Sponsor a Puppy FAQs

Simply visit Sponsor a Puppy and choose one or more of the guide dog puppies available to sponsor and complete your details online! You will then get to watch them grow from a eight-week-old bundle of fur to a fully-qualified guide dog. It's a great way to support Guide Dogs, and every puppy's journey is unique.

You can also sponsor a guide dog puppy as a gift for someone special. Simply select the ‘as a gift’ option on the Sponsor a Puppy payment page. We will send the welcome pack for your loved one to your address so that you can give it to them, after which they will receive regular Pupdates about their guide dog puppy’s progress!

We want to make your guide dog puppy sponsorship a worthwhile experience. Over 24 months, we'll send you regular photos and updates, which we call Pupdates, on how your guide dog puppy is progressing. Your Pupdates will be sent to you through the post and via email. You’ll also receive regular emails and be able to join your puppy’s exclusive Facebook group to see more photos from your pup’s puppy raiser and trainer. Alternatively, you can opt for a paperless journey and only receive ePupdates by calling our helpful Supporter Care team on freephone 0800 953 0113.

You will receive six Pupdates about your guide dog puppy in total - one every four months, usually in February, June and October across the two years – together with a photo showing how your guide dog puppy has grown.

Plus, when you join, you'll also receive a special photo card of your guide dog puppy, a photo album, a fridge magnet and a certificate in your name as well as an exclusive calendar every year.

Your sponsorship contribution will help provide independence and freedom for the people we support. Right now, your money will be put to use where it’s needed most. This could be anything from paying for puppy food through to enabling the delivery of our wide range of services. Ultimately you will be helping people with sight loss to live the life they choose. We rely on donations to continue our life-changing work. You can be certain that your donation will make a big difference.

Follow this link to see how your money is helping!

Around two years. You will follow your puppy’s journey from their puppy raiser’s home to Guide Dogs Training School, with a final Pupdate introducing you to your dog’s new owner!

However, the good news is that the story doesn't need to stop there! That's because in your final Pupdate, we will introduce you to another puppy and give you the option to continue following a journey with this new pup.

Please allow 14 days after your sign up for your welcome pack to be delivered. Please note, if you have requested an alternate format for your Sponsor a Puppy communication such as Braille or Large Print, it may take longer for your welcome pack to arrive.

When your sponsorship comes to an end, if you pay by a Direct Debit, we will introduce you to another cute puppy about to start on their life-changing journey in your final Pupdate. Your monthly payment will automatically continue, and you won’t need to contact us. If you sponsored with a one-off payment, in your final Pupdate we will ask if you would like to sponsor another puppy and provide you with the different payment options to continue your Sponsor a Puppy journey. 

It costs a great deal of money to train a guide dog puppy, so we wouldn't expect you to fund the total cost by yourself. That's why we operate a co-sponsorship scheme, giving you and other people the opportunity to fund this guide dog puppy's training as well as further areas of our vital work. It's a bit like the puppy having an extended family!

Unfortunately, no. It's important that each sponsored guide dog puppy concentrates fully on its training with minimal distractions so that it can fulfil its ambition to be a life changer. However, please remember that you'll be kept in touch every step of the way with some great photos and fascinating Pupdates.

The easiest way to pay for your sponsorship is by Direct Debit, or you can choose a one-off payment if you prefer. You can set up your sponsorship online by visiting the Sponsor a Puppy page. If you are under 18 please ensure you have parental consent.

If you choose to sponsor through Direct Debit, your donations will be taken on a monthly basis. When your puppy is happily matched and settled in with his or her guide dog owner, we will introduce you to a new puppy whose journey you will be able to follow. You can, of course, cancel your sponsorship at any time by emailing us at sapenquiries@guidedogs.org.uk or by calling freephone 0800 953 0113 to let us know.

We understand that circumstances can change and that you may not be able to or wish to continue sponsoring a puppy with us. So, you can of course cancel your sponsorship at any time by emailing us at sapenquiries@guidedogs.org.uk or by calling freephone 0800 953 0113 to let us know.

If you would like to update your address or contact preferences please contact our Supporter Care team at sapenquiries@guidedogs.org.uk or call us on freephone 0800 953 0113. The team are available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and are always happy to help with any queries!

Please be aware that once we have amended your record it can take up to six weeks for mail and 30 days for phone and email changes to take full effect.

Yes! If you are living outside the UK but have a UK bank account then we are able to set up a Direct Debit. If you do not have a UK bank account then you can sign up with a one-off payment for your sponsorship over the phone by selecting option 1 (enquiry regarding sponsoring a puppy) then option 2 (discuss an existing sponsorship) when you dial in on +44 (0)800 953 0113.

You can make your gifts go further, at no cost to you, through the Gift Aid scheme.

As long as you are a UK taxpayer, Guide Dogs can reclaim 25p of Gift Aid for every £1 you donate.

For us to reclaim the tax, you must be a UK taxpayer and have paid enough income or capital gains tax in the financial year to cover the amount we’ll reclaim. If you’re retired or don’t work, you are likely to pay some form of tax on your savings or pension, so you may still be eligible. A declaration can cover the last four years’ donations and any future donations, until further notice.

To download a copy of our Gift Aid declaration form please follow this link. Further information about Gift Aid can be found by visiting Gift Aid Frequently Asked Questions.

• Your tiny puppy begins its life living with its mum and siblings in a Guide Dogs volunteer’s home. As well as playing, exploring and napping, the puppy will go to our state of the art breeding centre at eight weeks old for health checks and immunisations.
• At nine weeks old your puppy will move into its Puppy Raiser’s home. During these crucial months, they will start puppy training, learning good manners and basic skills, such as ‘sit’ and ‘down’ – as well as how to walk on the lead.
• Your puppy will live with their Puppy Raiser until up to two years old. They will get used to the area they live in and will learn how to negotiate flights of stairs, busy shopping areas and various means of transport. They will also get used to being around people and other dogs.
• The next step for your pup is Guide Dog training school! A professional guide dog trainer will introduce your puppy to a special brown training harness. It’s also time to start learning guiding skills such as dealing with kerbs and avoiding obstacles.
• As your puppy reaches the end of their training, a Guide Dog Mobility Specialist will start to pull all their training together, so that they learn to use guiding skills in everyday situations. They will also start the matching process, finding a person with sight loss whose personality and lifestyle is just right for your puppy.
• Your puppy is now a qualified guide dog! They will now be matched with a person with sight loss so they can get to know each other and start their partnership training.
• After partnership training is complete your puppy will begin changing the life of a person living with sight loss! They will settle into their new home and practise their regular routes. A Guide Dog Mobility Specialist will keep visiting them to check how the partnership is going. Most puppies will be partnered with their owner for approximately six to eight years before retiring.

Training to become a guide dog is very hard work, so it's perfectly natural for some dogs not to meet our high standards. We take the decision to withdraw a dog from training very seriously as we must keep the welfare and safety of people with sight loss and the dogs we train at the heart of everything we do. However, our success rate is one of the highest in the world, with seven out of ten of our puppies going on to be life-changers – either as working guide dogs, buddy dogs or for the very best, as mums and dads to the guide dogs of the future.

If your puppy doesn't graduate, and isn't suitable to become a working dog for another charity or organisation, it will be rehomed with a loving family. Your sponsorship will then move onto another puppy at a similar stage so that you can continue to finish the journey.

No. When out of harness, your guide dog puppy will behave like a regular pet dog. After approximately six to eight years he or she will then be retired to a loving new home or stay with their guide dog owner as a pet.

No. We do use Labradors for many of our guide dogs but we also use golden retrievers and German shepherds - with our most successful breed being a Labrador cross golden retriever. We also have a few curly coated retriever and standard poodle crosses on the programme too.

Please follow this link to go to the breeding page on our website

As you can imagine, we've worked with a great many puppies over the years. To avoid confusion, we generally name guide dog puppies alphabetically according to litter, e.g. puppies from the first litter of the year are given names starting with the letter 'A' such as Aaron, Alvin, Amy, Annie etc.

Yes! If you make a donation or raise (with friends, family or colleagues) £2,500 or more you can give a guide dog puppy the special gift of a name. Please call 0345 1430 192 for further information or visit our Name a Puppy page.

Puppy Facebook groups are open to the puppy’s sponsors, puppy sponsorship gift recipients and supporters who purchased the puppy sponsorship as a gift for someone else. They are not open to sponsorships set up by or on behalf of organisations, societies or groups.

To keep you at the heart of your puppy’s life-changing journey, you can access exclusive photo and video updates on your pup’s Facebook group and puppy page. We are so grateful for your support, and we kindly ask for you to enjoy these updates on Facebook and the Guide Dogs website and not to share on other sites. 

If you are eager to follow progress of a pup-in-training with a group, organisation or school, you may want to consider our Puppy Graduation Scheme It’s a great way to share the journey of your puppy with a community of people and celebrate your puppy’s successes together! 

Our Sponsor a Puppy scheme is only available for individuals. However, we have a fantastic Puppy Graduation Scheme designed specifically for schools and youth groups where you will learn about three recently qualified guide dogs, following their training journey from tiny pup to graduation and finally being matched with their owners. We also have a range of teaching resources including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects available. Find out more about how your school or group can get involved.

Our Sponsor a Puppy scheme is only available to individuals. However, we are able to offer other great opportunities for your workplace, and for community and sporting groups to get involved, including our Name a Puppy scheme.

By fundraising or donating to Name a Puppy, you’ll be at the heart of a guide dog puppy’s story. As well as providing a puppy with a special gift of a name you’ll follow their journey as they aspire to become a future life-changer, while gaining an exclusive insight into the world of Guide Dogs.