The Seeing Eye
The Seeing Eye was founded by Morris Frank and Dorothy Harrison Eustis in 1929. Morris Frank, a blind teenager, wrote to Eustis, who was breeding German Shepherds to be police/military dogs in Switzerland. Frank asked Eustis to train a guide dog for him and promised to establish a guide dog school in the U.S. in return.
In 1928, Frank was paired with his first guide dog, a female German Shepherd named Buddy. Buddy was able to successfully guide Frank across West Street in NYC which was given the nickname “Death Street” because of how risky it was to cross – this was a huge achievement for the working team. In 1929, Frank and Eustis founded The Seeing Eye, the first guide dog school in America. Originally in Tennessee, The Seeing Eye moved to Whippany, NJ in 1931, and then to their current location in Morristown, NJ in 1963.
Puppy Raising
The Puppy Raising Program
Puppies are placed with volunteer puppy raisers at seven weeks old and return to The Seeing Eye for formal training at about 13-16 months old. Puppy raisers are foster families who care for puppies and teach basic obedience, house manners, and the seven commands that become the foundation for their future in guide work. A key component of the program is exposure – TSE puppies go on a variety of trips with their raisers so they have many opportunities to practice working in any environment they experience in the future.
The Seeing Eye breeds German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and lab/golden crosses for various guide dog qualities such as size and temperament.
After The Puppy Raising Program
Once the puppies are around 13-16 months old, they return to The Seeing Eye for a minimum of 4 months of formal training in harness. The dogs learn to do tasks such as navigate through towns and watch for traffic.
The dogs then wait until they are matched with a student. The Seeing Eye has an extensive process in which they match each student with their perfect dog!
