Guide Dogs UK are looking for volunteers in the Milton Keynes area! Read on to find out what roles are available and how you can get involved!
Role: Breeding Dog Volunteer
Could you provide a loving home for a guide dog mum? Do you have space in your home and heart for an extra special mum and her pups?
This vital volunteer role is perfect for dog-lovers who are looking for a permanent addition to their family. Most of the time she will be a wonderful, pet dog, then roughly once a year you’ll also get to enjoy the company of a litter of guide dog puppies for around 7 weeks.
As a breeding dog volunteer, you’ll provide a full-time, loving home for one of our guide dog mums. You’ll help keep her in top condition and health for her vital role, while also getting to enjoy all the benefits of a well-behaved, loving pet dog.
When the time is right, you’ll support your guide dog mum throughout her pregnancy and during her birth at home. You’ll then help to take care of her puppies during their first seven weeks of life until they’re ready to move onto the next stage of their guide dog journey.
You’ll receive all the training you need for the role. You’ll have the full support of our expert dog behaviour and welfare teams and dedicated 24/7 support from our specialist breeding team. Additionally, we cover all the costs for our guide dog mums, including her food, vet bills and any equipment or bedding she needs.
Eligibility for the role:
- The welfare of our mums and pups is our top priority. Most importantly we’re looking for loving homes for our dogs.
- Our breeding dog volunteers need to live within an hour’s drive of our National Centre in Leamington Spa, so we can support you and your dogs. You’ll need to have a car and be able to travel to our National Centre when the time is right to prepare your guide dog mum for her litter of pups.
- Your home will need an area suitable for your guide dog mum to give birth and you’ll need access to a secure garden.
- When your guide dog mum has had her puppies, you’ll need to be available to look after them at home for around seven weeks.
- We ask that our dogs are never left at home alone for more than 4 hours per day.
- We’re unable to place our guide dog mums in homes with male dogs who have not been neutered.
- This role is available to volunteers in the Milton Keynes area who live within an hour’s drive of the Guide Dogs National Centre, just outside Leamington Spa, CV33 9QJ.
Role: Puppy Raiser
Could you help raise a guide dog puppy, providing it with a vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog?
We urgently need more volunteers in the Milton Keynes area, who could give a temporary home to one of our guide dog pups for the first year of their life.
As a Puppy Raiser, you’ll provide a puppy with the vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog. You’ll be looking after a puppy for 12-16 months and will guide him or her through training, socialisation, the introduction of new environments and experiences whilst providing a loving home.
There might be the odd chewed slipper along the way, but nothing beats the rewarding feeling of loving and raising a puppy who will go on to make an enormous difference to someone living with sight loss.
Ideally you will:
- A loving home with enough time to invest in raising a puppy and attending to their needs (e.g. toilet training). If you work from home or have hobbies, you’ll need to be available to give the puppy regular attention alongside these.
- Someone at home who is physically able to handle large breed dogs (around 25-40kg).
- Access to a car, so that you can get your puppy used to travelling.
- The agreement of your landlord to have a dog in the property if you rent your home.
- A safe secure area outside for your puppy to go to the toilet.
We urgently need Puppy Raiser volunteers in the Milton Keynes area, MK12 5RL. This role has 13 hours of training and then you’ll be ready to go! Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any expenses related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, food costs for the puppy and other materials needed for the puppy’s training.
Role: Fundraiser
Do you love dogs and want to make a difference to people’s lives by volunteering? Join a Guide Dogs pack near you for fun, fundraising and four-legged friends.
As a fundraising volunteer for Guide Dogs, you’ll be part of a team in your local area that shares stories about what we do and raises vital funds to help people with sight loss live the life they choose. From planning events and helping at collections, to placing our iconic guide dog collection boxes with local businesses – you’ll get to hear inspiring stories, meet incredible people and dogs, and see the difference you’re making first-hand.
We’ve got volunteer roles to suit all passions, skillsets and schedules. You can make the role your own and you only need to take on as much as works for you. You’ll have the full support of your team, a dedicated Guide Dogs volunteer manager, and you’ll also receive any training you might need to help you in your role. We also cover all reasonable expenses related to your volunteering.
In return, you’ll get the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting people with sight loss by raising funds for our life-changing guide dogs and other vital services. You’ll also gain experiences, memories and friendships that last a lifetime.
Guide Dogs need all of these roles throughout the Milton Keynes area! If you are interested in any of these roles, or would like to talk to someone to find out more, contact VolunteerMidlands@guidedogs.org.uk or visit guidedogs.org.uk/JoinThePack.