09/02/2026
It's WHRC Wednesday! In honor of National Service Dog Month, here's a look at a pioneering clubwoman from California: Blanche Eddy.
Blanche Guggenheimer Eddy (1887-1964) of California is thought to have been the first American women to partner with a guide dog. She received training at Nashville’s “The Seeing Eye” school in 1929, and with her dog, Bada (or Beta), she helped pioneer the use of guide dogs for the blind in the western United States. She was also President of the East Bay Club of Blind Women, organized in late 1929, whose officers (with the exception of the Recording Secretary) were all sight impaired. The club was a Federated member of the Alameda County Federation of Women’s Clubs, and was active through the late 1930s.
In the more modern era, GFWC has worked for decades with our affiliate organization Canine Companions to support their important work. This September, our members can help them out by requesting your city, county, or state make a proclamation in honor of National Service Dog Month; they are aiming for 250 such proclamations, in honor of the U.S. 250th celebrations. We'll put that link in the comments!
📷Black and white photo of Blanche Eddy and Beta at work, from the “San Francisco Examiner,” February 12, 1933, along with the headline from the December 1929 “General Federation News” story: “Club For Blind Women Officered By Blind Women”
