Undoubtedly, one of the most noble and outstanding contributions
to mankind made by dogs is to serve as eyes for those who have lost
their vision.
In the United States, there are several organizations that train
dogs for this most worthwhile purpose. They are:
• Eye Dog Foundation, Los Angeles, California
• Leader Dogs for the Blind, Rochester, Michigan
• Master Eye Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• The Seeing Eye, Morristown, New Jersey
• Guide Dogs for the Blind, San Rafael, California
• Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Inc., New York, New York
• Pilot Dogs, Columbus, Ohio
• Second Sight Guide Dog Foundation, Forest Hills, New York
Eye Dog Foundation
The parent Corporation was founded in 1939 and devoted itself to
the broad spectrum of aiding the blind. In 1952 Eye Dog Foundation
was founded as a subsidiary for the purpose of devoting itself to
the exclusive function of giving guide dogs to the blind. In 1954
Eye Dog Foundation became an independent entity, still retaining
its exclusive function. Since April, 1956, it has operated a school
for the blind students and Guide Dogs at Beaumont, California.
Supported entirely by public contributions, the Foundation receives
its major financial aid from the endowments and bequests contained
in wills as well as annual donations from public-spirited individuals.
The policy of Eye Dog Foundation is to supply (free of charge) eyes
for the blind in the form of a guide dog along with harness and
leash. Not only do they receive a guide dog free of charge, but
while in attendance for the one month's training the students live
on Eye Dog Foundation premises in a dormitory provided by the Foundation
where they are housed and fed free of charge.
Prior to the commencement of the class wherein the blind person
is trained with the dog, the dog is put through an intensive six
months training period by a trainer, licensed by the State of California.
The Foundation has found that the German
Shepherd is the most suitable for guide dog work and insist
that they be purebred with papers. In addition, since the female
is more gentle in temperament, only she is used. The dog must be
between ten and 30 months of age. The reason for this is that maturity
is an essential element in the potential guide dog. With maturity
comes the responsibility required to guide the blind person through
all the obstacles encountered by the sighted person; this then becomes
a matter of life and death to the blind individual. However, another
factor to be considered is the life span of the dog and therefore
the length of service to the blind; thus the rule that the Foundation
limits the beginning training to dogs not over 30 months of age.
Aside from the fact that the German Shepherd is one of the most
intelligent breeds, the short hair reduces the chore of the blind
person in keeping her clean.
The first step in the training of the dog is that she learn to obey
basic obedience commands such as: Come, Sit, Down, Fetch, Forward,
Right and Left. Once that hurdle is attained, the dog must be trained
under traffic conditions to:
• Stop at the curb at the end of each block as well as to
stop at intersections where there are no curbs.
• To go forward on command only if it is safe to do so.
• To cross the street straight to the opposite curb and stop
so the blind person will not stumble.
• The dog is taught to work at the left side of the blind
person, but in addition is taught to clear her master safely of
all obstacles on the right side as well as of any overhanging obstacles,
low objects and manholes.
• To wait while approaching automobiles pass and not to guide
the blind person too closely to any automobile.
• To pass other animals (such as dogs, cats, birds, etc.)
without being distracted from her work.
• Not to be distracted by noise or traffic.
• To guide her master to a bus, elevator, airplane, car or
other vehicular transportation and ride with him.
• To find doors hi and out of buildings.
• To stop at the top and bottom of stairways so that her master
will not fall.
• To lie quietly under a table in a restaurant.
To insure complete safety to the blind recipient, at various stages
during the training the trainer works with a blindfold. This determines
whether the dog is completely dependable in her work. The dog must
learn to meet every situation expected to be encountered in her
life's work.
Once this training is completed, the class is scheduled and the
students are brought in to the Foundation. Since Shepherds range
in size from very large to small, it becomes a matter of matchmaking
for the trainer to match the proper sized dog with the individual
student. Further, it is necessary that the temperament and character
of the dog be compatible with that of the student. These are only
minor phases of the ultimate goal though they prove extremely important
as the pair begin to exist together.
Leader Dogs For The Blind
Leader Dogs For The Blind is a school for blind
people who want desperately to remain active in the community. Well
over 200 blind men and women visit the school each year to get Leader
Dogs. Great effort is made to guarantee every eligible person will
be trained with a Leader Dog if he makes application. The school
in Rochester, Michigan, is dependent entirely upon voluntary contributions.
The Seeing Eye
Helping blind people to free themselves from this restriction by
making use of the capabilities of the dog is the work of The Seeing
Eye. To date, more than 6,000 Seeing Eye dogs have given service
to blind people all over the country. They have helped these determined
men and women to win livelihoods and to further their careers in
over a hundred different fields.
The Seeing Eye came into existence officially on January 29, 1929,
when it was incorporated at Nashville, Tennessee. Its roots, however,
go back several years before then—to one woman's vision, to
a magazine article she wrote, and to a blind young man who could
see its implications and who did something about them.
To old friends of The Seeing Eye the story is familiar. The woman
was Dorothy Harrison Eustis of Philadelphia, then living in Switzerland.
She was initially interested in the scientific selection and breeding
of German shepherd dogs. Mrs. Eustis and her staff realized, however,
that only through the dogs' performance could the effectiveness
of the breeding program be measured. The breeding activities were
therefore augmented by a training program whose "graduates"
soon demonstrated their ability to render outstanding service to
the Swiss Army and to several metropolitan police units in Europe.
Thus, Mrs. Eus-tis had a good idea of what these dogs could do.
But even she was unaware of their full potential until she visited
a German school where she saw shepherd dogs being trained as guides
for blinded war veterans. Deeply impressed and deeply moved, she
wrote an article for the November 5, 1927 issue of the Saturday
Evening Post. Its title, as it turned out, was prophetic: "The
Seeing Eye."
A few weeks later, the article came to the attention of a twenty-year-old
Tennessean, Morris Frank, who immediately wrote to Mrs. Eustis:
". . . Thousands of blind like me abhor being dependent on
others. Help me and I will help them. Train me and I will bring
back my dog and show people here how a blind man can be absolutely
on his own." Morris Frank was invited to come to Switzerland.
A dog was selected and trained for him, and then he himself was
trained.
Back in the United States again, he crossed and re-crossed the country,
putting himself and his dog Buddy to the test under every conceivable
traffic situation.
Mrs. Eustis, too, returned to America, to found The Seeing Eye and
to dedicate herself to the task of opening this new path to freedom
for blind Americans.
The first Seeing Eye class was held in Nashville during February
1929, with two members in attendance. By the end of that year, 17
blind men and women had found freedom through their Seeing Eye dogs.
Freedom, of course, was from the very beginning the goal of The
Seeing Eye and of those who came for training. But freedom for what?
Mrs. Eustis put it this way: "The dog is a liberating factor
in life to some blind . . ., not a luxury. . . . It is not our idea
to advocate the placing of dog guides with all the blind—
far from it. The dog guide is suitable for the man who can use him
in his daily life, who wants an aid in making himself a free economic
unit . . ., who wants a wider freer life...."
Guide Dogs For The Blind, Incorporated
California is the only state having laws governing the operation
of a Guide Dog School. The school and the instructors must be licensed
by the State Dog Board. The non-profit school is not connected with
any other training center and does not receive State or Federal
aid. Guide Dogs For The Blind, Inc. operates under License No. 1
from the California State Guide Dog Board.
As of June 19, 1971, Guide Dogs For The Blind, Inc. had enrolled
2,192 sightless persons. Although its costs approximately $3,000
to produce each man-dog team, no charge is made either for the valuable
animal or room and board during the four-week training period. Since
more and more early trainees are returning to the school for dogs
to replace those who have died or grown too old to work, even more
applications are expected in the near future. In addition to replacement
and first-time guide dog users, the sad situation exists once again
of blinded servicemen returning home from yet another conflict.
The Master Eye Foundation Of America
The Master Eye Foundation of America, which operates
in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is another nonprofit organization which
supplies trained dogs entirely without charge to qualified blind
persons of all creeds, color, and origins in all fifty states, Canada,
and Mexico. They have trained guide dogs for the blind since 1926.
Once accepted into their program, they will pay transportation from
any place in the United States, and they will pay room and board
for the three to four weeks
required to pair dog with master and to train them to work smoothly
together as a team.
Guiding Eyes For The Blind, Incorporated
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a national service
incorporated in the State of New York with its principal area of
service being the United States and its territorial possessions.
The primary purpose of the agency is to provide independent mobility
via guide dogs to those visually handicapped individuals who are
physically, mentally and emotionally prepared to benefit from it.
The agency is a voluntary, non-profit organization supported through
the contributions of the public.
In its comparatively brief 15 year history, Guiding Eyes for the
Blind has graduated approximately 1200 units — dog and master
— and currently has units operating in over 40 states and
Puerto Rico.
Services of the agency stem from two basic departments, the Breeding
Division and the Training School.
Breeding Division
The work of this department is an essential element
in providing the best unit possible through the breeding and development
of the most suitable dogs for guide dog work.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind breeds Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers,
and German Shepherds. However, other breeds are also used, such
as Smooth Haired Collies, Bouvier des Flandres, and Boxers. It is
the dog rather than the breed that is important. The animal must
meet GEB standards in order to qualify for guide dog work.
A program of observation and initial development of the puppy is
conducted in cooperation with 4-H Clubs in New York State to determine
whether puppy has the basic characteristics necessary for guide
dog work — intelligence, temperament and trainability.
The 4-H'er is assigned a puppy from eight weeks of age through one
year, which is minimum maturity for guide dog training.
His objective, recognized and rewarded as a formal 4-H Club program,
is to raise a happy, healthy puppy, ready
to start his "education" as a guide dog at the age of
about one year.
