All you need is love

If one of your New Year resolutions was to give back, then why not investigate becoming a carer for our dogs in training. Currently, our Seeing Eye Dogs (SED) Queensland facility is in urgent need of people to volunteer their time and homes to look after our gorgeous Seeing Eye Dogs in training.

Volunteer carers can be single, married, with or without children. They can also have their own pet dog or cat as well. The team at Seeing Eye Dogs will provide you with all the food and vet expenses, so no out-of-pocket costs will be incurred by the carer for the duration of the dog's stay. With their blue ‘training’ coats, SED’s dogs in training can go with you anywhere; from work to restaurants, supermarket to the movies, they are a constant, friendly companion. However, as socialisation is very important to their development and training, SED’s training dogs cannot be left at home for more than 3 hours by themselves.

Each day the dog will be collected between 7am – 8am from the carers home where they will be taken to the facility to undergo training. The dog will then be returned to your house between 2.30pm and 3.30pm Monday to Friday. Carers are only required to look after the training dog for a six-month period. 

In a time where people’s budgets are stretched, this is a wonderful opportunity for people to get involved with the organisation without having to contribute financially. Your love and time is all Seeing Eye Dogs require to ensure these dogs in training graduate and go on to become the eyes for someone who is blind or has low vision. 

Vision Australia’s Seeing Eye Dogs is the only national provider of Seeing Eye Dogs in Australia. It costs $30,000 to raise and train just one Seeing Eye Dog. Currently, 25 Australians a day are learning they will lose their sight. This number is expected to increase to 80 per day by 2020, making the work of Vision Australia all the more vital to the community.

If you are interested in volunteering to become a carer for a Seeing Eye Dog in training, you can contact Vision Australia by calling 1800 037 773.