Our Project . . . The Seeing Eye, Inc.

The Seeing Eye trains guide dogs for blind people. It is located in Morristown, New Jersey and it is the oldest dog guide school in our country. It was started in 1929 by Dorothy Harrison Eustis and Morris Frank. The Seeing Eye has matched more than 12,000 guide dogs with blind people from the United States and also Canada.

The Seeing Eye breeds its own German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.

When a puppy is about 7 or 8 weeks old, it is temporarily placed in the home of a volunteer puppy raiser (many of whom are members of 4-H Clubs). It is important for the puppy to get used to being around people and to be exposed to everyday life.

When the dog is about 18 months old, it returns to the Seeing Eye to start a four-month course of training. When the dog passes this training, it is matched with a blind person. Then the dog and its new owner participate together in a training course (approximately 27 days).

Morris Frank was the first person to receive a Seeing Eye dog in America. He had learned about such dogs through an article Dorothy Harrison Eustis wrote for the Saturday Evening Post about guide dogs in Germany.






The mission of the Seeing Eye is to give a blind person independence and dignity.






While there are other guide dog schools in the United States, the Seeing Eye is the only one that provides full ownership of the dogs to blind people.

Although it costs about $45,000 to breed and train a Seeing Eye dog, a blind person is only charged $150 to get a dog and train with it (Armed Service members only pay $1.00).

The blind person and the dog are a team. Blind people learn to direct their dog where they want to go. The commands that they use include "Forward", "Right", and "Left". The dogs learn to look both ways before crossing a street. The Seeing Eye dogs also are trained in intelligent disobedience - that is when they decide to disobey a command because it is not safe.

The average working life for Seeing Eye dogs is about 7 to 8 years. Dogs work until they are about 10 years old. Retired dogs can be kept by the blind owner as a pet, or adopted by a home arranged through the Seeing Eye.

Educational Outreach:

The Seeing Eye also helps educate the public about the role of Seeing Eye dogs and how to treat them when you see them, and also the rights of blind and visually impaired people protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act and other laws. For example, blind people can take a Seeing Eye dog in public places including restaurants.

As part of their program, the Seeing Eye offers numerous written materials, a cartoon/comic booklet told from a Seeing Eye dog's viewpoint, and a variety of videos to help people learn about Seeing Eye dogs.

You can find out more about the Seeing Eye by checking out their Web site at www.seeingeye.com .