About Us
Our Mission
The Honored Dog™ exists to help people
strengthen and improve their relationships with their dogs
by recognizing, understanding, and appreciating them for who they are.
Meeting in the Middle
Most of us meet our dogs twice: first in our imagination, and then in our reality. The space between the dog we expected and the dog we actually brought home can create frustration, guilt, and uncertainty—but it can also become the place where a more honest relationship begins.
Discover, Understand, & Celebrate Your Dog
The Honored Dog™ helps dog parents discover, understand, and celebrate who their dog truly is. Through an approachable personality framework, reflective workshops, and relationship-focused coaching, we help people recognize their dog’s individual traits and understand how their own expectations may be shaping the relationship. We’re not here to fix dogs. We help people see them differently.
Learn Practical Ways to Engage & Respond Intentionally
Our clients follow a clear path: they discover their dog’s personality, reflect on what that means for their relationship, and learn practical ways to respond with greater curiosity, compassion, and intention. They leave feeling less guilty and overwhelmed—and more connected to the dog in front of them.
Meet Kimberly Jo DeVault
Founder, Facilitator, & Coach
Kimberly brings both firsthand animal-welfare experience and nearly two decades of coaching teams and leaders into every part of The Honored Dog™ experience, creating a thoughtful, human-centered approach to understanding dogs and the relationships we share with them.
One quiz. Four personalities.
Your dog, seen clearly.
The Honored Dog experience centers on four Personality Profiles, each inspired by a real dog — a real personality — observed closely over the years.
The Doggy Diva. The Goodest Boy, or Girl. The Bossy Pants. And the Social Butterfly.
Each profile is a complete portrait: how a dog moves through the world, how they connect, what they need, what frustrates them, what lights them up. It’s not a label to stick on your dog. It’s a lens that helps you see them (and yourself in this relationship) more clearly.
The transformation isn’t in the profile itself. It’s in what happens when a dog parent reads it and thinks, “That’s my dog. That’s my dog.”
Then suddenly, the behavior that felt like a problem becomes something else entirely. Personality. Communication. Who they are.
That shift from frustration to understanding, from confusion to compassion is what The Honored Dog™ was built to create.
The Honored Dog™ Personality Profile Experience
What it is not.
This is not a clinical assessment and it should not be used to predict behavior or replace veterinary, training, behavior modification, or other professional guidance.
The Honored Dog Personality Experience doesn’t focus on changing behaviors.
What it is.
Instead, we focus on recognizing, reflecting, and relishing each dog’s individuality. In doing so, pet parents are better able to engage and respond more intentionally.
The four Honored Dog profiles are grounded in established theory, curated into an experience that is accessible and meaningful to pet parents.
While born out of experience, The Honored Dog Personality Profile Experience is supported by research across a variety of disciplines.
Partnering with The Honored Dog™
The Honored Dog partners with trainers, veterinarians, groomers, doggy daycares, boarding facilities, rescue organizations, and other canine professionals who believe dogs deserve to be understood—not just managed. Through our personality-centered experiences, we help pet parents recognize the deeper motivations, communication styles, and emotional patterns that shape how their dogs move through the world.
These partnerships create a shared language that strengthens client understanding, trust, and follow-through. By helping people better recognize the dog in front of them, The Honored Dog supports the meaningful work professionals are already doing—creating stronger relationships, more informed care, and deeper connection between dogs and the humans who love them.
If you’re interested in partnering or collaborating with The Honored Dog, please reach out at info@thehonoreddog.com
I think owners of adopted dogs would benefit from this type of assessment and deeper dive into their dog.
Especially if they do not have as advanced knowledge of canine behavior like those of us in the field.
Nikole Strickland — Shelter Director;The Simon Foundation
Honored Dog is not training advice, behavioral analysis, or expert classification. It is simply a way to notice the personality already living in front of you.