There are a few new students wandering around the campus at Elizabethtown College, and they are much younger than their classmates - and quite a bit furrier. Just one year after it was officially created, "Dogs in the Dell," a program designed to allow residential students to raise service dogs on the campus, has expanded to include three student puppy raisers.

Founder Samantha Machmer, a senior occupational therapy student, said she got the idea for Dogs in the Dell after learning about a similar program from a friend.

"I had a friend who raised a puppy at Penn State's Roar for More program, which is one of Susquehanna Service Dogs' campus programs," Machmer recalled. "I loved what they were doing as a raising team and thought it was a great service opportunity that would fit perfectly on Etown's campus."

Machmer  developed the program in 2023 during her junior year by working with Etown's Residence Life staff and Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), a nonprofit organization based in Grantville that uses volunteers to raise and train service dogs for people with disabilities. The program allows Etown students to have a puppy with them in their residence hall and around campus, teaching the dog basic behavior and skills over two years. After the dog graduates, it moves on to advanced training and then to its forever home and life of service.

The service dogs are matched into careers that best suit their skills and interests. This can include mobility assistance, autism support, psychiatric service, seizure response or hearing support. Dogs also can become facility dogs, detection dogs, in-home service dogs or skilled companions.

"I never could have imagined how much this program would grow in such a short amount of time," Machmer said. "Etown's motto is 'Educate for Service,' so I expected some service-oriented people to be interested in the program. And, of course, who can resist those cute little puppy faces? But when nearly 50 students came to our first official meeting, I was speechless. We have over a dozen students who are completing their requirements to become official volunteers with SSD, and nearly that many students are also interested in raising a puppy."

Machmer, who is raising a black Labrador retriever named Farmer, brings the pup to class with her at least once or twice a week, and if he's not with her, classmates always inquire about his absence, she said. "Students are really great about the dogs on campus," she stated. "They are always excited to see them, but students are very respectful about letting the dogs concentrate when they are 'working' in public."

Service dogs have to be trained in as many situations as possible, which makes college campuses such as Etown a perfect fit.

"Our campus offers a huge range of unique situations, from living in residence halls with lots of neighbors to classrooms with desks for dogs to practice settling under, to dining halls with delicious smells for the dogs to learn to ignore," Machmer said. "Dogs raised on college campuses see so many different people in a day that they would not see living in a typical residential situation, and this teaches them neutrality and calm behavior in big crowds, a vital skill for service dogs to have."

Since Machmer brought Farmer to the college, two more students have been matched with dogs in training.

Psychology and criminal justice major Leandra McMahon and social work major Kaitlyn Wickenheiser have joined Machmer in the program and are now raising SSD Cannoli and SSD Naiomi, respectively, on campus.

Although Machmer is a senior, she hopes to support student raisers at Etown after her time at the college comes to an end.

"After graduation, I hope to be able to continue to incorporate my passion for raising service dogs into my professional life as an occupational therapist," Machmer said. "I'm sure I will end up raising another pup-in-training sooner rather than later!"

She hopes that her experience will inspire others to consider stepping up with SSD no matter where they live or work.

"SSD is always looking for volunteers, from college students to retirees," she said. "We could not do what we do on a college campus without a village behind us, and we are so grateful to the huge community of volunteers that we have become a part of through this program."

For more information on Susquehanna Service Dogs, visit http://www.khs.org/what-we-do/assistance-dogs.