Services > Speaking Engagements & Workshops
Aging Pet Care Education & Insights
Bring specialized expertise on pet loss, disenfranchised grief, and caregiver burnout to your organization or community group.
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Establishing & Elevating the Pet Loss Conversation
The emotional toll of caring for aging, declining, or terminally ill pets is immense. All pet owners will go through it, but the grief and burnout that accompany it are rarely discussed openly.
As a certified Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula, Our Last Chapter founder Katie Wagner brings a deeply compassionate, non-clinical perspective to these difficult conversations based on personal experience.
Her speaking engagements are designed to break the stigma surrounding pet bereavement, validate the hidden weight of caregiving, and equip audiences with actionable tools to navigate the hardest chapters of animal care or support others facing these challenges.
Featured Workshops & Formats
Presentations can be delivered virtually or in person, ranging from concise 45-minute “lunch and learn” sessions to comprehensive half-day interactive workshops for community groups.
Choose one of the workshops below or work with Katie to customize a virtual or in-person program for your organization.
The Quality of Life Compass: Navigating the Gray Areas
How to stop waiting for the ‘right’ day and make an intentional care plan.
Establish clear directives proactively and navigate gray areas with absolute confidence using objective tools without the crushing weight of guilt.
Holding Space: Supporting Friends through Anticipatory Grief & Pet Loss
How to be a “first responder” for a friend whose pet is aging or has recently died.
Understand why we feel anticipatory “pre-grief,” how to validate it, and what to actually say (and not say) to grieving pet parents who need genuine emotional lifelines.
The Compassionate Transition: A Community Talk on End-of-Life Care
How to provide an experience that honors the pet, supports the owner, and sustains the care team.
Learn to recognize subtle pain signals, implement environmental modifications for the home, and act as your pet’s ultimate medical advocate at the vet throughout the hospice journey.
The Last Chapter: Crafting a Peaceful Transition
The role of an end-of-life doula and how to create a “sacred space” for the final goodbye.
Understand that a good death is a final gift. Explore the logistics of home versus the clinic, intentional memory-making, and honoring the profound bond — topics Katie navigates with families regularly.
Understanding the Pet-Human Bond at the End
Why pet loss is a form of grief that society doesn’t always recognize, and how to reclaim the importance of that transition.
Normalize the bond’s intensity and craft a roadmap for the emotional journey in a safe, communal space to process and validate disenfranchised grief, providing crucial reassurance for both primary caretakers and their loved ones.
