9781422273005

BUDDY, THE FIRST AMERICAN SERVICE DOG

After nineteen-year-old Morris Frank’s father read him Dorothy Eustis’s 1927 article, he wrote a letter to Eustis asking her to train a dog that could assist him. Eustis invited him to Switzerland and allowed him to work with two dogs she was training at the time. A female German shepherd named Kiss worked the best with Frank, although he quickly renamed the dog Buddy. In 1928, he returned to the United States with Buddy, who is considered to be the first known American Seeing Eye dog. After returning home, Frank undertook a successful campaign to introduce Seeing Eye dogs to guide the blind in the United States. Buddy assisted Frank by guiding him through crowds, helping him cross streets, and obeying his commands, unless the command would lead to Frank’s direct harm. Buddy would even stop walking if a low-hanging branch was in Frank’s way. People across the country were amazed at the tasks Buddy could perform. Frank traveled the country to show the nation what Seeing Eye dogs could do. Buddy and Frank were even received at the White House and met American Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. When crowds would applaud Buddy, she would bark excitedly to thank them. Buddy passed away in 1938. She was considered a national hero. Because of the hard work that Buddy and Frank did across America, Eustis was able to establish a Seeing Eye dog training facility in New Jersey. As of 2010, this training center had educated 15,000 guide dogs for the blind.

Service Dogs

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