Angela Shook on How to Plan for Your Pet After You're Gone

In June 2025, we were fortunate to talk with Angela Shook an End-of-Life and Companion Animal Doula.Angela Shook is an end-of-life doula, Hospice volunteer, and instructor for the Doula Programs at the University of Vermont, and offers multiple end-of-life educational workshops and grief support groups.She is a veterinary doula with Pet Well Mobile Vet, where she assists with euthanasia and the end-of-life care and support of companion animals.Angela has received the Animal Hospice Advocate Certificate from the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC). She is a certified Pet Loss Grief Specialist through the Association of Pet Loss and Bereavement.How can you be more aware and prepared for your pet's death or your family & friends' pets' death? Have you wondered about that?What about after your death? How will your companion animal be cared for?There's an end-of-life care plan for that. Trusts? Directives? Care Circle?For many of us, our companion animals are family.And yet, too often, we're left making hard decisions in moments of stress or grief.Making a care plan for your pet while they are still well is a gift — to yourself, your family, and most of all, to the animal who trusts you completely.Having these plans in place brings comfort, reduces uncertainty, and allows you to be more fully present with them when the time comes.Companion Animal Advance Care DirectivesPet Trusts PrimerPlease find an hour to listen when you have a quiet moment.You don’t need to fill out anything right away, but I hope you’ll consider reading them and starting the conversation.These decisions can be emotional.But they can also be empowering.And the peace of mind that comes from knowing your furry family member’s future is lovingly accounted for?That’s something you truly can’t put a price on.Companion Animal Advance Care DirectivePet TrustsAbout the podcast: In Conversation with an End-of-Life Specialist is hosted by Patricia (Trish) Sears, an End-of-Life Navigator and founder of Graceful Transitions in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, serving globally. New episodes are recorded live on the third Wednesday of each month, 4p –5p ET, with a live Q&A for Graceful Lifers.Join the Graceful Lifers community at Substack for exclusive invitations to join live audience and Q&A sessions with guests and deeper conversations about navigating life's thresholds.You can find the hub of Graceful Transitions' work at Linktr.ee/pmsears