Puppy Raiser

• Guide Dogs Scotland

• VO102846

Guide Dogs helps people with sight loss live the life they choose.
Describe the volunteering Opportunity
As a Puppy Raiser, you'll provide a 6-8 week-old puppy with the vital foundation for its future role as a
guide dog. You'll be looking after a puppy for 12-16 months and will guide him or her through training,
socialisation, the introduction of new environments and experiences while providing a loving home.
There might be the odd chewed slipper along the way, but nothing beats the rewarding feeling of loving
and raising a puppy who will go on to make an enormous difference to someone living with sight loss.
You’ll be:
• Engaging with our world-class training programme to prepare your puppy for the next stages of
becoming a guide dog.
• Providing care and support for your puppy at home e.g., loving, grooming and feeding him or her.
• Socialising your puppy and introducing him or her to a variety of environments to increase
confidence – this can be as simple as taking your puppy with you to the shops, office or park as you go
about your everyday life.
• Teaching your puppy to be comfortable alone - gradually building up from a few minutes to a
maximum of four hours.
• Taking your puppy to monthly puppy classes, and interacting with other puppy raisers in your
community whilst refreshing your training and sharing tips.
• Meeting with your volunteer manager as frequently as needed to discuss any changes or issues
with your puppy.

Experience required

What skills and experience would benefit this opportunity?
A loving home with enough time to invest in raising a puppy and attending to their needs (e.g. toilet
training). If you work from home or have hobbies, you'll need to be available to give the puppy regular
attention alongside these.
Someone at home who is physically able to handle large breed dogs (around 25-40kg).
Access to a car, so that you can get your puppy used to travelling.
The agreement of your landlord to have a dog in the property if you rent your home.
A safe secure area outside for your puppy to go to the toilet

Travel details

Based in your home, with travel in and around North Lanarkshire.

Travel expenses

Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any expenses
related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, food costs for the puppy and other materials
needed for the puppy’s training. We will also pay an optional allowance of up to £100 a year to offset
additional costs, and we have working agreements with certain bus and train operating companies, letting
you take your puppy on short training journeys free of charge.

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