Their soft eyes greet Charles Eisenmann, 87, from his room walls every morning. Their names -- Toro, London, Lance, Beau and Thorn -- have appeared in movies, television shows, newspaper articles and books.
They are portraits and paintings of Eisenmann's superstars, his pupils and his once-constant companions -- German shepherds.
"We wanted to make the whole room his past, which was his dogs," Eisenmann's younger daughter, Kathy Woods of Roseburg, said.
Eisenmann, a resident of Manor House Memory Care Community, spent half his lifetime "educating" German shepherds, a job he sharply distinguishes from animal training.
"Never compare the educated, well-behaved dog, with the straight obedience-trained animal," he wrote in one of his three books, "A Dog's Day in Court." "The difference is like that which exists between day and night."
His dogs could identify colors and responded easily to commands, such as turning off lights, fetching different objects and mastering stunts. Eisenmann, who grew up on a Wisconsin farm with full-blooded German parents, taught his lessons in English, German and French.
According to his books, Eisenmann never doubted the mental capacity of his animals.
"...(I) didn't see the face of a dumb dog," Eisenmann wrote in "Stop! Sit! and Think." "Instead, (I) saw ... an eager face, a challenging face, a face which dared the human being to help him get an education, dared him to evaluate him as an individual, and not to judge him upon what were commonly thought his characteristics and abilities."
They were the words of a visionary in many respects, who, through the talents of him and his dogs, would earn a Canadian-produced television series, "The Littlest Hobo," which featured five dogs in two seasons.
His dogs also had roles in seven feature movies and appeared in many late-night shows with Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, Steve Allen, NBC's "Today Show" and more.
In addition, they performed in thousands of road shows over 14 years and in various television specials.
"He's always been a goal-setter and wanted to be in the limelight," Woods said. "He's always wanted to be someone to accomplish something."
Despite growing dementia, Eisenmann still recalls much of the work of his life -- which also included years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and jobs as a sports editor and columnist, an athletic director at a mental institution, a nightclub owner and a pitcher for three professional baseball teams.
Woods, who works for the local VA Health Care System, said her father's condition has worsened over about two years, though he still maintains some independence, and has regained his spirit since moving into Manor House.
"I could tell he was a really neat guy," Manor House administrator Sarah Calvert said. "He cracked jokes the first day I saw him."
A lifelong bachelor, Eisenmann moved to Roseburg in the mid-1980s, about 10 years before he stopped his work with dogs. He kept one German shepherd, Aura, as a pet until he was hospitalized for his stroke.
"There were no gimmicks (with my work)," Eisenmann said. "My dogs had experiences that no dog ever got."
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