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Meet Samantha Ewashko
Samantha started working with dogs at the age of 8 years old -- she started her own "Sam's Sitting Service" and cared for the neighborhood dogs! From there, through her teenage years she accumulated hundreds of hours working with hundreds of dogs through dogsitting, dog walking, dog sledding, shadowing at the veterinary hospital, dog shows, and so much more.
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Sam was dog obsessed as a kid!
Dogsledding in Minnesota, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.
Sam at 16 with her family's first dog, Bella.
The Blossoming of Adventure Hounds
In her late teens, Sam experienced a mental health crises. Struggling with complex-PTSD, severe panic attacks, and undiagnosed neurodivergence, Sam entered an intensive phase of healing her nervous system.
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This healing journey took her into her B.A. in Psychology, a M.A. in Somatic Psychology, and pursuing a path as a Yoga Therapist. After graduation, she was working with active duty military and veterans struggling with PTSD themselves.
After a few years in the mental health field, Sam felt unfulfilled in her work. She loved the work itself, but it didn't bring her the boundless joy her years of working dogs had brought her. And she realized that despite her thinking she was pursuing a career in mental health...she actually had never stopped working with dogs! Adventure Hounds unofficially had begun as a joint effort with her best friend while still in school, it started as an adventure dog walking + dog sitting service.
In 2020, Sam got a lucrative offer from the U.S. Army to be one of the only Yoga Therapists serving the U.S. military. It was a dream offer! And yet she realized...if she accepted that offer, her time with dogs would truly come to an end. In her heart, she realized she couldn't accept the offer. She had to follow her joy.
And so...she decided to take Adventure Hounds full-time, and it has blossomed into the thriving community it is today! Sam builds on her background in human mental health + nervous system regulation as a foundation to the programs she offers. She continues to prioritize her own mental health and the mental health of her clients, and finds understanding her own nervous system has helped her understand her dogs' nervous systems too.
Sam, her husband, and two dogs.
Sam's dog, Hanalei (named after Hanalei Bay, Hawaii)
Sam's dog, Tena (named after Tena, Ecuador)