This vet’s a vet

Dr. Samantha Warner has put her respect for working dogs and the veterinary training she received through Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to work around the world, across nearly every continent. 

While serving as a U.S. Army veterinarian, she treated injuries to working dogs that searched for explosive devices and drugs, provided clinical care for the pets of her fellow service members, conducted water and food inspections aimed at helping safeguard military personnel training in remote locations — and so much more.

Recently retired from the military, Warner continues to practice veterinary medicine at a dogs-only clinic in Georgia.

Love of pets to passion for working dogs

The daughter and granddaughter of military veterans, Warner came to Auburn in 2013 to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and earned an Army scholarship during her first year.

She knew she wanted to care for working dogs, so she worked with then-Associate Dean Dan Givens to get permission to foster puppies that would go on to be service dogs and to make such opportunities available to other interested veterinary students. 

As an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, she’d raised puppies that would go on to serve as guide dogs for the blind and found it rewarding.

“It was a cool way to combine community service with getting to play with a puppy,” Warner explained. “You get them when they are around 8 weeks old, and you take them out in public with you, and that way they get exposure to all the things they’re going to see when they’re working.”

At Auburn, Warner also took advantage of the opportunity to volunteer with the CVM’s Canine Performance Sciences program, which conducts research related to canine detection and breeds advanced detection dogs.

“That was a great introduction into how veterinary medicine and working dog medicine could work side by side,” she said.

That introduction, plus veterinary internships at military bases in Hawaii and Texas, served Warner well when it came time to transition to active-duty service after her graduation in 2017.

Her Auburn education at work

As an Army officer, Warner spent six years stationed overseas, first in Lakenheath, England, and then in Guam. She provided veterinary care for the pets of service members, as well as for dogs working in the military and other branches of the federal government.

“With the working dogs, we’re there for preventative care but also any sort of injuries,” she explained. “Working dogs get injured a lot because they’re extremely high-intensity dogs, and they want to do their job. Even if there’s something in their way, they will just run through it.”

Warner also trained the dogs’ handlers how to care for them in case they were injured and didn’t have ready access to veterinary care.

Beyond animal care, Warner also had important public health responsibilities. She frequently conducted inspections to ensure the safety and security of food and water at bases and in remote training locations.

“This entails looking at manufacturing processes and cooking practices,” Warner explained. “It may sound boring, but it’s interesting travel, getting to meet people and getting to go out to places you wouldn’t go to on vacation. Seeing different cultures and realizing how universal some things are was eye-opening.”

New professional directions

Repeated orthopedic injuries ended Warner’s Army career last summer. She returned to Georgia to be near extended family in Marietta, then bought a small farm in the suburbs and enrolled in a certified companion animal rehabilitation therapy program at North Carolina State University to gain expertise in sport dog medicine.

In the fall, she began working with all types of dogs as a veterinarian at the Good Dog Veterinary Clinic in western Cobb County. In that job, she finds herself reaching out to fellow Auburn graduates and faculty members for their expertise nearly every day.

“In the military, there’s a sense of community — everyone’s willing to help,” she said. “And the Auburn Vet Med community is definitely right up there with it.”

Settling down — at least for now

When it comes to what’s next for Warner, only time will tell. She’s hoping to get back to horseback riding and fostering dogs.

“For now, I’m definitely content, but long-term, I’m not sure,” Warner said. “I’m in this phase of, ‘I have a horse in my front yard, and I’ve got four goats and some chickens.’ So, I’m definitely settled down — at least for a while.” 

Wherever Warner’s path may lead, it’s a good bet that dogs and their people will be part of her life and work.

“Dogs are one of the rare creatures that have very much evolved with us and really want to do the right thing and work with you as a team,” she said. “And I so love being able to facilitate those teams, whether it’s your dog that keeps you company at home or it’s a working dog that’s saving people in avalanches or from explosive devices.”