Melissa has authored two books for a curious audience! For signed copies, use the Contact Melissa form here!
COMING SOON!
Misadventures of the World’s Okayest Dog Trainer
(5M Books, 2026. Cover art by Lili Chin)
If you’ve ever said, “I want to work with animals”, then this is the book for you.
Following the lead of veterinarians like Dr. Nick Trout and Dr. Amy Attas spilling the beans on what it’s like to work in animal medicine, McCue-McGrath deftly weaves humor, heart, and emotion into the pages of Misadventures. Everything in a 20+ year career is written in graphic detail, including from being humped in front of a class of second graders, behavioral euthanasia, hoarding cases, and being peed on in front of two thousand people during a training demonstration.
This book aims to better prepare those who wish to pursue a field in training and behavior by shining a light on everything one might encounter: The good, the bad, and the humptascular.
This educational memoir shines a light on the unregulated industry of animal training and behavior work, and clarifies commonly misunderstood terminology – like behaviorist, socialization, service dog, and more. Along the way, McCue-McGrath places flags, marking where to watch while this industry continues to evolve, and what a trainer’s role is when working with humans who “just love dogs”.
Misadventures of the World’s Okayest Dog Trainer (5M Books) will hit shelves in April, 2026.
AVAILABLE NOW!
Considerations for the City Dog
(Muttstuff Publishing, 2015)
Available through the Grisha Stewart Academy Campus Store, Bookshop.org, Amazon, and wherever you purchase your books!
Melissa McCue-McGrath wrote this book in response to a dog nearly killing a 6’4″ man and his German shepherd in her city – Somerville, Massachusetts. She sat in the courtroom where the case was being heard, and realized the attorneys were using terminology she uses professionally, like territorial aggression, socialization, and behaviorist, but in all the wrong ways. She begged the lawyers to put her on the stand to clarify what they got wrong, for the sake of both dogs and people at the center of this horrific event.
She was denied.
She also realized from that bench in the courtroom, that her clients and community would understand the clinical terms in the same way as the attorneys and attendees listening to the case. Melissa wanted to bridge the gap between what the public understood about dogs, training and behavior, and what her colleagues in busy city centers understood.
Melissa spent two years speaking with professionals in related dog industries. She consulted with veterinarians, rescue volunteers, behavior specialists, certified dog trainers, dog daycare providers, groomers and more to identify why urban dogs are failing, and what we need to do to help these dogs succeed. The same issues — and solutions — came up again and again across the board.
This book attempts to build a bridge between terms in the zeitgeist and how those terms are used professionally. She explains how to find the right dog for a city environment, which is harder than one might think. She also identifies how to find a good care taker for your pet, defines “behaviorist”, explains how to get exercise for an athletic dog in a city of leash-laws, and more.
Considerations for the City Dog is not a dog training book – there are thousands on the market already. Instead, this book brilliantly supplements any science-based training regimen. It gives insight as to why dogs do what they do, but perhaps more importantly, why people do what they do and why we must do better for the sake of our urban dogs.
We all need to do better – our urban dogs are in the balance.
Melissa McCue-McGrath 