Puppy Raiser Bishop's Stortford

Our volunteer Puppy Raisers develop and care for a guide dog puppies in their home from the age of 6-7 weeks to approximately 12-15 months.

You will be providing the puppy with a vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog with a blind or partially-sighted person.

This is a full-time volunteering role as the puppy will live with the volunteer

What does the role involve?

• Feeding, training and generally caring for a puppy's needs on a daily basis is time consuming and, particularly when very young, they cannot be left on their own for more than three hours

• You will develop and care for a puppy as directed by your supervisor and as described in Puppy Raising Policies and Procedures

• You will familiarise the puppy with many different environments

• Teaching basic obedience commands

• You will need access to a suitable area where the puppy could go to the toilet during the day, including first thing in the morning and last thing at night

Puppy raising is a labour of love! It is hard work but is greatly rewarding as you play a huge part in shaping our future guide dogs! You will have the satisfaction of knowing that the dog you have cared for is going on to improve the life of a visually impaired person, enabling them to get out and about on their own terms. You will have ongoing support from a dedicated member of staff who will work with you regularly to ensure your puppy is meeting it's training goals. You will also build friendships with other puppy raisers in your community, whilst you train and socialise your puppies together.