Walk to Support Susquehanna Service Dogs

SSD Ellie is working hard on her loose leash walking. She’ll need it in just under three months when she walks in the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community on May 16 at Harrisburg Area Community College.

Susquehanna Service Dogs is one of 46 organizations participating in the Highmark Walk. Last year, 178 people joined us for the walk and helped raise $22,994!

This year, our goal is $30,000. One hundred percent of the money raised will go directly to SSD because Highmark Blue Shield generously underwrites the cost of the walk. That means that every dollar you donate and raise will help train dogs like little Ellie to become working service dogs, like SSD Aussie, SSD Dingo, SSD Newman, and SSD Vicki who are learning to work with their new partners right now.

These service dogs are changing lives and you can help by joining the Highmark Walk.

As a thank you, we’re giving the first 100 people to sign up a coupon to Perkins, donated by Perkins Restaurant and Bakery.

How can you participate? 

• Sign up for the walk, raise money, and walk on May 16.
• Be a virtual walker. This is a great way to participate, even if you can’t make it on May 16!
• Make a donation.

We hope you’ll join Ellie and the rest of us for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community!

The Shakespearean Puppies Visit Highmark Blue Shield

 

The Shakespearean puppies had their first official outing today. They visited Highmark Blue Shield for their United Way campaign kick-off event. Thank you to Highmark and the United Way for inviting us to be one of your featured organizations at the event!

Hamlet, Brutus, Falstaff, Queen Mab, Cleopatra, Portia, and of course, Bill Shakespeare had a blast at the Highmark building. Several of our puppy raisers and puppy sitters work there, so first the puppies got to meet many of our puppy raisers’ and sitters’ coworkers. The pups took over a conference room and played until most of them fell asleep.

Then it was on to the main event! Our volunteers and some of the wonderful employees at Highmark carried the sleepy puppies down to the cafeteria, where the United Way kick-off event was being held. There, the puppies were passed from one set of arms to the next as they greeted and snuggled with Highmark employees. One employee said that getting to pet and hold the puppies was like waking up on Christmas morning! The pups certainly put smiles on everyone’s faces. 

SSD Bill asleep in someone's arms

The puppies benefited from all the attention, as well. Meeting so many new people is an important part of the puppies’ training. They need to learn that all different types of people are friendly. Every single person who interacted with the puppies today was helping them on their journey to becoming service dogs.

SSD Queen Mab and SSD Portia

 Thank you to everyone who has or will donate to the United Way in support of SSD! The United Way is a wonderful organization that raises money for the needs of the community, and SSD is a part of the United Way of the Capital Region. Many company and groups, like Highmark Blue Shield, hold large campaigns to raise money. If you would like to join Highmark in supporting the United Way and SSD, you can make an online donation. If you choose to support SSD, please remember that you need to designate your donation to SSD using this code: 7024DOGS.

The puppies and their future partners thank you!

SSD Brutus