Where Can I Find A Humane and Ethical Pet Care Professional?

< A version of this article was published in the September 2020 issue of Downeast Dog News>

< Updated 20SEP20 >

< A short link for this page – http://bit.ly/HumanePetPros >

People often ask me to refer them to other pet care professionals when they are not in the Green Acres’ service area. I know and recommend many such individuals throughout the USA. Still, if I don’t know someone in a specific community, I always refer people to the Pet Professional Guild’s (PPG) Find An Expert page on the PPG website < https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Zip-Code-Search >.

At PPG’s website, you can enter your zip code or country, and you will be able to review a list of pet care professionals that are PPG members that are closest to you. You can click on the details and learn more about them, including the services they offer and how to contact them. If one of these professionals does not provide the services you need, they may still be your best contact for finding someone close to you that does offer what you are seeking.

I recommend PPG members before anyone else because the Pet Professional Guild is unique. They are the only association of pet care professionals in the USA that requires that their members abide by a comprehensive set of Guiding Principles. The following are the non-negotiables in the Guiding Principles.

“To be in any way affiliated with the Pet Professional Guild all members must adhere to a strict code of conduct. Pet Professional Guild members understand Force-Free to mean:

No shock, No pain, No choke, No fear, No physical force, No compulsion based methods are ever employed to train or care for a pet.”

In June of 2020, the PPG took the next step by establishing a new Code of Ethical Conduct. The code was developed to address “…the need for a level of oversight in the pet training and services industry, specifically regarding business practices, transparency, and marketing.” It includes a Personal Code of Conduct which requires:

    1. Members consider the emotional, physical and environmental well-being of each client, i.e. both the pet and the guardian/owner/caretaker of the pet, in all actions.
    2. Members do not condone or endorse any treatment by a pet’s guardian that in any way compromises the pet’s physical or mental well-being. PPG members will not be party to any such acts.

The code covers much more, including business practices. It concludes with the statement:

    1. By joining PPG, members agree to PPG’s standards, codes of practice, education and training philosophies. Failure to abide by the Guiding Principles and this Code of Ethical Conduct may result in sanctions up to and including the termination of the member’s membership.

Because of the PPG Guiding Principles and Code of Conduct, I feel confident recommending a PPG member to someone without hesitation. While other organizations represent various pet care professionals, none of them have anything close to the Guiding Principles and Code of Conduct. Therefore I cannot give their members an unqualified endorsement.

The Pet Professional Guilds Guiding Principles and Code of Conduct are based on the knowledge and experience of experts in the world of pet care, animal behavior and training, and in the shelter and rescue world. The rationale for the principles is supported by a series of position statements that include references to peer-reviewed scientific literature that support those documents. Some of the position statements you might find of interest address: Breed Specific Legislation, Dominance Theory in Animal Training, TV Dog Training, The Use of Choke and Prong CollarsThe Use of Shock in Animal Training, and Cat Declawing.

Long before I joined the ranks of pet care professionals, I was a pet parent, and the PPG did not exist. I was not as knowledgeable as I am today. Due to my ignorance, I made some grievous errors, unknowingly electing to work with people who hurt my dog. < FMIhttp://bit.ly/Things-Gus-Dominance >. It was a decision I regret to this day. I do not want this to happen to anyone else.  Please do yourself a favor, make sure the professional you choose is a member of the PPG.

I also encourage you to take advantage of the Pet Professional Guild’s FREE membership, especially for pet owners. By joining, you will receive access to various articles on dogs, cats, birds, and horses. The PPG is a fantastic educational resource for all of its members, professional, and pet parent.

As a member, you will receive a discount on some of the excellent recorded and live webinars offered by the PPG. You will also receive access to an electronic copy of their quarterly publication, Barks From The Guild.

I know you want what’s best for your pet; by joining the PPG, you will get access to information to help you achieve that goal. < FMIhttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Canine-Archives > & < FMIhttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Feline-Archives >

If you have children or grandchildren between the ages of 8 to 20 years old, I encourage you to consider enrolling them in the Pet Professional Guilds Junior Membership program. The program helps children and young adults learn about pets while providing insight into working with animals in a force-free and fear-free way. If you have a child in your life that thinks they want to work with animals, this education program is a great way to help start on this journey. A young adult that has successfully completed the PPG Junior Membership and Accreditation program would be well equipped to apply for an entry-level position at Green Acres Kennel Shop.

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog
( http://www.words-woofs-meows.com  )

Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Selected My First Dog – Gus, the Dominance Myth, An Alpha Roll, and a Damaged Relationshiphttp://bit.ly/Things-Gus-Dominance

Thank You, PPG, and Gus Too!http://bit.ly/ThanksPPG-Gus

The PPG and AAHA – Making A Kinder World for Dogs –  http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2017/04/11/the-ppg-and-aaha-making-a-kinder-world-for-dogs/

Podcasts from The Woof Meow Show
( http://woofmeowshow.libsyn.com/ )

 The Pet Professional Guild and the Shock-Free Coalition with Niki Tudgehttp://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2017/09/27/podcast-the-woof-meow-show-the-pet-professional-guild-and-the-shock-free-coalition-with-niki-tudge/

 

Pet Professional Guild (PPG) website
( https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/ )

Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Find An Expert pagehttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Zip-Code-Search

Pet Professional Guild Guiding Principleshttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/PPGs-Guiding-Principles

Pet Professional Guild Code of Ethical Conducthttps://petprofessionalguild.com/Code-Of-Ethical-Conduct

Pet Professional Guild Position Statementshttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Position-Statements

PPG Position Statement on Breed Specific Legislationhttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Breed-Specific-Legislation

PPG Position Statement on Dominance Theory in Animal Traininghttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/DominanceTheoryPositionStatement

PPG Position Statement on The Reality of TV Dog Traininghttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Realitydogtrainingpositionstatement

PPG Position Statement on The Use of Choke and Prong Collarshttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/chokeandprongcollarpositionstatement

PPG Position Statement on The Use of Shock in Animal Traininghttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/shockcollars

PPG Position Statement on Cat Declawinghttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Statement-on-Cat-Declawing

PPG FREE Membership for Pet Ownershttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Owner-Members

PPG Barks from the Guildhttps://barksfromtheguild.com/

PPG Canine Article Archiveshttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Canine-Archives

PPG Feline Article Archiveshttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Feline-Archives

PPG Junior Membershiphttps://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Junior-Members

________________________________________________________________________
Don Hanson is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop ( greenacreskennel.com ) in Bangor, Maine, where he has been helping people with their pets since 1995. He is also the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. Don is a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP), Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), Associate Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (ACCBC), and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). He is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG). Don is committed to PPG’s Guiding Principles and the Pain-Free, Force-Free, and Fear-Free training, management, and care of all pets. He serves on the PPG Steering Committee and Advocacy Committee and is the Chair of The Shock-Free Coalition ( shockfree.org ). Don produces and co-hosts a weekly radio show and podcast, The Woof Meow Show, that airs on Z62 Retro Radio WZON (AM620) and WKIT 103.3-HD3 and is streamed at http://bit.ly/AM620-WZON every Saturday at 9 AM. Podcasts of the show are available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and Don’s blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com.  The opinions in this post are those of Don Hanson.

©20SEP20, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
< Click for Copyright and Use Policy >

Maine Pet Care Professionals That We Recommend

< Updated 19NOV19 >

< A Short Link for this page –  http://bit.ly/MEPetPros >

Before recommending another pet care professional or pet-related business or non-profit organization, I need to know that when I do so that they will NEVER intentionally use or recommend anything designed to cause a pet pain or fear. Preferably I will know this based on personal experience with someone, but I may also rely on their being a member of The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) as their membership requires them to abide by the  PPG’s Guiding Principles.

The pet care professionals listed below are all individuals in Maine that are either members of the PPG or that I know are committed to the philosophy of No Pain, No Force, and No Fear.

When looking for a pet care professional, I recommend that you use the Find A Professional feature at the PPG website.

If you are a pet care professional or pet-related business or organization in Maine and want to be included in this, please contact me.

Membership in the PPG and the corresponding compliance with The Guiding Principles are a critical factor in determining who I recommend.  – Don Hanson, The Woof Meow Show, & Green Acres Kennel Shop.

Veterinary Behaviorists

Maine Veterinary Medical Center
Christine Calder, DVM, DACV
Patricia Koven, LVT, KPA-CTP
Scarborough, 885-1290
https://www.mvmc.vet/vets/Christine-Calder

Dog Trainers & Behavior Consultants

Bessey’s Positive Paws
Erin Bessey CPDT-KA
Whitefield, 485-0851
besseyspositivepaws.com

Canine Behavior Counseling
Judy Moore CDBC, CPDT-KA
Cumberland, 232-5007
caninebehaviorcounseling.com

Canine Insights
Breanna Norris KPA-CTP
Pittsfield/Waterville, 487-1361
canineinsightsllc.com

Center for Canine Excellence
Lisa Walker CBATI, CCC
Freeport, 653-0993
centerforcanineexcellence.com

Gooddogz Training
Nancy Freedman-Smith CDBC, CBATI
Scarborough 671-2522
gooddogztraining.com

Green Acres Kennel Shop
Don Hanson CDBC, CPDT-KA
Kate Dutra, CPDT-KA
Lindsay Ware, CPDT-KA
Ashley Charpentier
Nicole Crocker
Bangor, 945-6841
greenacreskennel.com
Words-woofs-meows.com
WoofMeowShow.com

Haulin Aus Dog Training
Patricia Koven, LVT, KPA-CTP
Gardiner/Augusta
haulinausdogtraining@gmail.com

Keep Your Pet
Royan Bartley
Rockport, 975-4605
keepyourpet.net

Mr. Dog Training
Sara Sokol
West Bath, 798-1232
mrdogtraining.com

Oh My Dog!
Annette MacNair
Camden, 542-1843
Oh, My Dog!

Pawsitive Canine Care & Training
KT Bernard CPDT-KA
Windham, 893-8676
PawsitiveCanineCare.com

PupStart
Diana Logan CPDT-KA
North Yarmouth, 252-9352
dianalogan.com

Raising Canine Dog Training
Mallory Hattie CPDT-KA
Scarborough, 642-3693
raisingcaninemaine.com

Right on the Mark Dog Training
Stephani Morancie
Belfast, 355-4094
RightOnTheMarkDogTraining

Salty Dogs Obedience
Whitney Thurston
Blue Hill, 659-9547
saltydogsobedience.com 

Sit Stay Play
Larissa Savage
Freeport, 751-9458
sitstayplaymaine.com

The Capable Canine
Jessica Robichaud, CPDT-KA
Arundel, 604-0480
http://www.thecapablecanine.com/

The Familiar Canine
Naomi Smith CPDT-KA
South Berwick, 251-8168
thefamiliarcanine.com

The Silver Paws Project
Jessica O’Donoghue
752-2500
silverpawsproject.org

Tree Frog Farm Dog Training
Elizabeth Langham
North Yarmouth, 837-1613
treefrogfarmdogtraining.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maine Dog Trainers That We Recommend

< A Short Link for this pagehttp://bit.ly/MEDogTrnrs >

The dog training professionals and the facilities where they practice listed below are committed to the care, management and training of pets that is free of pain, force, and fear and are members of The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) who have agreed to abide by PPG’s Guiding Principles.

When asked by clients to recommend other pet care professionals, the first place I look is PPG’s membership directory. Membership in the PPG and the corresponding compliance with The Guiding Principles are a critical factor in determining who we recommend.  – Don Hanson, The Woof Meow Show, & Green Acres Kennel Shop.

Bessey’s Positive Paws
Erin Bessey CPDT-KA
Whitefield, 485-0851
https://www.besseyspositivepaws.com/

Canine Behavior Counseling
Judy Moore CDBC, CPDT-KA
Cumberland, 232-5007
https://caninebehaviorcounseling.com/

Canine Insights
Breanna Norris KPA-CTP
Pittsfield/Waterville, 487-1361
https://www.canineinsightsllc.com/

Center for Canine Excellence
Lisa Walker CBATI, CCC
Freeport, 653-0993
http://centerforcanineexcellence.com/

Gooddogz Training
Nancy Freedman-Smith CDBC, CBATI
Scarborough 671-2522
https://www.gooddogztraining.com/

Green Acres Kennel Shop
Don Hanson CDBC, CPDT-KA
Kate Dutra, CPDT-KA
Ashley Charpentier
Sarah Vickers
Lindsay Ware
Bangor, 945-6841
https://www.greenacreskennel.com/

Keep Your Pet
Royan Bartley
Rockport, 975-4605
https://www.keepyourpet.net/

Mr. Dog Training
Sara Sokol
West Bath, 798-1232
http://mrdogtraining.com/index.html

Oh My Dog!
Annette MacNair
Camden, 542-1843
http://www.ohdog.us/

Pawsitive Canine Care & Training
KT Bernard CPDT-KA
Windham, 893-8676
https://www.pawsitivecaninecare.com/

Pawsitive Play
Christina Loveland-Dupuis
New Gloucester, 619-2414
https://www.facebook.com/PawsitivePlayME/

PupStart
Diana Logan CPDT-KA
North Yarmouth, 252-9352
http://dianalogan.com/

Raising Canine Dog Training
Mallory Hattie CPDT-KA
Scarborough, 642-3693
https://raisingcaninemaine.com/

Right on the Mark Dog Training
Stephani Morancie
Belfast, 355-4094
https://www.facebook.com/RightOnTheMarkDogTraining/

Salty Dogs Obedience
Whitney Thurston
Blue Hill, 659-9547
http://saltydogsobedience.com/

Sit Stay Play
Larissa Savage
Freeport, 751-9458
https://www.sitstayplaymaine.com/

The Capable Canine
Jessica Robichaud, CPDT-KA
Arundel, 604-0480
http://www.thecapablecanine.com/

The Familiar Canine
Naomi Smith CPDT-KA
South Berwick, 251-8168
https://www.thefamiliarcanine.com/

The Silver Paws Project
Jessica O’Donoghue
752-2500
https://silverpawsproject.org/

Tree Frog Farm Dog Training
Elizabeth Langham
North Yarmouth, 837-1613
https://www.treefrogfarmdogtraining.com/