By Robyn Quinn
Dorothy Harrison Eustis was a remarkable woman. In 1929, just months before the United States was devastated by the stock market crash, Dorothy helped establish the first guide dog training school in the United States, known today as The Seeing Eye Inc.
“Dorothy was the glue that pulled it together and moved it forward,” said Miriam Ascarelli, author of the biography Independent Vision: Dorothy Harrison Eustis and the Story of the Seeing Eye.
Miriam spoke at the Morristown & Township Library on Oct. 12, to commemorate Blindness Awareness Month. She was joined by attorney Charles Pat McKenna, an outreach specialist for The Seeing Eye. Assistant Library Director Chad Leinaweaver hosted the event.
By 1940, the idea of a guide dog was an accepted concept in our society. For her efforts, Dorothy recently was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
“Everyone has a Seeing Eye story, especially in New Jersey,” said Miriam, who shared several about Dorothy.
Dorothy was the daughter of Charles and Ellen Harrison of Philadelphia. Charles owned a sugar refinery, eventually selling it for $10 million. He set up an $11 million trust for his six children, and became Provost of the University of Pennsylvania.
The Ivy league school enjoyed huge growth during Charles’ tenure. Dorothy gained a great business education by watching her father.
Dorothy married twice, and had two children. Her first husband died in 1915. Her second husband was 13 years her junior and the marriage ended in a divorce.
During a trip to Europe with her first husband, Walter, she acquired her first German shepherd, Hans.
Dorothy and her second husband, George, moved to Switzerland to breed German shepherds. The Saturday Evening Post asked Dorothy to write an article for the magazine. She decided to write about a school in Germany that trained dogs to help blind veterans.
There was a huge response to the article. One letter she received was from Morris Frank of Nashville, TN. In his letter, Morris promised Dorothy that if she would teach him to use a guide dog he would teach others here in the U.S. In 1929 the first Seeing Eye school was opened in Nashville. The school moved to Whippany in 1931 and settled in Morris Township in 1966.
Dorothy remained active in The Seeing Eye Inc. until 1940. Six years later, at age 60, she died in her home in New York City.
Although Dorothy was partial to German shepherds, several other breeds have become popular at The Seeing Eye.
Charles Pat McKenna, who is blind, travels throughout the U.S. with his 5-year-old yellow Lab cross, Garcia, to recruit students for the Seeing Eye Organization.
Pat was accompanied at the library presentation by Katherine Waltersand her canine partner, Aagu, a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever.
Pat and Katherine are graduates of the Seeing Eye School and they shared what it takes for a dog to graduate from the program started by Dorothy Harrison Eustis and Morris Frank.
A Seeing Eye dog uses a metal frame harness to navigate its human partner wherever he or she needs to go.
While the harness is on, the dog is working. When out of the harness, it’s just like any other dog. Dogs need time to be off duty, and enjoy being a dog, so they are only in the harness when it is needed.
As puppies, they are given to foster families for training to socialize them. The dogs learn obedient behavior and to become members of a household.
At 18 months, they begin formal training with a school instructor. Once a dog is trained, it is time to train the human. The dogs are paired up with their human partner based upon the personality of both. They begin an intense course. Classes begin at 5:30 a.m. and are 7 days a week for four weeks. All students must stay on the campus to ensure that nothing interferes with the training.
There are other guide dog training schools in the US, but ‘Seeing Eye” dogs only come from Morris Township. The Seeing Eye mission is “to enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people through the use of Seeing Eye® dogs.”
READ MORE ABOUT THE SEEING EYE
Upcoming events at the library:
Thursday, Oct. 20at 7 p.m.:
Modern Soldiers: Reflections on Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti
Featuring Capt. Danielle Burro and veteran Michael Miranda
Tuesday, Oct. 25at 7 p.m.
My Summer Behind Bars
Featuring: Bicyclist and lecturer Bill Ruddick
