n e w s PPG Establishes Advocacy Panel to Broaden Educational Reach
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PG has established an Advocacy Panel as part of its key mission to support pet guardian education and make it accessible to a wider audience. PPG considers it to be critical that pet guardians are equipped with the tools they need to ask informed questions of training and be havior professionals prior to hiring, so they are aware of what training philosophy, equipment and methods will be implemented. As such, the newlylaunched Advocacy Panel will host a series of live Expert Panel Discussions which will take place on Zoom and/or Face book, eventually on a bimonthly basis. During the sessions, the panel experts will focus on topical issues important to pet professionals and pet owners. Discussions will remain simple and straightforward, with panel members simply sharing their expertise on a variety of topics that will help inform both pet guardians and pet professionals. After the live session, a recording will be released as a podcast via PPG’s media plat form, BARKS Podcasts, to reach an even wider audience. The first Expert Panel Discussion was scheduled for Friday, August 27, 2021 with the topic, How To Best Advocate for Positive Reinforce‐ ment Training. The second event will take place on Friday, September 24, 2021 at 3 p.m. ET and feature the topic How To Reach and Work With Your Local Veterinarians. Zoom links are posted on the Advocacy Panel website and announced on social media prior to each event. Panel members to date include Dr. Laura Donaldson, Dr. Eduardo Fernandez, Dr. Robert Hewings, Judy Luther, Linda Michaels, Pat Miller, Helen Phillips, Kim Silver, Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Claire Staines, K. Holden
Svirsky, Dr. Zazie Todd, Dr. Karolina Westlund, and Sam Wike. Sessions will be moderated by ShockFree Coalition chairman Don Hanson and PPG president Niki Tudge, with discussion topics announced at least four weeks before the scheduled air date. PPG is currently planning to build a dedicated Advocacy Panel webpage to efficiently share session topics, dates and times, as well as provide information on individual panel members. “Hopefully, we will not only advocate and inform but also have some fun along the way and build some great relationships,” said PPG president Niki Tudge. “We intend to keep the Facebook Live sessions free flowing, giving each participant the opportunity to answer key questions and supplement other panelists‘ responses. We also encour age audience members to participate with comments and questions, making it an interactive, educational and enjoyable experience for all. It is essential that the pet owning public is made more aware of the differ ences in training philosophies amongst pet professionals to ensure they can make the best decisions for themselves, their pets, and their fami lies. We aim to address that need.”
Join the Advocacy Panel on Friday, September 24, 2021 at 3 p.m. E.T. to discuss How To Reach and Work With Your Local Veterinarians
PPG Appoints Don Hanson to Board of Directors
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PG has appointed longtime PPG associate Don Hanson (right, with Muppy) to its board of directors with immediate effect. Hanson is a Bangor, Mainebased canine and feline trainer and behavior consultant of some 25 years, who has been cochair of PPG's Advocacy Committee since 2016 (and, as of 2021, chairman), and chairman of the ShockFree Coalition since 2017. PPG established the ShockFree Coalition at that time as a global advocacy campaign aimed at ending the practice of using electric shock to train, manage, and care for pets; building a strong and broad movement committed to eliminating shock devices from the supply chain; and creating transparency on the methods used for consumers seeking professional advice on pet behavior or training issues. By strengthening its board of directors with the addition of Hanson, PPG aims to enhance its ability to react quickly and appropriately to aris ing issues at all times. "Don Hanson has headed up the PPG Advocacy arm for the past few years, in particular the ShockFree Coalition, and has a track record of leadership in our industry that the board felt would benefit PPG at a higher level," said PPG president Niki Tudge. "He has the skills and experi ence to positively and critically contribute to some of the important con versations and decisions we anticipate having to make in the next couple of years regarding ethics, approach and industry progression. By making such changes and amendments to the operating practices within PPG, we guarantee that we can not only serve our membership with a high degree of competency, but that we can best represent our membership body by positively shaping the topography of the industry in which they practice."
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BARKS from the Guild/September 2021
"It is an honor and a privilege to be asked to serve PPG and its members on the board of directors," added Hanson. "I've been a pet care professional since 1995 and have been active in industry associations since 1998. It has always been my goal to help people care for their pets in a kind and gentle manner, fostering a lifelong bond based on mutual trust. Unfortunately, either due to ignorance or intentional malice, pain, force, and fear are still used in the training and management of pets far too often. I be lieve that PPG's emphasis on science, empathy, and ethics and its mem bers' passion can bring about the positive changes we need in this industry. To be part of that will be a capstone to my career." About Don Hanson Don Hanson is the co‐owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, Maine. He is a Bach Foundation registered animal practitioner (BFRAP), certified dog behavior consultant (CDBC), associate certified cat behav‐ ior consultant (ACCBC) and a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT‐KA) and also produces and co‐hosts a weekly radio show and podcast, The Woof Meow Show on The Pulse AM620 WZON. He writes about pets on his blog and is chairman of PPG's Advocacy Committee and the Shock‐ Free Coalition. Read Don Hanson’s full bio.
