Shel Graves Animal (she/they)

Dog Chapels | Spirituality+Health Dog chapels offer solace for pet loss. Learn to create a memorial space to honor dogs and process grief with rituals and art.

On Dog Chapels: "Sacred spaces might not erase the pain you feel after losing a beloved animal, but they do offer an environment that validates the love between a human and dog and assures that that love is never truly lost." — Animal Chaplain Sarah Bowen www.spiritualityhealth.com/dog-chapels

The Sacred Dog — Sophie Gamand

Checking out The Sacred Dog, artist and animal chaplain Sophie Gamand's project exploring the spiritual bond that links humans with dogs. Sophie is also known for Pit Bull Flower Power. www.sophiegamand.com/thesacreddog

December is National Learn a Foreign Language Month and I'd like to recommend these 2 books. :)
🐶 doggielanguagebook.com
🐱 kittylanguagebook.com

The Pet Professional Guild's Ethical Stance - Pet Professional Guild Here at the Pet Professional Guild, we have a strong ethical stance on the behavior and training of both pets and their people.

No shock. No choke. No prong. "Ethical training is synonymous with force-free and positive-reinforcement methods." Clear guidance and stance from The Pet Professional Guild @petguild.bsky.social Kindness works! www.petprofessionalguild.com/pet-owners/p... #happydog #dogtraining #forcefree

Giving Tuesday advertisement for Homeward Pet Adoption Center "Double Your Impact" with a photo of a senior dog and cat. The fawn-colored dog has it's tongue lolling out to the side and the medium-haired black cat has an ear tipped and is glaring into the camera.

Five things I am grateful for: #5 Homeward Pet Adoption Center where I will be starting a new gig on Monday! Mission... "to transform the lives of cats and dogs in need through compassionate medical care, positive behavior training, and successful adoption while building a more humane community."

Gratitude, Change, and Homeward Pet Adoption Center! Starting in December, I am joining the team at Homeward Pet Adoption Center in Woodinville on their mission... "to transform the lives of cats and dogs in need through compassionate medical care, posi...

Five things I am grateful for: #4 Tortoises! Opening up the front page of The Guardian and seeing a photo and article about this being, "Queen of the Zoo," Gramma, tortoise who lived through two world wars, dies age 141 May her memory be a blessing! www.shelgravesanimal.com/post/gratitu...

A quote from a student in an earlier class: "Wonderful class! Shel is amazing. This class was full of useful information as well as fun." Shel Graves Animal Consulting logo, shelgravesanimal.com

Five things I am grateful for: #3 Class participants! I recently finished teaching a class at Edmonds College CRI on Strengthening the Human-Animal Bond. I loved hearing participants talk about the connection they feel with animals in their homes and how important those relationships are to them.

A small dog with a thoughtful expression and soft eyes sits in front of a red door and the dog is wearing a red harness. A quote is in a heart-shaped graphic "Shel has been a kind and experienced coach for our family as we have worked together to reduce our dog's fearfulness. We strongly recommend her!" — Mary M. Shel Graves Animal Consulting logo shelgravesanimal.com

Five things I am grateful for: #2 Your reviews of Shel Graves Animal Consulting! They help connect people to credentialed positive trainers and expert behavior help to make lives with animals in our homes less stressful and more playful, safe, and fun.

A small terrier dog sniffs a vibrant red maple leaf. Logo Shel Graves Animal Consulting, Doing Our Best for Animals

A black and tan Shiba Inu smiles (open-mouthed relaxed but curious expression) at a brown, crunchy looking oak leaf. Logo text: Shel Graves Animal Consulting, Doing Our Best for Animals

Five things I am grateful for: #1 My clients! I love seeing your dedication to your canine and feline family members, willingness to try new things, and commitment to positive training. Also, dogs who love to play with leaves! www.shelgravesanimal.com/post/gratitu...

‘Queen of the Zoo’: Gramma, tortoise who lived through two world wars, dies aged 141 Gramma came to San Diego Zoo from Bronx Zoo in 1928 or 1931 and lived through 20 US presidents

Although sorry for her loss and conflicted about her life in captivity, I appreciated opening the news this morning and seeing this being featured on the front page. She lived through 20 U.S. Presidents and enjoyed munching on romaine lettuce and cactus fruit. 🙌❤ www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

FAITH MATTERS: No loss is too great or too small for a chaplain’s guid... Commentary by Tracy Simmons

Faith Matters veterinary chaplains in the news: Scott Campbell, veterinary chaplain at Washington State University and founder of the American Association of Veterinary Chaplains, helps a journalist cope with a loss of a chicken www.dnews.com/religion/no-...

Not All Dogs Make Good Butlers...Management and Training Can Help - Pet Professional Guild Many of my clients have concerns about how their dogs greet visitors at their home. This article addresses what to do if you have a dog who is not a good

Great post by Daniel Antolec @petguild.bsky.social Not All Dogs Make Good Butlers --So true!
www.petprofessionalguild.com/pet-owners/p...

Fearful Shelter Dogs Benefit From Early Start to Treatment When fearful and reactive dogs are admitted to shelters, it’s best to start desensitization and counterconditioning right away, study finds.

Fearful Shelter Dogs Benefit From Early Start to Treatment
@zazietodd.bsky.social Helpful post. Saving this one! www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2025/11/fear...

Do Dogs Grieve For Each Other? Do dogs grieve? Learn what research says about surviving pets after a loss, how grief may show up in behavior, and ways to support your dog.

Do Dogs Grieve For Each Other? Great post by Kate LaSala of Rescued by Training

Pig Stefa - tricks, agility and fun! 2-5 months YouTube video by ZolzaBC

I love this training video so much. 🐷🐽
Training is:
good communication
connection
building relationships
strengthening our bonds
youtu.be/p8VoXp4t33U?...

Class description: With a focus on companion animals, we will discuss how we share our homes with them, from bringing home a new puppy or kitten to adopting from a shelter or rescue, and raising them through adolescence, senior years, and end-of-life, as well as the considerations of each stage. How do companion animals contribute to our health and happiness? What do we know? What does the science say? And how do we contribute to the health and happiness of the animals? We will discuss some ethical issues and concerns, such as functional breeding, the use of artificial intelligence for shelter pets, and pet longevity, and explore the differences in training and temperament between service, emotional support, and therapy animals. The class will also include some fun facts about other animals who share our homes, including chickens, pigs, rats, and reptiles.

Looking forward to my new class for Edmonds College's Creative Retirement Institute: Strengthening the Human-Animal Bond: At Home, 10 am-noon, Monday, Nov. 17 and Nov. 24. $50 There's still time to register. www.campusce.net/edmondsarts/...

What a pleasure to talk with Genie Joseph, Executive Director of The Human-Animal Connection on Episode 79 of The Human-Animal Connection podcast. We talked about one of my favorite topics, How to Have a Happier Life with Dogs and Cats, and I shared some rescue stories. www.petliferadio.com/hac.html

Ask the Trainer: Four Tips to Solve Any Dog or Cat Behavior Challenge Recently I did an Ask the Trainer event for Snohomish County’s wellness week. Fun! County employees brought their training and behavior questions. There were the usual suspects: dogs who jump up on gu...

Ask the Trainer: Four Tips to Solve Any Dog or Cat Behavior Challenge www.shelgravesanimal.com/post/ask-the...

A Sacred Sendoff for Jane Goodall YouTube video by Compassion Consortium

The Compassion Consortium put together and shared this Sacred Sendoff for Jane Goodall. Beautiful. youtu.be/L3ZjdXyO-zE?...

Stop everything & read this! ❤️🐾 #mustlovedogs #dogs #happydogs #goals

To read! Toying With Behavioral Change: Encouraging Play With Cats @mikeldelgado.bsky.social @faunalytics.bsky.social faunalytics.org/toying-with-... #catbehavior #happycats

Join me and Andie Springirth of The Open Sanctuary Project on 10/22, 1:30–3:30 p.m. EST for a free Zoom workshop on nurturing farmed animal agency in sanctuary education. Includes a presentation, Q&A, and optional community reflection. Learn more and register here: bit.ly/3VocUtO
🐄❤️

Dogs and drones: how scientists are saving Washington’s endangered orcas Experts are finding new and more humane ways to protect the last 74 southern resident killer whales

"Dressed in a bright orange lifejacket – and sometimes goggles – Eba perches atop Giles’s research boat, scanning the wind. When she catches a whiff of orca faeces, she raises her nose..." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Jane Goodall's work insisting, with evidence from her brilliant and tenacious fieldwork, that we were not so separate from animals, and they were much more like us than the Eurocentric theorists asserted, was so important.

Happy Anniversary! A helpful book! 💙🐾

A Sacred Sendoff for Jane Goodall Join us Oct 4 for a Celebration of Jane's life. We'll talk about the critical ways she mingled science & spirituality, hear accounts from people who knew her, invite you to share how she impacted your...

I love that the Compassion Consortium is doing a sacred sendoff for Jane Goodall, and so quickly realized that people would want to gather to honor and remember her www.compassionconsortium.org/jane #animalchaplaincy #animalchaplains

Last pictures from Washington State Veterinary Medical Association’s Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference with the American Association of Veterinary Chaplains. & my favorite giveaway! #animalchaplain #PNWVC25

Shel Graves in front of a Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference banner with a dog mask and meow sign. Silly.

A book spotted at the conference The Vet at Noah’s Ark by Doug Mader.

Day two of the Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference with the American Association of Veterinary Chaplains.

Four animal, veterinarian themed stickers: Follow You Passion, But the Trazodone Makes Me Sleepy angry chihuahua, Vets Helping Pets wsahf.org, and paw prints.

An assortment of pens including from ASPCA, Veterinary Speciality Center, Adequan Canine, Animal Surgical and Orthopedic Center, and West Coast Pet Memorial.

A new product for cat training from Blue Buffalo, Tastefuls, squeeze tubes of puree (tuna, salmon, chicken). Will it be as beloved as churu though?

Some favorite giveaways from exhibitors at the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association’s Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference.

Pacific Northwest veterinary conference badge Shel Graves UW-AAB, CTC

Shel Graves standing in front of the Washington state veterinary medical Association banner at the Pacific Northwest veterinary conference

Shel Graves standing in front of the Pacific Northwest veterinary conference banner

American Association of veterinary chaplain, spiritual care for the animal human bond Shel Graves standing next to the booth at the Pacific Northwest veterinary conference.

At the Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference with the American Association of Veterinary Chaplains.