Laurel Lagoni is a co-founder of World by the Tail, Inc. World by the Tail, Inc., provides Veterinary Wisdom® products and services to animal care professionals as well as pet parents. ClayPaws®, the original paw print kit™, is the company’s signature Veterinary Wisdom® product. Laurel is also the co-founder and former Director of the nationally renowned Argus Institute for Families and Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
The Argus Institute helped chart new territory in veterinary medicine by offering one of the first and most comprehensive on-site pet owner support programs associated with a veterinary medical school. Through CSU’s original pet loss support program (Changes: Support for People and Pets), Laurel helped transform veterinary medicine into a profession that knows how to compassionately support clients and their emotional needs.
The results of Laurel’s clinical and classroom efforts have been showcased twice on ABC television’s “20/20” program and in multiple newspaper and magazine articles, including USA Weekly and The New York Times. Today, Laurel continues to offer pet loss education through the Resource Center at VeterinaryWisdom.com.
Laurel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism from Iowa State University and a Master’s Degree in Human Development and Family Studies, with specialties in family therapy and grief education, from Colorado State University. She is the co-author of four books, including the ground breaking text The Human Animal Bond and Grief (W.B. Saunders, 1994) which introduced the Bond-Centered Practice approach for client care. Laurel has written over 50 book chapters and journal articles, and has been invited to speak at over 50 workshops, seminars, and conferences, including the Smithsonian Institute. Laurel is also published in Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul and has been a contributing columnist for several pet-related magazines and journals.
Laurel lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her husband Pete. She has two daughters, Bryn and Kaia, and multiple cats and dogs. In her spare time, Laurel likes to read, write, and spend time with her family.
