Today seven puppies and their volunteer puppy raisers swapped their usual training routes for an underwater adventure, as Guide Dogs Tasmania collaborated with Seahorse World for a dedicated training visit showcasing the power of accessible tourism.
Seahorse World hosted 7 dogs from Guide Dogs Tasmania puppy development program, their puppy raisers and Guide Dogs Tasmania Dog Services staff as part of the organisation’s regular exposure training program, which introduces young dogs to real-life, public environments.
Seahorse World, located on the Tamar River in Launceston, is the only working seahorse farm in Australia and operates exclusively through guided tours. The venue has become a leader in inclusive and accessible visitor experiences, making it an ideal training location for future Guide and Assistance Dogs — and a standout example for Tasmania’s tourism sector.
The visit highlighted how businesses can play a practical role in supporting people with low vision or no vision, while also improving access for all visitors.
Kim Ryan, Business Manager Dog Services at Guide Dogs Tasmania, said training visits like this are vital to preparing assistance dogs for their working lives.
“Our dogs need to be confident in a wide range of real-world environments — from different sounds, sights and surfaces to learning to cope with a number of distractions they will encounter in their future working roles,” Ms Ryan said.
“Seahorse World is an outstanding example of how accessibility and great tourism experiences go hand in hand, and we’re grateful for their support of our training program.
We are also on the lookout for more volunteers to assist us with puppy raising and boarding – so public trips like this are invaluable to increasing our presence in the community.”
Seahorse World Manager Rexie Grey, a 2025 winner of the Tourism Northern Tasmania Award as an Accessibility Advocate, said welcoming the puppies was a natural fit for the organisation’s values.
“Accessibility isn’t an add-on — it’s part of how we design our experiences from the ground up,” Ms Grey said.
“Hosting Guide Dogs Tasmania and these beautiful puppies is both a privilege and a chance to demonstrate what inclusive tourism looks like in practice.”
Seahorse World have now extended the invitation for Guide Dogs Tasmania to conduct these training sessions on an ongoing basis.
Also in attendance was Guide Dogs Tasmania Ambassador Dog Cydee, who tagged along on the tour, listening to the fabulous tour guide Jessie and enjoying a day out with new recruits.
