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She’s the furry friend everyone wants to meet and has amassed a growing fan base across AnglicareSA’s disability customers.

Sprinkles is an Adelaide therapy dog in training.

“She’s a bit of a rockstar,” says owner Miriam Martin.

Ms Martin is a senior clinician of the behavioural support team for AnglicareSA’s Outreach Autism Therapy Service.

In April, we mark World Autism Awareness Day and we salute Sprinkles and all those who help sprinkle joy among many of our disability customers through their day.

Two-year-old Sprinkles visits AnglicareSA disability customers in Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs with Ms Martin. The Cavoodle-cross has been in training for the past 18 months and has her final therapy dog assessment in June.

“Everyone asks for Sprinkles – she just brings so much joy,” says Ms Martin, based at AnglicareSA Holden Hill.

Miriam Martin, senior clinician of behavioural support enjoying playtime with Sprinkles.

Sprinkles was purchased as a family pet in 2020 for Ms Martin’s three children.

She says Sprinkles’ comforting nature has a positive effect on her entire family, but was especially soothing for Alyssa, 13, and Lachlan, 7, who are autistic.

“Sprinkles is super smart,” says Ms Martin. “She has this ability to understand emotion and really pick up on it and respond to it.”

The pup has left a big footprint on the lives of many South Australians.

“She is amazing and as soon as my customers see me, the first thing everyone asks me is ‘where is Sprinkles?’.”