Nikolai Liakhoff
Nikolai Liakhoff, MBE (1897–1962)[1][2] was a Russian guide dog trainer. Born in Odessa, now in Ukraine, Liakhoff won a bravery award while serving as a Cossack guard in World War I.[1] He evacuated to Constantinople (now Istanbul) in late 1920, where he met his wife, the Russian princess Irena Ourousoff, whom he married in 1925.[1] He did several odd jobs in Europe before working with the organisation L’Oeil qui Voit, led by the American guide dog trainer Doris Eustis.[1][3] Her guide dog school collapsed due to the Great Depression, so Liakhoff was given the choice of working in the US or the UK; he reportedly chose the UK because it had a monarchy.[1]
In 1933, Liakhoff went to the UK to be the trainer for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, which was founded in 1934.[2] Involved from the earliest stages of the charity’s life, Liakhoff and his program was instrumental in the successful development of guide dog training in the UK.[3] Liakhoff was awarded an MBE in 1953.[1]
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