Few People Know America Established Its First Seeing Eye Dog School Right Here In Tennessee

Guide dogs have been an important part of the visually impaired community for quite some time, and the historical introduction of such an idea – dogs guiding humans – can be traced back to Europe. Some folks, however, don’t realize that the first guide dog school was established here in Tennessee. We have all the details below, and we have a feeling you’re going to be just as surprised as we were. What an incredible legacy!

Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Seeing Eye is the oldest guide dog school in the United States, founded in 1929, and it is currently based in Morristown, New Jersey. For most folks the buck stops there - where does Tennessee get involved? Simple. All the way back at the organization's beginnings...

The Seeing Eye - Facebook

Morris Frank, a 19-year-old blind man from Nashville, Tennessee read an article published in the wake of WWI outlining how guide dogs can help those visually impaired by wartime. Frank reached out to the writer of the article, Dorothy Eustis, and they began to research and create training modules for working guide dogs.

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The Seeing Eye - Facebook

Their six-week training method helped to form the foundation for The Seeing Eye, first established in Nashville, Tennessee on January 29, 1929. It was later moved to a permanent location in New Jersey.

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Frank and Eustis founded a school that has helped more than 16,000 partnerships between dogs and visually impaired people both in the United States and Canada. Fun fact? It was also the first guide dog school outside of Europe and remains the oldest in the world.

The Seeing Eye - Facebook

Here you can see one of the most famous photographs of Morris Frank. It depicts both him and Buddy, his Seeing Eye dog, crossing West Street in Manhattan during rush hour in 1928. The point? To prove how effective guide dogs really were at protecting their owners and allowing them to be independent.

Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Here you can see a statue that commemorates Morris Frank in Morristown, New Jersey. Do you think we need one in Tennessee...?

The Seeing Eye - Facebook

Did you know that The Seeing Eye had roots here in Tennessee? It's an incredible institution with a deep and lauded history, one that includes the great Volunteer State.

You can learn more about The Seeing Eye and its current offerings and training on its official website and social media pages.

Guess what? There’s A Dolly Parton Museum In Tennessee And It’s Full Of Fascinating Artifacts!