Guide Dogs issue heartbreaking plea for help as the charity warns it faces lowest ever number of volunteers to look after puppies

Published: 12:13 EST, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 12:18 EST, 11 November 2026 Guide Dogs is facing its lowest ever number of volunteers to look after their puppies as the charity issues a plea for more people to get involved.The charity needs roughly 100 puppy raisers every month to keep up with the ever-growing number of blind people who need a guide dog to help them live independently.In total, there are around 830 people in the UK waiting for a guide dog and the shortage of puppy raisers risks causing a bottleneck in the entire programme, with the Lib Dem MP Steve Darling - who is visually impaired and relies on a guide dog - describing the volunteers as the 'bedrock' of a good guide dog.Puppy raisers typically look after the dogs for 14 months and they play a vital role in developing the skills and confidence the pooches require for life as working dogs.Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Darling said that he believed the decline in the number of volunteers could be linked to the increase in dog ownership nationally since the pandemic.The UK dog population has swelled to a record high 15 million with 41 per cent of households now owning a pet pooch.Mr Darling said: 'I wonder if the shortages is part of the long hangover from Covid where more people bought dogs and so it's a smaller pool of volunteers.'I think people see it as a massive challenge, building an emotional relationship with a well-loved dog and then you have to move on which is so so often the conversation. A Guide Dog puppy in training. The charity needs roughly 100 puppy raisers every month to keep up with the ever-growing number of blind people who need a guide dog Puppy raisers typically look after the dogs for 14 months and they play a vital role in developing the skills and confidence the pooches require for life as working dogs'When I'm encouraging people to become puppy raisers I say they should see it as having a succession of dogs which they can influence for the better rather than seeing it as a loss.'Puppy raisers also help make sure the dogs have the right temperament to work as guide dogs.The MP for Torbay continued: 'So we desperately need puppy walkers to help effectively train them and appropriately test them out so if they are not made to be guide dogs they can be someone's loving companion.'To encourage more volunteers, Guide Dogs held a special event at Manchester's Trafford Centre on Monday, November 9.Accompanied by their Puppy Raiser, each dog explored the shopping centre before they took part in a puppy class led by expert Puppy Development Advisors from Guide Dogs. Jay Murray, Puppy Development Supervisor for Guide Dogs, said: 'It was an exciting opportunity for the public to meet our adorable puppies and chat to the people who care for them, and find out more about what's involved.'It was also an opportunity to help our puppies get used to new and different environments. Socialisation is such a fundamental part of a guide dog's training. Our puppies need to encounter the real world – whether that's public transport, cafes, cinemas, or shopping centres like the Trafford Centre.'None of that happens without our incredible volunteer puppy raisers, who are pivotal to what we do. Guide Dogs need around 100 puppy raisers every month across the UK to help us continue supporting people with sight loss.'Mr Darling's own guide dog Jennie has become one of the most famous faces in Westminster. Guide Dog puppy raisers at Manchester's Trafford Centre for an event on Monday to encourage more people to volunteer The Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling with his own guide dog Jennie. Mr Darling described puppy raisers as the 'bedrock' of a good guide dog Speaking about his own experience with a guide dog, Mr Darling said: 'They can give you a lot of confidence but also a dog is a lot more engaging than a white cane. 'So the bridge that they give to engage with other people is part of the magic that guide dogs do.'He added: 'Jennie looks after me and she's an incredibly intelligent dog. Last winter, we struggled to get into Parliament because a zebra crossing close to my flat was blocked off. But that evening Jennie took the initiative and remembered the route was blocked off.'Guide Dogs provides life-changing services to people with sight loss and breeds around 1,300 puppies each year to help meet demand.