Services

Consulting

We help animal care organizations address the emotional realities of caring for animals. Working with leaders and staff, we identify sources of moral stress, grief, and workplace strain and develop practical supports that strengthen teams and help people remain connected to the work that matters to them.

Every consultation is tailored to the unique needs, culture, and goals of your organization. Projects begin by understanding your specific environment, staff composition, and the types of animal death and euthanasia your team encounters regularly.

Consulting areas include:

Staff wellness assessment and gap analysis

Grief-informed policy development

Euthanasia protocol review and team support structures

Secondary trauma identification and building support structures

Leadership training on managing moral stress in direct reports

Retention strategy development tied to staff sustainability

Training

Customized training for veterinary and animal care teams focused on grief-informed communication, moral stress, secondary trauma, euthanasia support, and the emotional realities of caring for animals.

Sessions are available in-person or virtually, as a standalone event or as part of a broader consulting project. All training reflects clinical expertise in grief, trauma, and the human-animal bond.

Client communication

Grief-informed client communication

Conversations around terminal diagnosis and end-of-life
Navigating euthanasia discussions with clients
Communication tools specific to each staff role

Vets · Vet techs · Client service staff

Staff wellbeing

Secondary trauma in animal care

Recognizing and naming secondary traumatic stress
Individual responses and shared workplace responsibilities
Evidence-based approaches developed for animal care settings

All animal care roles

Euthanasia

Euthanasia decision support

Clinical and psychological dimensions of euthanasia decisions
Moral stress and decision fatigue in high-volume settings
Supporting both clients and practitioners through the process

Vets · Shelter staff · Euthanasia decision-makers

Individual support services

Support for people navigating pet loss, anticipatory grief, difficult medical or end-of-life decisions, and caregiving stress. BLUE dog offers a free 15-minute consultation to explore whether services are a good fit.

The grief and stress associated with pet loss and end-of-life decisions are frequently minimized in standard clinical settings. These sessions provide a structured, clinically informed approach to navigating that process.

Case consultation

When clients bring animal loss, euthanasia trauma, or veterinary and shelter work experiences into session, specialized clinical knowledge is required to respond effectively.

BLUE dog provides case consultation for therapists, counselors, and social workers encountering animal loss, euthanasia trauma, and animal welfare grief in their practice.

Consultation sessions are available in 30-, 45-, and 60-minute formats to individuals nationwide. Sessions provide a structured opportunity to ask clinical questions, review the situation, and identify specific next steps.

Case consultation covers:

Clinical approaches to animal loss and human-animal bond grief

Euthanasia trauma in clients who are animal care providers

Secondary trauma in veterinary and shelter worker clients

Specialized grief models applicable to animal loss

Request case consultation