDIS supports lists pet boarding and pet grooming for animals that are not NDIS-funded assistance animals as things it generally cannot fund. PetCloud’s position is that funding for pet boarding or grooming while you are in hospital depends on written pre-approval from the NDIA or your Local Area Coordinator (LAC). Get that approval in writing before you book. Without pre-approval, you can book a pet sitter on PetCloud privately, and our guide to including pets in crisis planning explains how to plan ahead.
What if my dog is an assistance animal?
Assistance animals sit in a separate category. If the NDIS funds your assistance animal, your plan may include ongoing maintenance costs such as food, grooming and vet fees. Read our guide to NDIS assistance animals.
How much does PetCloud charge NDIS participants?
PetCloud stays within the NDIS price limits published by the NDIA in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. The rate for your support is set out in your quote and written agreement before your first visit.
Can I use PetCloud if my plan is agency-managed?
No. PetCloud is not an NDIS Registered Provider, so it supports self-managed and plan-managed participants only.
Talk to PetCloud’s NDIS team
Every plan is different. The quickest way to find out whether this kind of support fits your plan is to talk it through with PetCloud’s NDIS Bookings Coordinator. Request NDIS Support or visit the PetCloud NDIS Support page.
