Shelter to Service—Saving Both Ends of the Leash
Joybound People & Pets' Engelstad Hall is home to Joybound's Shelter to Service Program, which provides trained and highly skilled psychiatric service animals to community members facing mental health issues.
On Saturday, September 14, in recognition of Service Dog Awareness Month, Joybound People & Pets held an open house at its Engelstad Hall, a 7,893-SF, free-standing facility on the Joybound campus and headquarters for its flagship Shelter to Service Program (formerly Pets and Vets). The public was invited to tour the purpose-built facility and learn about Joybound’s Shelter to Service Program, Service Dog Foster Program, and other initiatives that have elevated this acclaimed animal rescue and welfare organization to national prominence.
Greeting visitors at the Joybound Shelter to Service Open House were (l-r) Karima Aitali, Shelter to Service specialist, who rescues and assesses animals for the program and works with program fosters; Sam Stiede, participant services manager (aka Shelter to Service social worker); and Teagan Kennel, Shelter to Service dog trainer.
Launched in 2011 as a service providing free adoptions and placement of emotional support animals for U.S. veterans, Joybound’s Shelter to Service Program has grown in depth and breadth, now transforming specially chosen Joybound rescue dogs into trained and skilled psychiatric service animals for anyone with diagnosed mental health issues and under medical care. Among others, military veterans, first responders, victims of domestic abuse and violent crimes, and young adults struggling with mental health are served by Joybound’s program and benefit from the unconditional love, connection, and skilled training a psychiatric service dog provides. Shelter to Service operates at no cost to the person (handler) receiving the psychiatric service animal.
Joybound shelter dogs chosen for Shelter to Service go through six months of intensive training: three months with service dog fosters learning foundational skills, and three months with the people with whom they have been matched. Until graduation, handlers act as fosters, training their dogs for specific, personalized alerting and response tasks, under the guidance of professional dog trainers. Six months of training culminates in a celebratory graduation ceremony when handlers officially adopt their dogs, with whom they have developed a deep, life-saving bond. Since its founding, Joybound has graduated more than 70 psychiatric service dogs and their people.
Engelstad Hall is a safe space for handler-dog teams, with a spacious training room; conference rooms that can be rearranged as group and individual training rooms; a simulated home training room that can be configured as a bedroom, kitchen, or living room where dogs are trained to provide specific services for their handlers; and outdoor exercise areas.
The simulated home training room can be configured as a bedroom, kitchen, or living room where dogs are trained to provide specific life-saving tasks and services for their handlers.
Shelter to Service Program Director Amanda Conlon is a certified dog trainer and animal welfare expert who has been with Joybound for more than 15 years. She and her facility dog, Mochi, were on hand at the open house giving tours, answering questions, and promoting the service dog foster program.
“Our main focus is to provide working animals for mental health,” said Amanda. “We are in a mental health crisis and we know the power animals have on people to help them cope and heal. This is why we’ve expanded our program, to reach out to all community members who are struggling with mental health issues, while saving and enriching the lives of rescue animals at the same time.”
Joybound’s Service Dog Foster Program invites volunteers to play an instrumental role in preparing shelter dogs for their future roles as psychiatric service dogs by fostering through their foundational skills training. This approach allows Joybound to match dogs and people in need more quickly, bypassing an often years-long waitlist for pre-trained service dogs. And fostering gives dog lovers a chance to enjoy the love, joy, and companionship of a dog without the long-term commitment of adoption.
Shelter to Service Program Director Amanda Conlon (r) with her facility dog, Mochi, talks with visitors about Joybound's Shelter to Service program.
“When a dog is matched with its person, the dog comes to the person already a highly trained, well-behaved, and attentive animal, so now we’re training the dog to take the next step—working with the handler to determine what the dog’s job will be,” said Amanda. “As a psychiatric service animal, that dog will be trained to alert only to that handler for that person’s specific needs and mental health issues.”
“For instance, dogs can be trained to alert to the person’s elevated heart rate or increased anxiety,” said Teagan Kennel, one of Shelter to Service’s four dog trainers. “The dog goes to the person and says, ‘Hey, come breathe with me.’ The co-regulating is an amazing part of the work of a psychiatric service dog. Or, the dog may come over and sit on the person’s chest, calming and easing, like a weighted blanket, but with the connecting powers of a heartbeat. Even just having the dog by their side to pet and interact with lowers stress. Dogs can be trained to make space around their person in a crowd, and even to help them find misplaced items. These are remarkable animals.”
Shelter to Service dog trainer Ellie Alexander (Joybound shirt) and 'good boy' service dog Rodney greet visitors at the Shelter to Service open house, [Photo courtesy Sue Andrews, Joybound]
Zachary and his long-time service dog Chewbacca (Chewie) traveled from Benicia to learn more about Joybound's program and offerings for military Veterans, including free veterinary services and reduced dog-grooming services for the very fluffy Chewie.
The rewards of the Joybound Shelter to Service Program are deep and wide.
“These animals need homes,” said Karima Aitali, Shelter to Service specialist, who rescues and assesses animals for the program, and works with program fosters. “And there are people in our community in need of supportive services, and that comes in many forms, including in the form of a loving, non-judgmental, and highly trained psychiatric service dog to help them with their mental health issues and to help them enjoy their lives. This most definitely is a win/win.”
At the September 3, 2024, Walnut Creek City Council meeting, the City recognized September as Service Dog Awareness Month. Members of Joybound and Early Alert Canines were on hand to speak and receive the Proclamation. (l-r) Eric Waggoner, Early Alert Canines; Walnut Creek Mayor Loella Haskew; Alysia Santos, Early Alert Canines; Scarlet; Alex Abrahamson, Joybound; Anna Ghosh, Joybound; Councilmember Matt Francois, Councilmember Kevin Wilk; Councilmember Cindy Silva; (remote) Councilmember Cindy Darling.
“There’s no question that the human-animal bond is a powerful, unbreakable life-line, especially when people are dealing with intense, personal issues,” said Sam Stiede, Joybound’s Shelter to Service social worker. “There are people who can support you, but there’s nothing like having an animal at your side to help bridge that gap—providing that something people might not be getting from other people or programs, drastically enhancing their independence and security. That animal can mean the difference between coping and thriving.”
Visit Joybound Shelter to Service for more information about the program and to inquire about becoming a Shelter to Service volunteer foster. Check out the video of the City of Walnut Creek’s Service Dog Awareness Month Proclamation.
