Pets Helping People

Pets Helping People

Our Mission

Pets Helping People provides training for women with criminal backgrounds and prepares them for careers in the pet care industry.

About the Organization

Pets Helping People (PHP) works with female felons who are either in transition from prison or are in drug court and avoiding prison. We provide training to prepare them for a career in the pet grooming industry.


The Pets Helping People Program provides a path for re-entry into society for anyone desiring to work hard and to be self-sustaining. The growing dog grooming industry offers a solid career path for individuals with felonies and criminal backgrounds. Each class rotation consists of 4-6 trainees working and studying for 40 hours per week for four months. Instruction may be modified by extending the training period to accommodate persons training part-time.


Pets Helping People (PHP) is a 501(c)(3) charitable entity, Federal ID #80-0407977.


Our staff in the office featuring two women.

338

Trainees Enrolled

400

Rescue Dogs Cared for Annually

6,727

Hours Volunteered in 2022

95%

Graduate Job Placement

Muddy Paws Dog Grooming

Pets Helping People owns and operates Muddy Paws Dog Grooming as its training facility. Program participants with a criminal past are trained and equipped to work as bathers/ brushers, kennel technicians or groomers upon graduation.

The training provided to each trainee has been valued at up to $10,700 and is available at no charge to participants once they are accepted into the program. Upon completion of the program, graduates are prepared for employment, earning $9 to $25 per hour. To date, Pets Helping People has successfully placed all program graduates in employment with area grooming shops at no cost to the graduates.

About the Program

As of January 2023

Pets Helping People started in September 2009 as a not-for-profit organization and opened Muddy Paws as the training facility in February 2010.

Since 2010, PHP has enrolled 338 trainees. 303 trainees have graduated; 35 have failed to complete.

PHP has a 1% recidivism rate — well below the 14.4% state average for female offenders.

PHP successfully places 95% of graduates in jobs in the pet industry and provides a well-trained new employee pool for 83 grooming shops in 41 cities across the state of Oklahoma. 33 graduates own their own shops.

After six months experience, Northeast Oklahoma grooming retailers employ PHP graduates as:

  1. Groomer: $15 – $25/hr
  2. Bather/Brusher: $10 – $18/hr
  3. Kennel Tech: $10 – $13/hr

In 2022, trainees groomed and cared for over 400 rescued dogs as part of PHP instruction. Since 2011, PHP trainees have prepared 13,900 dogs for adoption after being rescued by Tulsa area rescue organizations.

The Tulsa community solidly endorses PHP each year. In 2022, volunteers donated over 6,727 hours to Pets Helping People and Muddy Paws.

PHP covers 100% of training costs, estimated at $10,700, including instruction, training materials, equipment, transportation and uniforms, for each trainee through private donations, grant funds, our annual fundraiser and pet care services from Muddy Paws.

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