When Roz entered retirement at the beginning of 2025, she decided to look into becoming a fosterer for Guide Dogs. Being someone who is active and outgoing, Roz wanted to continue to meet new people and try new things in her retirement.
In just over a year, she’s fostered four dogs, providing a safe and calm environment for them during training and finding joy in supporting them along their journey at the same time. “This last year has been absolutely wonderful. I live on my own and I love dogs, so fostering suits me perfectly. Fostering gets me out and about, and I meet people in my local area that I would never have met otherwise,” says Roz.
How Roz became a dog fosterer
Roz has now fostered four guide dogs in training, but initially it was a learning curve. She completed her online training before starting her role, and once she got started, she had regular support from our expert staff.
Roz explains, “The support is fantastic. Before each dog, I get specific information about what they need and what they like. It’s always helpful to actually meet the dog before and have an overnight stay if possible. With all the dogs I’ve fostered, they’ve come to my house, and we’ve gone on a walk and played for an hour or two. It’s a chance to learn all those little things about them as an individual dog."
Why Roz became a dog fosterer
We know that volunteering at Guide Dogs brings lots of joy, and Roz is no exception. Roz tells us, “I love volunteering for Guide Dogs; I feel like I’m part of the dogs' journey who will hopefully go on to help someone, and they’ll benefit from the dog one day. For me, that’s priceless.” For Roz, flexibility is key. As a fosterer she can plan her volunteering around her life rather than the other way around: "My advice to people would be to give it a go and see if you enjoy it, because you get so much out of it. Fostering is flexible, which I don’t think many people realise. You have the choice when you want to foster. I travel a lot, and doing this means I can still do that and have the dog – it's the best of both worlds.
"When I do have a dog with me, it brings a sense of companionship and purpose to my day. It’s incredibly rewarding knowing you’re playing a small part in their journey to becoming a guide dog while also gaining so much happiness and connection yourself.”
Learn more about becoming a training dog fosterer with Guide Dogs.
