Could you look after a puppy for 1 year to help Guide Dogs?

Guide Dogs is urgently appealing for York dog-lovers to sign up as Puppy Raisers and join its team of volunteers.

Puppy Raiser volunteers are needed to look after guide dog puppies going through their first 12-16 months of training.

Being a Puppy Raiser means being responsible for caring for a Guide Dogs' puppy in your home for 12-16 months, teaching them basic commands, familiarising them with many different environments, and attending monthly puppy classes.

Puppy Raisers are needed to help Guide Dogs charity and people with sight loss in York

Linda Conway, volunteering coordinator at Guide Dogs, said: "It’s a hugely important role – a vital link in the chain of dog socialisation and training, providing the puppy with a crucial foundation for its future as a life-changing guide dog."

Guide Dogs helps people with sight loss. There are approximately 7,000 people living with sight loss in York with that number expected to increase by 17 per cent by 2030.

Guide Dogs is specifically looking for people in York and its surrounding areas including Ellerton, Driffield, Holme on Spalding Moor, Barlby, Burn and Brayton.

Requirements for a Puppy Raiser include time; good communication skills; a suitable home to bring up a puppy, and being physically capable of handling a puppy which will inevitably grow quite rapidly.

Anne Proctor became a Guide Dogs Puppy Raiser in 2020. Puch was her first puppy and came to her just before the first lockdown:

Anne said: “It’s been a real eye opener being a Puppy Raiser. We really enjoy it as we’ve always had our own dogs and have previously been boarders. While it was initially quite hard work due to lockdown and not being able to take him out as much as he was only 16 weeks, we eventually got into the swing of things with training thanks to our Guide Dogs supervisor.

“We trained Puch to go into supermarkets and not be distracted, took him on buses and trains so he got used to public transport and other people around him, and also taught him how to go up and down stairs in shopping centres.

“Puch is a beautiful dog with a lovely temperament. He knows he is handsome too! We will miss him but we know that we are helping Guide Dogs.”

Linda Conway, added: “Being a Puppy Raiser, while challenging, is such a rewarding role and you really will be making a huge impact in getting our dogs well on their way to becoming life-changers.

“Yes it requires a lot of time and dedication but it’s also lots of fun and just like Anne, many of our Puppy Raiser volunteers go on to look after several puppies as they love it so much. You’ll get the reward of seeing a puppy develop in your home, and the satisfaction that you have had a pivotal role in providing guide dogs that enable people with sight loss to enjoy the same freedom of movement as everyone else.

“Volunteering is a two-way street, so in return for your time you will get a dedicated Guide Dogs volunteer manager who will help you settle in and support you during your time with us."

For more information and to apply to become a Puppy Raiser or Fosterer, please follow this link and type in your postcode: www.guidedogs.org.uk/how-you-can-help/volunteering-for-guide-dogs