Outback Instincts: The program bringing together unwanted pups and at-risk youth

A Goombungee woman has started a youth justice program and although her therapists may not talk much, they treat the kids without judgment or preconceptions.

Hayley Chambers, Founder of Outback Instincts with two of her therapy dogs Oddie and Ace.

Growing up nothing helped ground Hayley Chambers more than spending time with animals – so she started an organisation that has turned cuddles and pats into therapy.

Outback Instincts is a non-for-profit organisation that re-engages at-risk and disadvantaged youth through animal therapy and land-based programs.

Based on a 103 acre property just outside Toowoomba, in Goombungee, Ms Chambers said she had seen the incredible impact her work has had.

“A lot of the kids we work with are coming from homes that maybe aren't engaged in their upbringing, or maybe they’ve got some challenges, or have been in child safety, or don’t have a family unit,” she said.

Hayley Chambers, Founder of Outback Instincts with two of her therapy dogs Oddie and Ace.

“I see the change that the animals make on these kids and they’re changes I can’t make as another human.

“Every kid I meet is like ‘animals make sense, humans are hard’.

“I see how my animals can pick up on stuff that maybe I might miss.”

Some of the animals that are part of Outback Instincts programs.

On her Goombungee property Ms Chambers has dogs, cats, horses, cattle, goats and other animals that she use in her program.

Ms Chambers said it helps the animals as much as it does the kids, and many of her dogs are fostered.

“A lot of our animals are second hand so they come with a few of their own troubles,” she said.

“I realised if I could work with the people, the people can help the animals.”

She said animals have no preconceptions and they don’t care about the kids’ backgrounds.

“Animals are non-judgemental, they don’t care what you look like or the colour of your skin or what clothing you wear,” she said.

“They care about your energy, they care about how you make them feel.”

Some of the animals that are part of Outback Instincts programs.

Ms Chambers said there was lack of support for organisations like hers, and she had a long list of referrals she could not afford to take on.

“In the last 48 hours we’ve had about 20 referrals come through and I can’t service 20 referrals,” she said.

“Parents are engaging with us and they’re saying ‘my kid needs help’ and they can’t afford to send them anywhere.

“I’ve got to try and hand-pick who do I give this spot to right now, and I’ve got to put anyone else on a waitlist.”

She said the current approach to youth offending was not working.

It costs the Queensland Government more than $669,000 a year to keep one kid in detention and about 69 per cent of them end up back behind bars within a year of being released, according to the 2024 Government Services Report.

“That is a s---ton of money for one kid to stay in jail,” Ms Chambers said.

“I look at what they’re spending on youth detention – you give us a fraction of that and we could be operating seven days a week and delivering rural, vocational, farm based trades.”

Hayley Chambers, Founder of Outback Instincts with two of her therapy dogs Oddie and Ace.

Outback Instincts programs include cattle show and handling, horsemanship and horse archery, therapy and working dog program, and hands-on work in the paddock.

Ms Chambers said much of her work has been inspired by BackTrack a Youth program based in Armidale.

Find out more about Outback Instincts at outbackinstincts.org.au.