Could you raise a future guide dog?

Together with Susie Dent, Guide Dogs is calling for volunteers in areas including Didcot and Thame to help care for these future companions.

Could you help adorable puppies become life-changing guide dogs? Leading UK charity Guide Dogs is looking for more volunteers to help raise guide dog puppies during their important first year.

Guide Dogs provides a wide range of services to support people with sight loss, as well as their families. This includes helping them develop the skills they need to live independent, active lives, and running events that bring together families navigating sight loss.

With more than 250 people starting to lose their sight every day in the UK, hundreds are currently waiting for a guide dog, and the need for puppy raisers in Oxfordshire and beyond has never been greater.

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As a puppy raiser, you’ll give a 6–8-week-old puppy the vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog. You’ll care for the puppy for 12–16 months, supporting its training, socialisation, and introduction to new environments and experiences, all while providing a safe, loving home.

Plus, you’ll receive full training and ongoing support, with Guide Dogs covering all dog food and veterinary costs.

Susie Dent, Countdown icon and an ambassador for Guide Dogs, said: “Having taken part in a volunteering scheme with Guide Dogs myself, I know how rewarding the experience can be. But more people are needed to help raise the next generation of guide dogs, ready for life-changing partnerships with people with sight loss.

“I’d urge anyone who wants to make a real difference, and who has time, space and love to give to a future guide dog, to volunteer as a puppy raiser.”

To support even more people with sight loss, Guide Dogs is working to increase the number of puppies being raised in Oxfordshire.

Together with Susie Dent, the charity is calling for volunteers in areas including Didcot and Thame to help care for these future guide dogs.

To find out more about volunteering as a puppy raiser, visit guidedogs.org.uk/puppyraising.

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