Suitcases roll past departure gates while children gather around fluffy puppies at Brisbane Airport, where therapy dogs have become part of the school holiday rush.
The therapy dogs will return to Brisbane Airport during the June and July 2026 school holidays, bringing another round of wagging tails and puppy cuddles to both the Domestic and International terminals.
Sessions at the Domestic Terminal will run from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on selected Tuesdays and Thursdays, while International Terminal visits are scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on selected Fridays.
Where Airport Stress Meets Puppy Cuddles
Holiday travel can turn even the calmest traveller into a bundle of nerves. There are crowded check-in queues, delayed flights, teary goodbyes, and children running low on patience before the plane even leaves the ground. It’s exactly the kind of environment Therapy & Support Animals Australia had in mind when the organisation partnered with Brisbane Airport to launch the country’s first airport therapy dog program.
Since then, the dogs have become a familiar sight during busy travel periods. Labradoodles, cavoodles, groodles and labradors now spend their school holiday shifts moving through the terminals with handlers, greeting travellers looking for a lighter moment before boarding.
Photos and videos shared across Brisbane Airport’s Facebook and Instagram pages show passengers lining up for photos, puppies sprawled across terminal floors and airport workers stopping by for a quick visit during shifts.
The Dogs Travellers Remember After the Flight
The therapy dogs may only work two-hour sessions, but for many travellers, the interaction stays with them long after take-off. Over the past three years, the dogs have comforted nervous children afraid of flying, grieving families travelling for funerals, and FIFO workers missing their own pets after weeks away from home.
Brisbane Airport Corporation communications executive Sarah Whyte previously said the airport expected the dogs to be popular, but the response quickly grew beyond what staff had imagined. Airline crews, retail workers and airport staff now regularly stop by the therapy dog areas alongside passengers.
The program also includes puppies in training, some just over 10 weeks old, giving young dogs early socialisation in a busy public setting filled with rolling luggage, loud announcements and constant movement.
A Holiday Tradition Taking Over the Terminal
The airport’s first therapy dog sessions were introduced as a short trial in the Domestic Terminal back in July 2023. Within months, the program expanded into the International Terminal after receiving strong feedback from travellers and staff.
Now, many passengers actively look forward to the dogs returning during school holiday periods. According to Brisbane Airport’s own travel advice page, the dogs are there specifically for public interaction under handler supervision. Unlike assistance dogs travelling with passengers, these therapy dogs are brought into the airport to mingle with the public and help ease stress during busy travel periods.
And in an airport handling tens of millions of passengers each year, those few minutes of connection seem to be leaving a lasting impression.
Published 28-May-2026
