Elizabethtown College student Samantha Machmer ’25 is fulfilling her dream of raising a service dog a little earlier than expected and is training Susquehanna Service Dog (SSD) Farmer, or Farmer for short, as the start of a puppy-raising program that the Occupational Therapy major is piloting on campus this fall.
“I’ve always been passionate about making the world a more accessible place for everyone, and service dogs are a great way to do that for those in need,” Machmer said. “Helping with that process has been really rewarding.”
Machmer has spent the last 10 months, working with Etown Director of Residence Life Tara Hoover and Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Anya Goldina to develop a pilot program for campus puppy raising at Etown through Susquehanna Service Dogs, a non-profit organization based in Grantville, Pa. that utilizes volunteers to raise and train service dogs to support individuals with disabilities.
“This program offers many benefits to Etown students, as well as to the local community,” Goldina explained. “For the students, it’s an opportunity to learn to work with animals, which involves developing patience and discipline. Training service dogs also means that individuals who need these animals will have greater access to them.”
While training a service dog, puppy raisers teach the canines basic manners and foundational skills and give them exposure to new experiences.
“Etown’s Educate for Service motto led me to believe that starting this program was more than possible,” Machmer said. “This is essentially a 24/7, 18-month long service project that will eventually lead to a life-changing partnership for someone.”
Farmer will live with Machmer in Schlosser Residence Hall and spend time around campus to become more comfortable working and behaving in public.
“Farmer is a black Labrador retriever with a big brain and spunky personality,” Machmer said. “He wants to say hi to everyone he sees, so he’s working very hard to learn to stay focused while he is working. He is incredibly friendly and always excited to see you, and is the best snuggle buddy.
The puppy-raising program lasts 18 months, during which Farmer will work with Machmer to find his forever career path.
Susquehanna Service Dogs already operates dog-raising programs at several colleges across the state, and when Machmer heard of it, she began working to create one for Etown, coordinating with Residence Life staff, College administration, and professors.
She is the only Etown student working with a service dog this semester but hopes to expand the program to include three to four puppies at a time.
Farmer accompanies Samantha all over campus and is a favorite among Etown students
“I’d love to see a few puppies being raised around campus with a larger group of students participating in a club who can act as support,” Machmer said. “The whole group could spread the word about Susquehanna Service Dog’s programs and the role of service dogs further.”
Etown also partners with Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services (KPETS) to provide on-campus opportunities for students to interact with therapy dogs. The most notable of which includes Etown’s beloved Truman the Therapy Doodle, who has been a mainstay on campus and has been greeting prospective students at admissions events since he was eight weeks old.
“Farmer loves playing with other dogs, and I think seeing a very well-behaved working dog like Truman will be a great example for him,” Machmer said.
Machmer’s career path as a future OT professional served as an inspiration for this initiative.
Farmer plans to attend classes with Machmer, including OT courses where Marchmer hopes to use the program to expose OT students to a new intervention method.
“Occupational Therapy is all about thinking outside of the box to improve people’s everyday lives,” Machmer said. “This program will give OT students a unique opportunity to explore the behind-the-scenes of a treatment method they may never have experienced without the program.”
In addition to creating the service dog program, Machmer is a Stamps Scholar, Resident Assistant, and an Emergent Scholar.
