UK wide charity, Guide Dogs, is urgently appealing for dog-lovers to sign up as Puppy Raisers and join its team of volunteers in Wetherby.
Being a Puppy Raiser means being responsible for caring for the basic needs of a Guide Dogs puppy in your home for 14 months, teaching the basic demands for them to eventually become a guide dog.
Guide Dogs relies heavily on volunteers to help improve the lives of people with sight loss and is looking for people in LS22 and LS23 postcodes specifically.
A Puppy Raiser will be responsible for socialising a puppy in different environments and exposing them to the wider world.
Requirements for a Puppy Raiser include time, good communication skills, and a suitable home to bring up a puppy.
Chloe Eckersley, Volunteering Coordinator at Guide Dogs, said:
“Being a Puppy Raiser is such a rewarding role, seeing a puppy develop into a potential guide dog who will transform the life of someone with a visual impairment. 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."
You’ll also get the challenge and 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.
Guide Dogs Charity helps people with sight loss to live the life they choose and to step out into the world with confidence. There are approximately 68,000 people living with sight loss in West Yorkshire with that number expected to increase by 19% by 2030.
For more information and to apply, please go to www.guidedogs.org.uk