Volunteering | with Dog
We are pleased to receive volunteers at the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind. Volunteers play an integral part in the daily function of the center, and there are many jobs available in a wide variety of areas. Since the center is not accessible by public transport, having a car is a necessary requirement.
Helping in Various Departments
Our guide dogs enable us to attain our vision of improving the quality of life for blind and visually impaired Israelis by offering them safe mobility, independence, and self-confidence. We therefore invest a great deal of effort into caring for our dogs!
Volunteers help the kennel staff with daily maintenance and care in the kennels, keeping the kennels clean, seeing to the dogs’ hygiene, feeding, and making sure that the dogs are happy and healthy. Petting is part of the job!
- You must be between the ages of 16 – 50.
- Volunteers must be able to lift 15 kg. (35 pounds)
- Be able to do hard physical work
- Commitment to at least 2 shifts each month. Shifts are scheduled one month in advance
Young people can also volunteer in the kennels as part of a personal community project. For more information, call the center.
Dog Distraction Exercises
Guide dogs are taught to ignore distractions as part of their training. Our professional trainers deliberately present dogs with distractions that they are liable to encounter during their work with a blind person such as people who offer food or who walk by with other dogs. For this reason, volunteers may be asked to bring their own pet dogs to the training session.
Distraction training takes place in the morning from 07:00 to 11:00 in Rishon Letzion, Rehovot, Nes Tziona, or Yavneh, or at the center at Beit Oved.
- Age 16 and up
- Availability on weekday mornings
- Owning a dog is an advantage.
- Volunteers need to have a car to get to various locations.
