Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-01
TEACHER OF DOGS
WORKS FOR BLIND
CANNES Not Trained, but
Educted, Declares Leader
of Movement.
BY GRETCHEN SMITH.

Guide dogs for the blind are edu-
Gated and not trained" declares Mrs.
Dorothy Harrison Eustis, president of
the Seeing Eye, Inc.," training school
for dogs for the blind at Nashville,
Tenn, and of "L'Oeil Qui Volt" train
ing school at Mont-Pelerin, Switzer.
/ land
Mrs. Eustis, who has arrived in
Washington to be the guest of Mrs.
James Parker, 2100 Sixteenth street,
Will deliver a number of lectures
throughout leading Eastern cities and
California on the subject of the work
which is done at the only training
school for dogs for the blind in the
United States at Nashville, 1.-The Seeing
Eye, Inc" a non-profit organization
working for the purpose of providing
dogs for the blind at cost.
The story of growth and develop
| ment Of this work, which has opened
a new world of possibilities to the blind
and made possible for them an un-
dreamed-of freedom, cannot help but
arouse the interest and sympathy of
all whose hearts have been touched by
the sight of blind man cropping with
cane.
Begins Dog Education.
Mrs. Eustis became convinced a few
years ago that dogs could be educated
to a degree of untold value to the
human race. With this idea, she started
breeding and training station In
Switzerland with the purpose of de-
veloping the highest possible degree Of
intelligence among her dogs. To check
| up on their intelligence, it was neces-
sary to find work for them to do. Hav-
ing seen the work accomplished in Ger
many along these lines, Mrs. Eustis de-
| c1ded to train her dogs as guides for
the blind
In Germany shepherd dogs have been
used by police, the Red Cross, as rail-
road yard guards and as leaders for
the blind for many years. The gov
eminent has established five training
schools for guide dogs for the blind,
and every war-blinded man capable Of
handling a dog has one provided by the
government, with an allowance sufficient
for the dogs support.
Mrs. EustiS visited Germany before
establishing her own place in Switzer-
land. She commenced with two dogs,
grating American show stock with
German working stock The result was
breed of superior intelligence and
efficiency. Mrs. EustiS at her school in
| Switzerland now has approximately ITO
dogs in training.
Man Interested in u. S.
1t was through reading of her school
| and the great possibilities opened to
the blind that about two years ago
Morris S. Frank, blind boy of Nash
| vile, became interested in the idea. He
communicated with Mrs. Eustis. The
result was a visit to her place near
| Luzanne, where Mr.. Frank took the
three-week training course with dog
obtained from Mrs. EustiS. He re-
| turned home and, with the assistance
of Mrs. Eustis, has organized school
| in Nashville, which he has called the
| Seeing Eye. Here he has been train
ing, or educating, dogs for the blind
| at cost.
The school is only able to start on
Of instructors. This is the great dif1i-
| Guilty. There are very few good in
structors even in Germany, as the man
must not only understand dog psychol-
ogy, but that Of the blind.
| Describing the process, Mrs. Eust1S
said, Il never speak Of training my
dogs. but Of educating them. In train
ing pointer or a retriever, you are but
training a dogs natural instincts. But
when it comes to placing the life Of a
| blind man In the power of q dog, that
animal must not have instinct but in
telligence. And intelligence Is educated.
A dog guide must think-he must draw
conclusions for himself. For instance,
If he has been taught to go forward at
his masters command and he sees
danger through an approaching vehicle,
he must not go forward, but must hold
back his blind charge. And that is
what our dogs do. They are educated
so that a blind man may be guided
through the greatest trafflc without
danger"
Age Is Consideration.
Asked whether the education of her
dogs is started when they are puppies,
Mrs. Eustis replied, mo, we do not start
their education when they are puppies
any more than you would start mans
education when he is a baby. We
usually start teaching them when they
are about II months or years old"
Mrs. Eustis was particularly anxious
to stress the fact that the Seeing Eye
inc. is DESTROYS in assisting all In the
United States who are sufficiently In
terested in dog guides for the blind to
organize in their own communities
classes of at least six blind persons. To
all such places the Seeing Eye will
send from its place in Morristown, N. j..
dogs and inaN motors.
THE distances In America are *
great" said Mrs. Eustis. that it Wouls