The Seeing Eye

Hello! We are The Seeing Eye. Our organization has a very special purpose: we raise and train guide dogs to be partners for people who are blind or have low vision. We were started a long time ago, on January 29th, 1929. We are proud to be the oldest guide dog school in the United States, and we have been helping people ever since.

Our story began with an American woman named Dorothy Harrison Eustis. She was in Europe when she saw dogs being trained to help people. She wrote an article about it, and a young man who was blind, named Morris Frank, read her words. He wrote to Dorothy and asked if she would train a dog for him. She agreed and trained a German shepherd named Buddy. Together, Morris and Buddy became our very first team. They came back to America and showed everyone how a smart, well-trained dog could help a person navigate the world safely.

Training our dogs is a very important job. We choose special kinds of dogs that are known for being smart and helpful, like German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, and Golden retrievers. When they are puppies, they don’t start their training with us right away. First, they live with wonderful volunteer families who teach them good manners. When they are old enough, they come to our school in New Jersey. Here, our expert trainers teach them everything they need to know. They learn how to guide a person around obstacles, how to stop at curbs before crossing a street, and even how to disobey a command if following it would be dangerous for their human partner.

Today, we continue our important work of matching our amazing dogs with people who need them. When a person is ready for a guide dog, they come to our school and stay for a few weeks. During this time, they learn how to work with their new dog partner. We teach them how to walk together as a team, how to give commands, and how to take care of their new friend. Our goal is to help people who are blind live with more freedom and independence, with a loyal and trusted guide by their side.