The Domestic Animal

I’m Shannon Bolt (they/them), and I’ve created The Domestic Animal page to connect my clients and the community at large to the work that I do with people’s pets. After working in dog day care and animal rescue including working as a feline adoption counselor, I started this private animal care and training business in 2011. I was inspired to specialize in working with animals with challenging beh

aviors after owning a dog named Kai who had severe separation anxiety, dog reactivity, and human aggression. This experience highlighted for me the need for skilled handling and support for households that include animals with these kinds of difficult behaviors. Kai also taught me the true love and profound bond we can feel when we open our hearts to pets that have a difficult time fitting into our modern, domestic environments. Working with animals that require specialized care and their families fulfills my sense of purpose to foster harmony between people and their pets. When I help humans experience greater ease with and understanding of their animals, I feel joy knowing that I’ve helped expand the capacity for peace and love in the world, even if it is just in a small corner of it. With animals that would normally resist bonding with a new person, there’s a beautiful moment where they come to recognize me as a safe person so they can start to allow themselves to be vulnerable and tender with me. They feel that I see them and that I can respond to their needs, which in turn creates a feeling of trust and connection that I long for, as well. This drives me to support as many misunderstood animals as possible, and we facilitate healing for each other in the process. This is the experience I want for my human clients, too. Over the years, I have endeavored to develop my education and skills through training apprenticeships and attending numerous workshops with such renowned behavior experts as Susan Friedman, Bob Bailey, Parvene Farhoody, Steve Martin, and Sophia Yin, as well as many classes and conferences offered by organizations like IAABC and UC Davis. This education and experience has helped me further my mission to facilitate humans and animals living with equanimity. Primarily providing direct care services like private walking, training, and sitting for animal families in San Francisco, I also offer virtual training consultations and adoption counseling for clients around the world. My primary expertise is with cats and dogs with fear/anxiety, reactivity, and aggression. I have also worked with birds, reptiles, and other small animals, and I’m always eager to care for species that are new to me! Most of the animals in our homes may be domesticated, though that doesn’t mean that they adapt easily to the domestic life. I endeavor to find solutions for domestic animals, including humans. To schedule a consultation or inquire about other services, you can message me through this page or email me at [email protected]