Could your home be the perfect relaxation zone for a guide dog in training?
Foster families are urgently needed to support the Guide Dogs team in Atherton and for the right person, it’s an amazing opportunity to have all the benefits of caring for a dog without the full-time responsibility.
Fosterers play a pivotal role as young dogs go through their training. Training during the day; they need somewhere to wind down in the evening and at weekends, and research has shown that dogs who spend their spare time with a fosterer do better than they would even in the most luxurious kennels.
Hannah Laidlaw of Guide Dogs at Atherton is part of the team hoping to recruit more fosterer volunteers. She explained: “The fostering of trainee guide dogs is really beneficial, as the dogs are tested socially in a family situation, getting them used to all the things they will encounter in their life as a qualified guide dog. Simple things like how they react to the postman, or how they greet visitors and interact with other pets gives us some really good information about character and behaviour.
“It can also be a genuine life-changer for some fosterers, who relish the chance to care for one of our dogs, even if they are working full-time during the day. Some say it brings a whole new dimension to family life, others just love the companionship.”
The Guide Dogs charity supplies basic equipment and covers all veterinary and feeding expenses, but fosterers must be able to drop off and pick up their dogs from the centre before and after work Monday to Friday between 7:30 and 9am, then 4:15-5:45pm. The dogs are not yet qualified, so can’t be taken into most shops and restaurants as a guide dog can, but they benefit from the routine of ordinary domestic life before being matched with their new owner.
Hannah said: “Our fosterers say it is so rewarding to be involved in the development of a guide dog, which will one day provide independence to a blind or partially sighted person. They love having a dog in the home at evenings and weekend but they can still carry on with their 9-5 weekday commitments as usual. Foster families tend to come from within a few miles of the regional centre because what we really need are people who can pick up and drop off each day – it’s a bit like a school run!
“We would love to hear from people interested in joining the team. It’s a wonderful way to support the local community, and there’s really no ‘ideal’ family or home. A single person can foster, a family with other pets can foster, and no one should worry about having to follow complicated training routines – it’s all about supporting the dog’s behaviour and we just want our dogs to have some down time in a caring, homely environment. If they simply chill in front of the fire or enjoy a free run in the park, that’s fine by us.”
Guide Dogs in training usually spend 26 weeks with a foster family before being matched with a blind or partially sighted person. There’s a comprehensive training programme and lots of advice before a dog is placed with a new foster family, to give the partnership the best chance of success.
Hannah said: “We offer a lot of support to fosterers and we need a constant pipeline of volunteers to take the dogs as they go through training. There’s no doubt our foster families are part of something very special and talking to those involved makes me realise how our dogs can enrich the lives of those who volunteer to be part of Guide Dogs training.”
