The first-of-its-kind Brisbane Airport therapy dogs program is a howling success story, delighting more than 7,500 travellers since it started in July 2023 with around 200 people visiting the canine ambassadors at each session.
Brisbane Airport partners with Therapy & Support Animals Australia (TASAA) to bring highly trained dogs and puppies into the terminals, exhibiting their adorable nature and calming influence on travellers, flight crew and airport staff alike.
After overwhelmingly positive feedback, the initial Domestic Terminal trial was extended to the International Terminal in March 2024.
The therapy dogs program now alternates daily between terminals during school holidays to help destress leisure travellers during peak travel periods.
The 2025 Easter break is already off to a busy start at BNE with domestic passenger traffic up nine per cent and international numbers up 12 per cent compared to 2024.
Around 25 million travellers are forecast to pass through in 2025, and with the $5 billion Future BNE terminal upgrades underway, a wagging tail will be waiting to welcome passengers.
Fur-real relief
Brisbane Airport Corporation Head of Communications & Brand Marketing Sarah Whyte was instrumental in setting up the program when TASAA Founder & Head Trainer Nikki Bignell initiated the idea of an airport therapy dogs program in early 2022.
“We were absolutely on board,” Whyte said. “I mean, who doesn’t love a puppy dog to pat in the middle of a crazy terminal in a high-stress environment?”
Logistically, there was a lot of background work to test the viability of operating a therapy dogs program within the unique and sterile operational airport environment before the July 2023 trial.
Fetch a smile
Whyte and Bignell have seen the positive effect the therapy dogs have on passengers, crew and staff. Bignell mentions instances when a therapy dog calmed an anxious child with a fear of flying, convinced a ground crew member not to quit their job and soothed a grieving mother arranging her son’s funeral.
“We always think airports – what a happy, joyful experience, but it’s not always a happy, joyful experience,” Bignell said.
“It doesn’t matter what you’re standing is in life, if you love dogs, it’s going to bring a smile to your face and maybe lighten that day.”
“I really get a buzz out of the reaction I see on people’s faces when they see the dogs,” Whyte said. “You can almost see people’s shoulders drop down, relax, and just the sheer joy on people’s faces when they realise there are dogs there.”
“We always had a feeling it would be really popular, but it’s beyond our expectations.”
Preflight pawsitivity
The BNE therapy dogs program is the only one of its kind in Australia. Each session, four to six dogs are kept in a dedicated area to ensure positive outcomes for both passengers and the pups.
It’s a win-win for the 10-week-old-and-over puppies in their enclosure, too, with the valuable opportunity for human socialisation with a varied group of ages and stages.
BNE therapy dogs run the gamut of “oodles”, including labradoodles, cavoodles, sheepadoodles and groodles, plus the odd labrador.
The family-owned therapy dogs work in two-hour shifts with their handlers – “fur parents”, as Whyte dubs them.
Along with the therapy dog handlers, there’s always an eager roster of airport staff to assist with the sessions.
“The program has never been designed solely for passengers – it’s a great interaction opportunity for airline crew and airport staff as well, and we make sure that the teams are aware when therapy dogs are coming in,” Whyte said.
“We regularly see our airline crews come through at both terminals and also the retail teams and other areas as people come in and out of shift. They come over and have a little cuddle on their way through.”
Ulti-mutt ambassadors
Bignell says when it comes to therapy dog suitability, a calm temperament and correct handling and training are more important than the breed.
“The reason dogs work so well as therapy animals is they absorb everyone’s emotions and read their emotional state,” Bignell explains.
“If 1,000 people are going through the area and interacting with the dogs, the therapy dogs are absolutely exhausted after a deployment, because they’re constantly interacting with people, reading people’s emotions, and they really absorb it.
“Every airport needs this kind of program, particularly for international travellers or fly-in, fly-out workers who are away from their own pets for a long time. We receive a lot of feedback about how powerful the dogs’ presence is.
“You can’t put a value on the joy these therapy dogs bring to all kinds of people and how much these interactions can mean. It’s just a cycle of happiness.”
For more info, visit bne.com.au
