You have no doubt seen a blind person being lead across a busy
intersection by a Seeing Eye dog. These functional companions
have been used to help handicapped people become independent
for years. Nobody knows exactly when the concept of a Seeing
Eye dog came into existence but it has been suggested that dogs
have been used in such a capacity in various cultures for a very
long time. It is known, however, that there was no formal guide
dog program in existence until after the First World War.

Why German Shepherds?

Many people have probably wondered why guide dogs and Seeing
Eye dogs are so often German Shepherds. There are two reasons.
First, the German Shepherd has a strong sense of loyalty to its
owner, giving it natural protective tendencies. Having a very
protective dog as a companion is an obvious asset for someone
who may otherwise be easily attacked by someone with bad
intentions. The second reason is far simpler; the first guide
dogs for the blind and visually impaired were trained in
Germany to provided assistance for those blinded in the war.

After the end of World War I, Germany was in a state of
financial depression. Many private businesses failed and the
Potsdam, Germany school that trained the guide dogs for the
blind was one of them.

The Seeing Eye was born

An American woman named Dorothy Eustis had heard about the
program and decided it was a very worthwhile endeavor. Because
she owned a company that was training German Shepherds as
working dogs, she decided she might try to train guide dogs for
the blind. She did not start this right away, however. In fact
she was still considering the possibilities when she wrote a
story for The Saturday Evening Post about the potential for
guide dogs for the blind.

A Nashville man named Morris Frank had heard the story and
decided to get in touch with Ms. Eustis and ask her to train a
dog for him. She did and Mr. Frank became known as the first
blind person to use a guide dog.

As part of an arrangement he'd made with Ms. Eustis, Mr. Frank
started training guide dogs in the United States. The
foundation that Mr. Frank started was named "The Seeing Eye"
and the dogs that were used were dubbed Seeing Eye dogs.

Today guide dogs are trained to assist people with many
different disabilities. There are Hearing Ear dogs to assist
the deaf and other dogs that assist the physically disabled.
All of the people who have benefited from the use of a guide
dog, however, owe their thanks to Mr. Morris Frank of
Nashville, Tennessee.


About The Author: Jacob Deam absolutely loves dogs, and blogs
about dog topics frequently at http://www.sitheelstay.com