Volunteer with our dogs

Volunteer with our dogs and help support them on their journey to becoming a guide dog. You could provide a loving home for a guide dog puppy, volunteer to walk a working guide dog or foster a guide dog in training. In all these roles, you’ll be offering invaluable support to our organisation and getting hands-on with our canine community.

Find out more about specific volunteer roles with our dogs in the descriptions below, or you can search for all of our current dog volunteer roles near you by using our postcode search. And don't forget to take a look at our frequently asked questions!

volunteer puppy raiser stands at train station with puppy

Discover more about Puppy Raising

‘You provide a home, a bed, toys, love and attention and you train the pup for the first year of its life. We get so much from it, it’s so rewarding’.

Volunteer as a Puppy Raiser

Explore our dog volunteer roles

Puppy Raiser

Provide a loving home to a guide dog puppy for just over a year, giving them the basic skills they need to start their guide dog training.

Training Dog Fosterer

Provide a temporary loving home for a dog in training, whilst also doing the 'school run' for your dog throughout the week.

Breeding Dog Holder - Brood

Provide a forever home for a guide dog mum and give temporary loving care to a litter of future guide dogs when they arrive.

Dog Exerciser

Provide invaluable support to a guide dog owner by exercising their dog in their local area.

Dog Wellbeing Volunteer

Provide invaluable support to your local Guide Dog office, by providing day-to-day care for our dogs to help them settle during their training to become a life-changer.

Puppy Fosterer

Provide a temporary loving home for a guide dog puppy, helping to reinforce their training whilst they are away from their Puppy Raisers.

Breeding Dog Holder - Stud

Provide a forever home for a guide dog dad, helping to shape the future of guide dog breeding.

Find a volunteer role with dogs near you today

Volunteer fosterers cross the street with a guide dog

Discover more about Fostering

‘Tom and I always wanted a dog but we both worked full time in the office. When we heard that when you foster for Guide Dogs the dog is out training all day, we thought it was a really nice way to have a dog.’

Volunteer as a Fosterer

Guide Dogs Puppy Raiser Lisa with Labrador Archie

Find out more about what it's like to volunteer with our dogs: hear from Lisa

Lisa is a Puppy Raiser for Guide Dogs. She is on her second puppy, a yellow Labrador called Archie. She said:

‘Now I’m doing it, it’s good and it’s a big part of my life now. I didn’t realise we needed this, but it’s been the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle. It’s made such a different to the whole house, the whole home. It’s hard work, toilet training and the sleepless nights. But I love the training aspect of it, and people’s reactions when they say “oh wow that dog is so well behaved”. It’s given me an eye opener. I’m learning new things and it’s an experience for me. It’s the best thing; it makes you feel whole’.

Find out more about looking after a Guide Dogs puppy

Support our dogs on their way to becoming a guide dog, by looking after our dogs at different points in their journey.

Frequently asked questions about volunteering roles with our dogs

Yes, you can! You can go on holiday, even if you are caring for one of our dogs.

We have specific volunteers who provide short-term cover for our volunteers whilst they are on holiday. You’ll just need to let your volunteer manager know and they’ll organise all the cover for you, leaving you free to start planning your vacation.
Yes, you can! Before you start your role, we’ll ensure all the necessary checks have taken place to ensure that both your own pet and the dog will be comfortable. We'll also ask about the number of pets that you have within your house; the more pets within a household might mean a higher likelihood of unsuitability for the role. This is due to the time and focus our dogs will need through their training.
Yes, you can! We have plenty of volunteers who work alongside doing their volunteering role. However, it’s important to consider what level of commitment you can give alongside your working life when deciding which volunteer role is right for you. For our longer-term roles, like Puppy Raising, your working arrangements may need to be more flexible.
We believe that our volunteers should never be left out of pocket. For volunteers that will be caring for our dogs in their home, we will cover all food and vet expenses associated with our dogs, alongside any pet insurance and specialised equipment for our dogs.

For all our volunteers we will cover any reasonable travel expenses occurred through volunteering.
All our volunteers have a dedicated volunteer manager to support them throughout their volunteer role. They will be there to answer any questions, settle any concerns and generally offer a helping hand.

Before you start, you will receive full training and will be offered the opportunity for any further training that you might need. So, you don’t need to worry if you don’t have any previous experience, as we will give you all the training you need.

As you join the Guide Dogs community, you’ll also be in touch with fellow volunteers who you can share experiences and stories with along the way.