Meet Gavin Lakin, Owner of, and Wellness Service Provider for, Give A Paw Canine Wellness, LLC., Where Dogs Have Their Day™. The fully insured niche company is In the Business of Giving a Paw About Deepening the Bonds Between Dogs and Their People, doing this by offering a suite of canine wellness services locally in Marin County, California, and nationally through virtual access. Its mission is: 

To advocate for all animals and to provide the community with a suite of first-rate professional services for a dog’s physical, social, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional wellness, offered with kindness, compassion, and expertise.

As a Certified Dog Trainer—a graduate of the renown and respected Victoria Stilwell Academy (VSA-CDT)—Gavin works with dogs and their pet parents using POSITIVE TRAINING methodologies. Whether Adventure, Training, and or Wellness “PAW-ckages,” Gavin brings a particular set of skills typically not associated with pet service professionals. Professionally, Gavin has over twenty years’ experience as a former elementary school teacher, K-8 School Counselor, Educational Consultant, and in the clinical setting, he was a trained Veterinary Assistant/Pharmacy Technician.

Gavin is a long-term, dedicated volunteer at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California, and Marin Humane, a shelter, in Novato, California. At Guide Dogs for the Blind, Gavin works in the Canine Welfare Neonatal Department. During two separate two-hour shifts, Gavin walks the breeder female dogs for exercise and special attention, and has recently retired as being a member of the Puppy Pod Socialization team who, through exposure and mastery of early Guide Dog skills, and plenty of socialization with their litter mates, help the little ones gain confidence. At Marin Humane, Gavin works as a Dog Training Assistant in Beginning Puppy, Family Dog, Your Dog to Share (Good Citizen), and Leash Walking/Recall classes.

Gavin earned his Master’s Degree in School Counseling at Sonoma State University, and holds current California Multiple Subject Teaching and Pupil Personnel Services credentials. Additionally, Gavin is in good standing as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) under the aegis of the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. (NBCC). Currently, Gavin is studying Canine Myo-Manipulative Functional Massage with Holistic Animal Studies, which will become a core offering of the Wellness program.

In addition to the above certifications and credentials, Gavin has earned the following:
Professional Dog Walker, Trail Manners Course (Canine Behavior Associates, Marin County, California)
First Aid and CPR for Pets Certification (Need to Know Training, Berkeley, California)

Gavin is a vegetarian who lives in North San Rafael. He plans to add a new member to the family: A Golden/Labrador Retriever cross (Goldador) who also will become his working Therapy Dog, and an integral part of serving the community by visiting and comforting first responders, senior citizens, children, and veterans.