On Friday, March 28, “Bo” Berry Biscuit, counselor Whitney Singleton’s beloved pup, strutted into his usual grooming place: Lori Givney’s class. After taking a quick potty break, Bo was ready for seniors Ari Rowell and Keeyanah Foote to give him the ultimate fur treatment.

Rowell and Foote began with a heavy trim, removing excess fur. After removing a majority of it, they continued with trimming more intricately on areas like his paws, ears, and tail.

Succeeding the trim, they bathed and dried Bo, who sat patiently. Bo enjoys spending time with his happy hairstylists.
While the job may seem time-consuming and difficult, it’s just another Friday for Rowell and Foote. Every week fluffy clients make their way onto the grooming table. Each one fetches and drops experience into Rowell and Foote’s lap, just like the fun game many pups play.

“Even though it is fun to get to hang out with dogs, it is still a lot of responsibility and a lot to learn,” said Foote.
Starting this school year, alongside several Agriscience and Animal Science classes, Lori Givney teaches this newly-minted program to prospective students. Students taking Givney’s classes have opportunities to learn fundamental veterinary skills, dog groom, experience hands-on projects and assignments, and develop skills to carry into other fields.

“Even if they don’t go on to become dog groomers, I think it’s a good skill to have for anybody who wants to go into anything animal science related,” said Givney.

Since the program’s launch, Rowell and Foote have spent countless hours grooming furry friends and learning. They are now ready to apply these skills to bigger things; both Rowell and Foote plan to pursue veterinary-based careers.
Also looking towards the future, Givney is hopeful to eventually open grooming sessions to more of the community. Right now, only faculty and staff are able to sign their dogs up.
In Givney’s classes, students create many things and have lots of fun experiences. Students work together in groups to take care of little critters such as guinea pigs and rabbits.

“A huge part of [the process] is communication with the other teams,” said Givney. “I think that that really adds those skills of communication that we see needed in the workplace.”
Activities like creating animal body structures with pasta noodles, practice-grooming with model dog mannequins, and drawing small and large animal anatomy are a few of these fun experiences.

“My hopes for the program in the future are that we can have even more students be able to get certified as vet assistants,” said Givney.

This story was originally published on Maroon and White on April 21, 2025.