Grooming A Gateway To Helping Dogs and Humans At An East Bay Shelter

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Pet grooming might bring to mind posh little lap dogs, but the business is big. Mobile vans traverse Bay Area roads, bringing personalized services to canines and any number of other species.

The potential is not lost on organizations whose mission is to match pet with person.

To help make the match successful, Joybound, a Walnut Creek-based animal shelter, launched a dog grooming academy that combines the need for dog care with the demand for marketable skills by creating a vocational training program.

The ASPCA recommends bathing your dog at least once every three months and more frequently for outdoor dogs or those with skin problems.

The dogs that come to the Engelstad Grooming Academy at Joybound may not have seen a bath in many months, if at all. Many have been lost, abandoned, abused, or neglected. Sometimes owners don't have enough money, time, or mobility.

Grooming also gets the dogs used to handling.

Aspiring professionals learn "fear free" practices that don't create additional trauma.
A good wash and cut, along with thoughtful handling, make adoption more likely and successful.

"They're more adoptable when they're feeling and looking their best," spokeswoman Chelsea Blackburn said.

The students have experienced their own challenges before joining the workforce program, which partners with workforce agencies and local employers.

Two participants began the program while unsheltered, and another three were living in temporary housing that supports addiction recovery.

The Grooming Academy gives them hands-on training and industry-recognized certifications, as well as support finding full-time jobs and stable, independent housing.

So far, Grooming Academy has graduated 30 students. Most (21) found full-time jobs in the grooming industry, according to Blackburn.

The academy currently has four students and one intern.

The next step is to hire an additional instructor to keep the teacher-to-student ratio low (six students per grooming instructor).

The program lessens Joybound's load, which took in and adopted out about 2,000 dogs and cats in 2024.

"We were having to do a ton of bathing," Blackburn said. "The focus is on the pets, but none of this work can be done without the people."

The salon is open to non-shelter dogs, weekdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Appointments can be made online.