Guide dog mums urgently need homes, as charity faces shortage of volunteers

The charity’s ‘Breeding Dog Holder’ volunteers have a guide dog mum-to-be living with them full-time, with all costs covered by the charity.

These volunteers look after these doggy mums like any other pet dog, and, when the time is right, help them to give birth at home to the next generation of guide dogs.

They can then enjoy the company of a litter of guide dog pups for around seven weeks, before they move out to start the early stages of their training.

The charity’s only breeding centre in the UK is just outside Leamington Spa and you need to live within an hour’s drive of this site to do the role.

Kelly Newton, Operations Manager at Guide Dogs, said: “We’re currently experiencing the worst shortage of homes for our guide dog mums that we’ve ever had to face.

“Despite appealing all year for volunteers to come forward, we’ve still not found enough people who’re able to provide a loving home to one of our guide dog mums.

“Giving a home to one of our mums is a great way to have a dog to live with you, without the usual costs involved.

“You don’t need to have any previous experience of caring for dogs or puppies, as we have expert staff who will support you and your dog whilst they are part of our breeding programme.

“We’re looking for homes across the Midlands and would urge anyone who is interested in finding out more to get in touch.”

Jane Kempton, from Harbury, has been a volunteer Breeding Dog Holder for five years.

Abbey, the guide dog mum she cares for, is a Labrador, and has just had her second litter of puppies.

Jane said: “Abbey came to me when she was just seven weeks old because I was her volunteer Puppy Raiser.

“I had a wonderful year raising her and when she got selected to be part of the breeding program, it was a great opportunity for me to change my volunteering role and become a Breeding Dog Holder and keep Abbey living with me.

“Abbey had eight puppies in her first litter, two years ago, and those dogs are now just reaching the stage where they will become guide dogs - it is very exciting to hear about their progress.

“This time around Abbey had just four pups and they are super, sturdy, resilient little things.

“It has been such a pleasure to watch them grow up and help Abbey look after them. Especially knowing that, like their older brothers and sisters, they will make a huge difference to someone’s life one day.”

Guide dog mums have a maximum of four litters during their working life and the welfare of mums and pups is the top priority for the charity when making breeding decisions.

At around seven weeks of age, puppies leave volunteers homes and move to the charity’s National Centre for health checks, before starting on their journey to become service dogs.

Breeding Dog Holders look after guide dog mums until they retire, at around six years of age. After this, they are given the option to keep the mum they have cared for as a pet dog.

Volunteers must be aged 18 or over.

Could you provide a loving, permanent home to a guide dog mum in The Midlands? To find out more, contact Volunteering Coordinator Verity O’Donnell via [email protected] or call 0800 781 1444.