Sight loss charity Guide Dogs has opened a bigger dog training centre in Nottingham, so that an extra 30 guide dogs can be trained in the city each year.
The Nottingham Guide Dogs centre in Phoenix Business Park, near Bulwell, has been extended and renovated and is now the charity’s second largest dog training site in the Midlands.
With more trainee guide dogs learning the ropes in Nottingham, the charity now needs more volunteers to look after their dogs on evenings and weekends.
As a ‘Volunteer Fosterer’, you would provide a temporary home to a trainee guide dog and would need to be able to drop them off on weekday mornings at the centre for training sessions and collect them again each evening.
Guide Dogs covers the cost of all the food, veterinary care and equipment required for each dog and provides volunteers with full training and support.
Graham Kensett, Head of Canine Assisted Services for Guide Dogs in the Midlands, said:
“We’re very excited to launch our new training facility in Nottingham, which will enable us to train more guide dogs in the city and support more people with sight loss.
“Now that we have more dogs in the area, we urgently need more volunteers who could look after our four-legged recruits on evenings and weekends when they are taking time out from training.
“This is a great opportunity for an individual or a family to care for a dog, on a temporary basis, with all the costs covered by us as a charity.
“After spending a few months with you, each dog will then move on to the next stage of their training, before hopefully becoming a working guide dog by the age of two.”
Volunteer Fosterers usually care for dogs that are between 14-24 months of age.
Graham added: “This is a rewarding volunteering role, suitable for anyone aged 18 or over and we also welcome applications from people who have other pets at home.
“If you’re from Nottingham or the surrounding area and think you could support us, please do get in touch.”
Dogs would be required to be dropped off at the centre from 8am and collected by 6pm.
Could you provide a loving, temporary home for a trainee guide dog in Nottingham? Contact Volunteering Coordinator Melanie Brown at volunteermidlands@guidedogs.org.uk or call 0800 781 1444.
