Lorrie Shaw, CAHP, CHPA — Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner
Founder & Chief Experience Officer — Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC
Telos — from the ancient Greek for purpose. Because every life, however long, deserves to be lived fully — right to the very end.
HOW THIS PRACTICE CAME TO BE
My foundation is in pet care — I’ve worked in the industry for over 20 years and hold an active credential as a Certified Professional Pet Sitter with Pet Sitters International. It’s that front-row vantage point that allowed me to see, around 2013, what was missing.
I began to notice a growing gap. Veterinary medicine was advancing rapidly — pets were living longer and better than ever before, thanks to improved diagnostics, new treatments, and a deeper understanding of the human-animal bond. But with longer lifespans with senior and geriatric pets comes age-related decline, complex diagnoses, and a weight of caregiving that families weren’t being prepared for. The support they needed simply didn’t exist in any structured form.
I was feeling it too. Stretched thin, emotionally depleted — experiencing what’s often mislabeled “compassion fatigue” but is more accurately described as empathetic distress. Rather than walk away — which I seriously considered — I got curious and blazed my own trail. No formal education in animal hospice existed for professionals in my field at the time, so I joined the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care and built what has become a deeply rewarding, highly specialized practice from the ground up.
In 2023, I graduated with honors from the Animal Hospice Group’s credentialing program as a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, serving as a mentor to fellow graduates during my required internship. In 2024, I became one of the first professionals credentialed through the International Association for Animal Hospice & Palliative Care’s newly launched Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Advocate program. Together, these credentials have deepened and rounded out a practice I’ve been building — carefully, intentionally — for over two decades.
HOW I WORK
One family described me as a “project commissioner” — and that resonates. I review medical records, assess both the pet’s needs and the family’s situation, identify gaps in care and support, and determine what can be addressed from a non-medical standpoint versus what requires veterinary attention. I coordinate all aspects of end-of-life care — including humane euthanasia, aftercare, memorialization, and grief support — and I facilitate communication between families and their veterinary teams throughout.
A significant part of what I offer is clarity. Families navigating a serious diagnosis or the late stages of a pet’s life are often overwhelmed by conflicting information — from the internet, from well-meaning friends, from gaps in what even excellent veterinary teams have time to address. My role is to cut through that noise: to connect families with accurate, honest information so they can make the best decisions they’ll feel at peace with, long after their pet is gone.
I work alongside some exceptional veterinary teams in this community, and I have enormous respect for what they do. The support I provide isn’t a replacement for that relationship — it’s what fills the space around it.
BEYOND THE PRACTICE
My investment in this work extends beyond individual families. I believe that great care starts with a strong community — which is why I’ve invested in ongoing education, collaborative relationships with fellow independent practitioners, dog trainers, canine massage therapists, and in-home euthanasia practices, and a network of resources that families can access when they need them most. This approach means families receive genuinely team-based care, and that the support this community needs remains available and sustainable well into the future.
Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner (CAHP)
Credentialed through Animal Hospice Group — graduated with honors, 2023 and completed Internship
Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Advocate (CHPA)
Among the first credentialed though the IAAHPC's newly launched program, 2024
Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Certified Professional
Trained to support families through anticipatory grief and bereavement.
Fear Free Certified Professional
Trained to recognize and minimize fear, anxiety and stress in animals during every interaction
Certified Professional Pet Sitter (CPPS)
Active credential through Pet Sitters International — the foundation of 20 + years in pet care
Certified in Pet First Aid & CPR
Trained to recognize and respond to medical emergencies in animals
Lorrie has also completed a human death doula training program — not to practice in the human space, but because when she began this work, no equivalent training existed in animal hospice. So much of what we understand about the animal dying process is drawn from human hospice philosophy and practice, and she needed to understand it at that depth to serve families well. That foundation informs everything: her understanding of the dying process, her ability to support families through anticipatory grief, and her capacity to be a steady, informed presence when the hardest moments arrive.
Families often tell me I’m the first person they call when something is wrong with their pet. That level of trust isn’t something I take lightly. It’s built on more than two decades of specialized experience, relentless education, and a commitment to telling families the truth — even when the truth is hard, and even when it runs counter to what they’ve read online.
I'm a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner (CAHP) and a Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Advocate (CHPA) — two credentials that didn’t exist when I started this work. I’m also a Pet Loss & Grief Companioning Certified Professional, and a Fear Free Certified Professional, which means I’m trained to recognize and minimize fear, anxiety, and stress in animals during every interaction. My practice is built at the intersection of all of these disciplines.
“Families tell me I’m the first person they call when something is wrong. I don’t take that lightly. It means showing up prepared, present, and honest — every single time.”
— Lorrie
If you’re wondering whether Telos might be the right fit for you and your pet — I’d love to hear from you.
— Lorrie
The best first step is an email.
When families first reach out, they’re often overwhelmed and carrying a lot. Email gives you the space to share what’s happening at your own pace — and gives Lorrie the space to respond thoughtfully, with real information, rather than reactively. It’s how this works best, from the very first contact.
Lorrie personally reads and responds to every email — typically within a couple of hours, and always the same day. You will not be waiting.
