Guide Dogs launch Christmas appeal for volunteers in Northamptonshire area

Guide Dogs have launched an appeal this Christmas period for volunteers in the Northamptonshire area to house a breeding dog, giving a home to a four-legged friend from Christmas and beyond.

Those who offer their services and volunteer will need to make time for regular walks, routine care and company not unlike any other pet dog. Guide Dogs covers all food and veterinary costs.

Volunteers house breeder guide dogs until they retire at around six years of age, at which point the family is given the option to keep the dog they have lovingly cared for as a pet.

Guide Dog litters are born in volunteers' homes, and staff from the charity are available day and night for support. At six weeks, puppies are transferred to a national centre for health and temperament checks before they begin their journey to become a service dog, helping to improve the lives of those visually impaired.

Sue Padget of Burton Latimer said: “Being a volunteer breeding dog holder for Guide Dogs is incredibly emotional, exciting and you feel like you’ve really achieved something.

“You have a wonderful dog and you have the wonderful experience of having puppies at home and you don’t have any worry of where they are going to go, as you know they will go to fantastic homes.”

This comes soon after the Wellingborough branch of Guide Dogs issued a plea for more volunteers to help raise awareness of the charity.

Kelly Newton, operations manager at Guide Dogs, said: “Our guide dog mums can live with other animals and children too, providing it is the right environment for them.

"By giving a lifelong home to a guide dog mum, you’ll help us to provide more life-changing guide dogs to people with sight loss in 2023 and beyond.”

Guide Dogs was formally founded in 1934 to improve the lives of those with sight loss, helping them to live fulfilling and independent lives.

Since then the charity has helped more than 36,000 people on the way to becoming the world's largest breeder and trainer of working dogs, and needs more help as Christmas looms large.

Volunteers must be over 18, and more information can be found via [email protected] or call 0800 7811444.