National Puppy Day: Guide Dogs calls for more volunteers in Devon to help care for adorable puppies

To mark National Puppy Day (23rd March), the annual celebration of the unconditional love and joy that puppies bring into our lives, Guide Dogs is sharing puppy love and searching for more volunteers across South and Mid Devon.

Unlike pet puppies, guide dog pups are brought up to be given the skills and experience they need to succeed as life-changing guide dogs, supporting people with sight loss.

This includes building their confidence in different environments and getting them used to new sights, sounds and smells. 

Puppies live at home with their puppy raisers from eight weeks old, for around 12-16 months before they start their formal guide dog training, but with hundreds of people across the UK waiting for a guide dog, the sight loss charity needs more volunteers.

Kerry Brass-Hall, a Puppy Development Advisor for Guide Dogs covering South Devon, said: “Raising a puppy is hard work but it’s highly rewarding. Without the support of our amazing volunteers, we simply wouldn’t be able to train the hundreds of life-changing guide dogs that we do each year to support people with sight loss across the UK.” 

Puppy raisers provide a loving home and a vital foundation for the puppy’s future role as a guide dog through training, socialisation and the introduction of new environments and experiences.

Volunteers need to be aged over 18 with suitable housing and plenty of time to invest in raising the puppy. Guide Dogs provides training and support and covers the essential costs including food and vet bills.

Find out more about puppy raising at: www.guidedogs.org.uk/puppyraising.