The Seeing Eye
Encyclopedia
The Seeing Eye, Inc. is a guide dog
school that is located in Morristown, New Jersey
in the United States
. It was founded in 1929 as the first guide dog school in the country. The dogs are trained to assist their owners and provide them with a means to be independent and to be able to get about as pedestrians in their communities without other assistance.
The organization's trademark
"seeing eye dog" is sometimes genericized
as a ubiquitous term for guide dogs.
, an American dog trainer, Dorothy Harrison Eustis
, was experimenting with the inclination and ability of German Shepherds to be used as working dogs. Eventually, she visited a school that was training German Shepherds to lead blinded World War I
veteran
s.
Fascinated by what she had seen, she wrote an article entitled, "The All Seeing Eye", about the school, which appeared in the November 5, 1927 edition of The Saturday Evening Post
. Shortly thereafter she was contacted by a blind Tennessean
man, Morris Frank, who enlisted her to train a dog for his use.
This effort eventually evolved into the Seeing Eye organization in Switzerland and America.After 80 years of providing Independence and Dignity, The Seeing Eye remains the best known guide dog school in the world.
. Primarily, they are German Shepherds, Labrador Retriever
s, Golden Retriever
s, or Labrador-Golden Retriever crosses. Some dogs are donated to the organization. Occasionally, The Seeing Eye also will train Boxers
, or other breeds and mixes.
Puppies are raised by volunteers, primarily 4-H
members, who are responsible for the basic obedience training
and socialization
of the dogs until they are 18 months old. This partnership between the Seeing Eye and 4-H began in 1942 and allows youth to learn about the dogs and serve their communities.
Formal training at the Seeing Eye campus lasts four months. This is where the dogs learn advanced obedience and skills such as pulling in harness, stopping at curbs, and "intelligent disobedience" to keep themselves and their handler safe from danger. After completing this training, the dogs spend up to a month training with their future human partners, before they are formally released. Most of the training with the future owner takes place in the community.
Guide dog
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
school that is located in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was founded in 1929 as the first guide dog school in the country. The dogs are trained to assist their owners and provide them with a means to be independent and to be able to get about as pedestrians in their communities without other assistance.
The organization's trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
"seeing eye dog" is sometimes genericized
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
as a ubiquitous term for guide dogs.
History
While living in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, an American dog trainer, Dorothy Harrison Eustis
Dorothy Harrison Eustis
Dorothy Leib Harrison Wood Eustis was an American dog breeder and philanthropist, who founded The Seeing Eye, the first guide-dog school for the blind in the United States....
, was experimenting with the inclination and ability of German Shepherds to be used as working dogs. Eventually, she visited a school that was training German Shepherds to lead blinded World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s.
Fascinated by what she had seen, she wrote an article entitled, "The All Seeing Eye", about the school, which appeared in the November 5, 1927 edition of The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
. Shortly thereafter she was contacted by a blind Tennessean
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
man, Morris Frank, who enlisted her to train a dog for his use.
This effort eventually evolved into the Seeing Eye organization in Switzerland and America.After 80 years of providing Independence and Dignity, The Seeing Eye remains the best known guide dog school in the world.
The dogs and their training
Most Seeing Eye dogs come from a breeding center located in nearby Chester, New JerseyChester, New Jersey
Chester is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,649.Chester Township was established as a separate political entity on April 1, 1799, including the area of both the Township and the downtown Village area which came...
. Primarily, they are German Shepherds, Labrador Retriever
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
s, Golden Retriever
Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...
s, or Labrador-Golden Retriever crosses. Some dogs are donated to the organization. Occasionally, The Seeing Eye also will train Boxers
Boxer (dog)
Developed in Germany, the Boxer is a breed of stocky, medium-sized, short-haired dog. The coat is smooth and fawn or brindled, with or without white markings. Boxers are brachycephalic , and have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism , very strong jaws and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to...
, or other breeds and mixes.
Puppies are raised by volunteers, primarily 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
members, who are responsible for the basic obedience training
Obedience training
Obedience training usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context. Obedience training ranges from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as "sit", "down", "come", and "stay", to high level competition...
and socialization
Socialization
Socialization is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists and educationalists to refer to the process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies...
of the dogs until they are 18 months old. This partnership between the Seeing Eye and 4-H began in 1942 and allows youth to learn about the dogs and serve their communities.
Formal training at the Seeing Eye campus lasts four months. This is where the dogs learn advanced obedience and skills such as pulling in harness, stopping at curbs, and "intelligent disobedience" to keep themselves and their handler safe from danger. After completing this training, the dogs spend up to a month training with their future human partners, before they are formally released. Most of the training with the future owner takes place in the community.
See also
- List of Guide Dog Schools
- Connection with Hill's Pet Food