What people are saying.

  • "I have known Joel Slaven for over 25 years, and I have found him to be a great individual who truly cares for the animals that surround him! His style of positive training and husbandry is superb! I highly recommend Joel and the wonderful way he cares for animals!"

    Brad Andrews

    Emeritus Chief Zoological Director, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Parks

  • "Joel’s abilities as a trainer of dogs, cats, pigs, and other domestic animals, coupled with his creativity in co-producing our Pets Rule show at Sea World San Diego, truly positioned those performances at an amazing and consistent high level. This show was head to head in guest ratings with our Shamu show, and even beat it many times. Knowing him for over 20 years I can confidently say he’s driven to provide the best in animal care and his continual drive for perfection was and continues to be an inspiration for me."

    Don Ludwig

    SeaWorld VP Entertainment (1988-2005)

  • "I have had the pleasure of working with the dogs that Joel Slaven has trained for many years both professionally and personally. Joel has a true gift for bringing out the best in each dog and the patience and positive reinforcement plan to reach any goal. The attention to detail and quality of every performance that he created for the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Parks were some of the highest rated and most popular shows in the park's history. I was also personally able to adopt one of the retired dogs and she became a beloved family member and was the envy of everyone due to her training. Joel is THE master of dog training and a delight to work with!"

    Nancy Hutson

    Executive Producer and Creative Director at Full Stop Productions

    Former VP of Entertainment-Busch Gardens Tampa (Retired)

  • "I was introduced to Joel Slaven in 1997 by Jack Hanna. Jack had told me about Joel and his incredible talent for training animals, especially dogs and cats. I was Vice President of Entertainment at SeaWorld Orlando and needed a unique show for a theater in the park. After meeting Joel, I knew that he was the person to provide a unique domestic animal show for us. “Pets On Stage” opened for Christmas, 1997 and featured dogs, cats, mice, birds and even a pig. After a few years the show name changed to “Pets Ahoy” but still featured the same animal cast with new behaviors. As always, most of the animals in the show were rescued from local animal shelters. The show became so well loved that it’s show ratings were equal to the park’s feature show starring Shamu the Killer Whale! The popularity of Joel’s show led to new shows at Anheuser-Busch theme parks in Tampa, San Antonio and San Diego. Joel is a master at understanding and training all domestic animals! "

    Art Freeman

    Vice President Entertainment (Retired)

    SeaWorld-Orlando