Seventy-five years ago, in one of the worlds most isolated cities, a young man by the name of Dr Arnold Cook pioneered Australia’s first Guide Dog training facility in Perth, Western Australia with the support of a small but dedicated group of supporters.
With limited funds, borrowed space in Shenton Park, discounted and disused tramcars, donated local puppies, generous volunteers and faith in their mission, they began building the first Guide Dog training centre in the southern hemisphere.
 Ours is not simply the story of one visionary.
It is the story of Enid, who walked beside Arnold from the beginning; of Betty Bridge, whose expertise shaped a new profession in Australia; of Wendy Morrow, our first kennel maid who nurtured our dogs in training; of Elsie Mead and Beau, Ann Green and Terry, the first of many handlers to trust these remarkable dogs with their safety and aspirations for their future.
Ours continues a story, only possible to be told, due to the committee members, the fundraisers, the puppy carers, the instructors, the donors and families, and the communities who continue to give their time, homes and hearts to this calling.
The earliest seeds of our journey begin with a young Arnold who boldly embarked on a path that would see him become a founder of the Guide Dog service in Australia leaving a legacy that continues to grow and evolve 75 years later.
Arnold Cook was born in 1922 and raised in Geraldton, Western Australia. Arnold was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at the age of 15 and by 18 his eyesight had deteriorated so rapidly that he was declared legally blind.
Defying expectations at the time, Arnold finished high school and went on to tertiary studies at the University of Western Australia, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) majoring in Economics before going on to win a prized Hackett scholarship to continue his postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics in 1948.
While in London, Arnold and his young wife Enid made contact with the British Guide Dogs for the Blind Association believing a Guide Dog could provide the mobility and independence Arnold needed.
The UK Association’s first female Guide Dog Trainer, Miss Betty Bridge, became aware of Arnold’s need and went on to match him with a black Labrador by the name of Dreena and their now legendary partnership was formed.
Some histories begin with institutions, dates and milestones. Ours begins with a person, a dog, and a belief that life could be lived more freely. Dr Arnold Cook refused to accept that losing his sight meant losing his place in the world. Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a teenager and legally blind by eighteen, Arnold met adversity with resolve.
In 1950, Arnold and Enid returned home to Perth, Western Australia with their baby daughter, Susan and Guide Dog Dreena. Arnold returned to work at the University of Western Australia as a lecturer in economics and he and Dreena became a ‘familiar and inseparable’ pair across campus and the streets of Perth.
As the very first Guide Dog in Australia, Dreena’s presence in Perth created enormous interest and headlines across Australia.
Arnold was determined to establish a Guide Dog school in Western Australia so that others could enjoy the benefits and independence that he had discovered through his partnership with Dreena.
Dreena’s trainer, Betty Bridge, was another key figure in the very earliest days of Guide Dogs WA. Betty was persuaded en route to  visit family in New Zealand to resign her position in the UK and to take up residence in Western Australia and ‘establish the first Guide Dog training centre in the southern hemisphere’.
Miss Bridge, as she was affectionately known, agreed to the proposal and set up the first Guide Dog training program in Australia right here in Perth in 1951 and went on to train twelve Guide Dogs in the first three years.
By 1957 the organisation had grown to have a national presence and was known as the Royal Guide Dog Association. Branches in other Australian states soon followed and were sending clients to Perth to be matched with Guide Dogs before breeding programs in other Australian states were later established.
Today the organisation is known as Guide Dogs WA. Serving a population of just over 3 million people and a land mass of over 2.6 million square kilometres, Guide Dogs WA continues Arnold Cook, Betty Bridge and their small team’s legacy to provide Guide Dog training services to the community of Western Australia.
In recent years, Guide Dogs WA has expanded its accredited training and breeding programs to also provide Assistance, Facility, Breeding and Companion Dogs.
In 2021, with the support of the WA Government, Guide Dogs WA launched a Cadet Training Program and the following year, it began breeding Guide and Assistance Dog puppies here in Western Australia, again with backing from the WA Government which continues today.
That specialist program has grown and expanded over the last five years to produce hundreds of highly trained dogs which have gone on to assume a variety of roles supporting countless numbers of Western Australians with low or no vision, disability or illness.
This year, in 2026, we are reflecting on the history and legacy of all of those who make up the community of Guide Dogs WA – the founders, the supporters, the volunteers, the trainers, the handlers and the staff past and present – and also looking forward to the next chapter in our journey.
