Breaking ground on Joybound People & Pets’ innovative Liberty Center are (l-r) Congressman Mark DeSaulnier; Walnut Creek City Councilmember Cindy Darling; Walnut Creek Mayor Kevin Wilk; Joybound donors Burton and Maud Goldfield; Joybound Board Chair Jennifer Hall; Joybound CEO Susan Lee Vick; Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. The Liberty Center is named for the Goldfield’s beloved rescue greyhound, Liberty.
A little bit of rain was not going to get in the way of the big day. With shovels and hardhats on hand, Joybound People & Pets broke ground in October on The Liberty Center, a visionary investment in the future of pets and their people that will provide exceptional pet boarding, daycare, critical veterinary behavioral services, and expanded crisis support services, helping to ensure that pet families can remain together through daily life and life’s challenges.
On display in Joybound’s large gathering room are diagrams, an artist’s rendering, and a 3D model of Joybound’s Liberty Center, expected to open early 2028.
The vision for The Liberty Center is to build a facility built specifically to strengthen the bond between people and their pets. In the words of Joybound Board Chair Jennifer Hall, “The Liberty Center is a declaration that we are committed to a community where people and pets thrive – a home away from home for the pets we love.”
In attendance at the ground breaking, which temporarily moved inside Joybound’s spacious gathering room as soon as rain began to fall, were 80+ board members, donors, staff, volunteers, community members, and elected officials, including Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Walnut Creek Mayor Kevin Wilk, Walnut Creek Councilmember Cindy Darling, and soon-to-be Walnut Creek Councilmember Cherise Khaund.
“As the Bay Area’s pet population surpasses 1.7 million households, demand for trusted boarding, daycare, and behavioral care is outpacing what’s available. The Liberty Center will help close that gap, all in one place,” wrote Lisa Moore, Joybound’s chief advancement officer. “Exceptional boarding and daycare will give families the freedom to work, travel, and live their lives, knowing their pets are safe, happy, and healthy. That care also powers our mission: The revenue it generates will support community programs that keep pets and people together.”
Joybound’s Liberty Center will feature a 13,000-square-foot facility housing modern pet boarding; daycare; a specialized veterinary behavioral clinic; surgery and medical areas; and administrative offices. Additional space outdoors will provide for exercise and training.
“Beyond everyday care, The Liberty Center will be there when families need it most,” continued Lisa in her statement. “For a pet struggling with behavior, specialized veterinary services can mean expert treatment and a chance to stay at home instead of being surrendered. For a family facing hospitalization, sudden housing loss, or an escape from an unsafe environment, crisis boarding offers a safe place for their pet, so no one has to choose between their own safety and the companion they love. And when wildfires, floods, or other emergencies strike, The Liberty Center will expand our community’s ability to care for pets in need.”
Joybound CEO Susan Lee Vick spoke about the profound importance of the project, saying that in a time of crisis, pets will always have a home away from home at The Liberty Center. [Photo courtesy Joybound People & Pets]
“If you have a beloved pet who is not safe to leave with others, no boarding facility will take that animal. And you can’t safely have a friend or family member come in,” said Joybound CEO Susan Lee Vick. “In a time of family crisis, what do you do? That pet – your pet – will always have a home away from home at The Liberty Center. The profound importance of this project cannot be overstated.”
Leading the Veterinary Behavioral Clinic will be Dr. Wailani Sung, MS, PhD, DVM, an internationally recognized veterinary behaviorist, whose vision it is to provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment plans for moderate to severe behavioral conditions, improving adoption and retention outcomes.
“With Dr. Sung’s guidance, this space will be a place to board all dogs, including for pet guardians who currently have no safe place to take their pets. It will provide them assurance that their dog will be well cared for, and will be receiving behavioral care,” said Susan. “The Liberty Center will allow pet guardians the freedom to go to work, travel, and leave their pets in the hands of others, if needed. These are people who, today, do not have a place to board their dogs. It is with great thanks to Dr. Sung that they will be able to do so at The Liberty Center.”
The Liberty Center is named for Maud and Burton Goldfield’s gentle-natured rescue greyhound, Liberty, who was a beloved pet and therapy dog for sick children and their families.
Longtime Joybound donors and The Liberty Center’s naming sponsor, Maud and Burton Goldfield (pictured above) were on hand to break ground for the center named for their dog, Liberty.
“Liberty, our rescue greyhound, was the opposite of a challenging dog. For more than ten years, she was a therapy dog, sharing her calm demeanor and sweet nature with sick children and their families,” said Maud. “But there are plenty of dogs who need special help and care, for medical reasons or temperament. These dogs require and deserve a special place like The Liberty Center. Honoring Liberty’s loving spirit, The Liberty Center will offer a haven for the more challenging dogs and for the people who love them.”
“The name, The Liberty Center, Day Care, Boarding, and Veterinary Behavioral Services, perfectly captures the vision of the center, providing people and animals freedom – freedom to travel, freedom to go to work every day without worry, knowing their animal is in a loving, safe space while they’re away for a day or extended period of time,” said Susan. “The Liberty Center is beautifully, perfectly named. Plus its acronym, TLC – Tender Loving Care – couldn’t be more fitting!”
Joybound People & Pets provides immeasurable community benefits in addition to animal rescues, said Walnut Creek Mayor Kevin Wilk, here with Joybound CEO Susan Lee Vick (l) and soon-to-be Walnut Creek City Councilmember Cherise Khaund (r). [Photo courtesy Joybound People & Pets]
“Walnut Creek is proud to be home to Joybound, an organization that connects people and pets, making meaningful differences in our community for more than three decades,” said Walnut Creek Mayor Kevin Wilk. “Finding a loving home for an animal is only the beginning; helping that animal remain with its family is just as important. And whether a family is navigating a personal crisis, facing an emergency, or seeking specialized care for a pet with behavioral challenges, The Liberty Center will provide services and facilities to help keep people and their pets together.
“Anyone who has welcomed a pet into their home knows how quickly they become more than a pet, they truly become family. Today’s groundbreaking represents an exciting new chapter in Joybound’s commitment to serving pets and families throughout Walnut Creek and the Greater Bay Area. I recognize Maud and Burton, whose beloved greyhound, Liberty, inspired the name of this center and everyone who is contributing to bringing this vision to life.”
And with that, as the rain subsided and the sun peaked through the clouds, the assembled guests headed outdoors for the actual shovels-in-the-dirt ground breaking.
Construction is slated to begin in December, and The Liberty Center is expected to open to the public in early 2028.
View photos of the groundbreaking, and visit The Liberty Center for greater details and descriptions about The Liberty Center.
