AV's peer support team welcomes Shirl to their pack

A stalwart of Ambulance Victoria’s (AV) peer support dog program has welcomed her third four‑legged partner to the program, to continue breaking down barriers to help AV staff open up about their mental health.

Paramedic and Gippsland Regional Improvement Lead Jo Algie’s newest peer support dog, 19-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog, Shirl, donned the AV bandana for her first shift in April.

Jo has been part of AV’s world-leading peer support dog program since it launched in 2018. Shirl is Jo’s third dog in the program, following Lexi, who sadly passed away in 2024, and seven-year-old Ted, who is now in the program alongside Shirl.

“In 2020, Lexi and I travelled across Gippsland visiting communities affected by the bushfires,” Jo said. “We visited Ambulance Victoria personnel, other emergency services and even army teams who had flown in from overseas.

“I remember standing in the middle of an oval in a remote East Gippsland community when one big, burly army guy just broke down after spending time with Lexi. Dogs open doors that people sometimes cannot.”

AV’s peer support dog program trains staff and their dogs in peer support and arranges visits to ambulance branches, emergency departments and hospitals across the state. The program uses an early intervention model, helping staff connect and talk about mental health and wellbeing before reaching crisis point.

Thirteen trained peer support responders and their dogs currently support AV’s workforce across Victoria.

“I remember being in a hospital when a cleaner called out from a distance, telling Ted and I not to come close because he was scared of dogs,” Jo said. “As we slowly approached, I reassured him Ted was friendly. He gave Ted a soft pat, and before long he was on the floor cuddling him and FaceTiming his family to show them his new friend.

“Dogs are incredible creatures. It does not matter if you are a cleaner or a CEO, they will love you equally.”

When not supporting the Victorian community as a paramedic, Jo lives on a farm in Koo Wee Rup with her husband, Ted, Shirl, 200 cows, 13 chickens, seven sheep, five highland calves, a cockatoo and a West Highland Terrier named Monty.

She will continue to provide peer support with Ted and Shirl to paramedics and emergency services colleagues across Gippsland and Melbourne’s southeast.

Jo and Shirl’s first shift was at AV’s Hampton Park branch and Dandenong Hospital on 17 April.

“Shirl is a real dag, but as soon as I bring her bandana out, she knows that she has a job to do,” Jo said. “I am excited to see the impact she will have on our people.”

The peer support dog program continues to grow as part of AV’s commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of its workforce.