Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind Unveils Russ

Smithtown, NY – The Guide Dog Foundation unveiled Russ, the bronze life-sized statue of the guide dog of the late Wyoming State Senator John Ostlund, a gift from Ostlund’s widow Mary.

Rendered in exquisite detail down to the buckles on his harness and collar, Russ stands at the curb, head turned expectantly back, waiting for his handler’s command to go “Forward.”

A diagnosis of diabetes forced Ostlund to give up his planned career in the U.S. Navy, but he went on to run several successful businesses and serve two terms in the Wyoming state senate. When complications from his disease cost him his sight, the senator regained lost mobility and independence through the guide dogs he received from the Foundation.

In his home state, Ostlund was an ardent supporter of the Foundation and often spoke to elementary school students on blindness and how his guides had helped him. All the proceeds from his 1999 book, Quite a Life, were donated to the Foundation.

Russ was 12 when he died suddenly in 2004. After Russ died, Ostlund told his wife that Russ would be waiting to lead him home. Less than a month later, the senator passed away and was buried with the harness and ashes of his beloved guide.

Mrs. Ostlund commissioned local Cheyenne artist Guadalupe Barajas to recreate Russ because she admired his work and donated the statue to the Foundation. A twin of Russ will eventually be placed at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.

The Guide Dog Foundation is honored to accept this gift from the Ostlund family in honor and memory of the senator and his guide. The statue will be stand proudly at the entrance to the Foundation’s National Administration Center, a symbol of the enhanced mobility and independence a guide or service dog provides.