Give a puppy a home as they start their journey to becoming a guide dog

Animal care volunteers needed for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

We are seeking people who would be able to look after a guide dog puppy full time (7 days per week) for a long term basis – each puppy is homed from 7 weeks until they are approximately 14 months of age.

puppy_walker1-1

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 Walking Policies and Procedures.
  • You will familiarise the puppy with many different environments
  • Teaching basic obedience commands.

Prospective Puppy Walkers are required to:

  • Not leave the puppy alone for longer than 3 hours
  • Have a house/ground floor flat with permission to have a dog
  • Have a fully secure and private garden
  • Have a patio/concrete/paved area for the dog to toilet on (ideally 6 foot by 9 foot)
  • Have a car suitable for transporting a dog (or access to one for training purposes)
  • Be willing to take the puppy out and about 3-4 times per week to expose them to different environmental conditions such as towns, traffic, buses travel, shops and crowds
  • Be happy to act as part of a team with the instructors and ensure that you follow the guidelines the instructor gives you to ensure the dog progresses

This is a full time role for up to 14 months and you must meet the minimum criteria detailed above to apply.

Puppy Walking takes time, energy, patience and an awareness of the job that your puppy will be doing when they are mature. You have to be always aware that any bad habits allowed to develop may stop your puppy from qualifying as a guide dog, so extra time and effort has to be made in the training.

Apart from the obedience training the puppy has to be exposed to all the everyday things that he may encounter with his new owner, including going shopping, to the dentist, the doctor, travelling on buses and trains, traffic, joggers, cyclists, stairs, other dogs, cats, the list is extensive!

Organisation
Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
Contact person firstname
Philippa
Lastname
Hall
Contact person's position
Volunteering Consultant
Their phone number?
01189 838 244

Location description
At home and outside
Wheelchair accessible?
Not specified
Car parking for the volunteer?
Not specified
Secure bicycle parking?
Not specified
Near public transport?
Not specified
How much time?
Full-time
What times and days of the week?
Mon AMMon PMMon EVETue AMTue PMTue EVEWed AMWed PMWed EVEThu AMThu PMThu EVEFri AMFri PMFri EVESat AMSat PMSat EVESun AMSun PMSun EVE
Availability required
All of these times
Task type?
Animal care
Will suit someone like this:
Prefers a specific rolePrefers a regular scheduleSelf organised/motivatedSociablePatientPhysically fit
Post suitable for supported volunteering?
No
Is training given?
Yes
Training description
Appropriate training from supervisor
Is support given?
Yes
Description of support
Regular and ongoing support from supervisor
Are expenses paid?
Yes
Description of expenses
Any out of pocket expenses can be re-imbursed
Will I need my own transportation?
Yes
Will the volunteer be CRB or DBS checked?
No
Are references required?
Yes
Will there be an interview?
Yes
Are they properly insured?
Yes
Minimum age
18
Do they need a specific gender?
No
How many volunteers needed?
4
Opportunity added on
5 July 2016