Dog Driver

Our Dog Drivers transport puppies and adult dogs between Guide Dogs sites and specialist vet visits.

What you’ll be doing

We rely on volunteers like you to help us improve the lives of people with sight loss. In this role your support will include: 

• Providing safe transportation to our puppies and adult dogs between Guide Dogs sites and specialist vets and hospital appointments.
• Following Guide Dogs' guidelines for handling and transporting young puppies and adult dogs.

You’ll have

Ideally you will have/be: 

• Good communications and interpersonal skills.
• Good organisation skills, including being reliable and punctual.
• A confident and conscientious driver - a clean driving licence is preferred, although minor driving convictions may not necessarily stop you from volunteering.
• Willing to drive a range of distances which may be out of your local area.
• Willingness and ability to handle and manage our dogs and puppies using positive reinforcement methods.

If you don’t feel you tick every box but are sure this role is the one for you, please drop us a message and tell us why. You may have something to offer that we didn’t even know we wanted and would love to talk it through with you to see what’s possible!

You’ll get

Volunteering is a two-way street, so in return for your time you will get a dedicated volunteer manager/key contact who will help you settle in and support you during your time with us. You’ll also get:

• The opportunity to support Guide Dogs to continue its life changing work, ensuring every person with sight loss has the confidence and support they need to live their lives to the full.
• A flexible role which fits in with your existing commitments.
• Support to develop your dog handling skills and have 1:1 contact with our dogs and puppies.
• The opportunity to attend further relevant Guide Dogs training.

Training and support

This role has 6 hours of mandatory training and then you’ll be ready to go! These modules include: 

• Driver Induction
• Guide Dogs Induction
• Dog Handling training
• Safeguarding training (Level 1)

If you have questions about the training requirements, we can answer these at your interview along with any other support or accessibility needs you may have. 
Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any expenses related to your volunteering with us in line with our policy. 

What we need from you

• Ensuring the vehicle is safe and legally roadworthy to drive.
• Ensuring that you have any additional equipment necessary to fulfil your role and that it is in working order whether it be using your own vehicle or a Guide Dogs vehicle.
• Criminal Disclosure check necessary? No

We are working hard to make sure anyone who wants to can volunteer for Guide Dogs, but at the moment we have a minimum age of 18 for this particular role. 

Search for a volunteering opportunity near you

If you would like to become a dog driver for Guide Dogs, the next step is to check if there is an opportunity available near you. You can use the search option below to find all volunteering opportunities near you and if you don't see a dog driver option – don't worry! We update our opportunities all the time so make sure you check back in.