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Learn All About Celebrating Life Together—PPG’s 2024 Advocacy Event!


Listen to this fun-filled discussion about PPG’s upcoming advocacy event, Celebrating Life Together, taking place in August and September 2024!  Learn how you can help raise awareness for humane, ethical, and effective pet training and care, and win amazing prizes!  Listen to the podcast on a choice of platforms here. Or simply click on the “play” button below. Recorded June 4, 2024


PPG Advocacy Panel: How Do We Turn Prospects Into Clients?


Listen as the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses ways to turn prospects into clients. Your Moderator: ⁠PPG Advocacy Task Force⁠ Chair Don Hanson Your Panelists: Dr. Eduardo Fernandez, Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Beth Adelman, Daniel Antolec, Allison Hunter-Frederick, Judy Luther, Sandra Machado, Debbie Sheridan, and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded May 15, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.


Chat & Chuckle with Michelle Martiya About Working With Hybrid Cats


Savannahs and Bengals (and spraying) … oh my! Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Michelle Martiya about working with hybrid cats! Michelle Martiya is an ABI certified exotic animal trainer who works with canines, equids, and exotic species. Michelle specializes in connecting and building relationships with fearful and feral equids, combining her natural ”way” with animals and her many years of experience, with a robust education in animal behavior and training. Michelle’s animal experience includes both domestic and exotic species, and she currently coaches… Continued


Pet Professional Guild Announces New Event Titled Celebrating Life Together—A Pet-Approved Event


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paula GarberEmail: [email protected]: petprofessionalguild.comSocial Media: Facebook, Twitter Pet Professional Guild Announces New Event Titled Celebrating Life Together—A Pet-Approved EventThe August event includes a three-day virtual education event and a month-long community outreach competition whose aim is to saturate social media and local communities with fun, effective pet training and care protocols for pet professionals and pet owners. The Villages, Fla. – May 10, 2024 — The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has announced a two-part event called Celebrating Life Together—A Pet-Approved Event to raise awareness for humane,… Continued


Chat & Chuckle with Katlyn Grayson About Making Modifications for Cats With Mobility Issues


Cats with limited mobility need an environment that accommodates their need. Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Katlyn Grayson about making modifications for cats with mobility issues. Katlyn Grayson is a Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP), Licensed Family Dog Mediator (LFDM), CertifiedProfessional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (CCBC). She is the owner of Pets Knead Peace in Northeast Ohio providing in-person and virtual behavior assistance for dogs, cats and their guardians.  She began her behavior journey when she started working in animal shelters in 2009. Since then, she… Continued


PPG Advocacy Panel: Conversations About Compassionate Care and Connection with Dr. Laura Donaldson


You don’t want to miss this special episode! It’s the first for a new Advocacy Task Force program called Conversations About Compassionate Care and Connection. These special Advocacy Panels feature a special guest and two co-hosts.  The special guest for this Advocacy Panel is Dr. Laura Donaldson! Your Co-hosts: Judy Luther and Debbie Sheridan Your Moderator: ⁠PPG Advocacy Task Force⁠ Chair Don Hanson Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded April 17, 2024. Find out… Continued


Chat & Chuckle with Suzanne Clothier About the Functional Assessment Tracking (FAT) App


Watch Niki Tudge and Judy Luther chat and chuckle with Suzanne Clothier about the Functional Assessment Tracking (FAT) app. The recording is FREE to all! See below for the link to register. Read on for more information about the FAT app FAT (Functional Assessment Tracking) is an online assessment tool that views the dog as a functional being across these dimensions: Functional behaviors are the behaviors of daily life necessary for a dog’s well-being. Functional behaviors contribute to the animal’s quality of life and are important to health and well-being,… Continued


PPG Advocacy Panel: Unrealistic Expectations: Where Do They Come From and How Do We Diffuse Them?


In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses unrealistic expectations for pets, where those expectations come from, and how to diffuse them. Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion: Dr. Karolina Westlund, Daniel Antolec, Kristi Benson, Kim Silver and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded March 20, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.


Chat & Chuckle with Beth Adelman About Shifting Perspectives About Cat Behavior


Change can be good, especially when it comes to understanding cats better! Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Beth Adelman about shifting people’s perspectives about cat behavior. Beth Adelman, MS, is a Cat Behavior Consultant in Brooklyn, New York. Beth is currrently on the executive committee of the Pet Professional Guild’s Feline Division, and was a founding member of the Cat Division of the IAABC. She is the former editor in chief of Cats magazine and DogWorld and former cat columnist for the New York Post. She currently is a… Continued


PPG Advocacy Panel: Changing a Pet’s Behavior by Changing Human Behavior


In this episode, the PPG Advocacy Panel discusses changing a pet’s behavior by changing human behavior. Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Task Force Chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion: Dr. Zazie Todd, Dr. Karolina Westlund, Beth Adelman, Daniel Antolec, Judy Luther, Sandra Machado, Pat Miller, Debbie Sheridan and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Recorded February 21, 2024. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.


Membership Types and Access


Doggone safe only has one public membership, which is the Individual Member. This membership provides access to lots of educational resources, and we thank those of you who are Individual Members and are providing education in your local community. The other two memberships require knowledge and skills, and for anyone wanting to take their education to the next level, we encourage you to participate in either the Be a Tree Program or the Dog Bite Prevention Educator program. You can find the links on your member landing page. When ready,… Continued


Welcome to Your New Website


Welcome! Welcome to the new website. We hope you can find everything you need. Please do not hesitate to ask if you need help or support.


Submitting Your Assessment Results – Assessor Updates


We have made the following updates to the Instructor/Assessor Guide Page 10 Submitting Your Assessment Results Key Changes Are: PDA Guardians are not automatically added to the directory, as many do not want or need to be listed. This gives them a choice. If a PDA Guardian wants to be listed, you can send them the correct registration links and then they can add themselves.


Chat & Chuckle with Kate Benjamin About Environmental Enrichment for Cats


You’ll feel enriched after listening to Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison chat and chuckle with the incredible Kate Benjamin about environmental enrichment for cats! Founder of the cat style brand Hauspanther, Kate has been writing about cats and design since 2007. Her website ⁠hauspanther.com⁠ is the top online resource for design-conscious cat lovers. She has been interviewed as a cat style expert by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, NY Daily News, CBS Sunday Morning, O, The Oprah Magazine and many other media outlets.  Kate co-authored with cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy two New York… Continued


Chat & Chuckle with Mary Stevens About How Cat Consultants Can Build Relationships with Veterinary Practices


Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Mary Stevens about how cat consultants can build relationships with veterinary practices. Shortly after Mary graduated from Villa Julie College with a degree in biology, she fell upon a job in veterinary medicine. She has now been a veterinary technician for almost two decades, and in 2022 she began her journey into feline behavior. Mary studied the basics of feline behavior and training through Animal Behavior College, receiving her certificate in December 2022. She began her mentorship with… Continued


PPG Advocacy Panel: Are We Trainers or Teachers? What Best Describes What We Do for Our Clients?


Listen as the PPG Advocacy Panel answers the questions, “Are we trainers or teachers? What best describes what we do for our clients?” Your Moderator: PPG Advocacy Division Chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion: Beth Adelman, Judy Luther, Sandra Machado, Kim Silver, and Sam Wike Enjoy listening to the Advocacy Panel’s informal, free-flowing discussion! Listen to the podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click the ‘Play’ button below. Find out more about future Advocacy Panel topics and dates.


Tom Candy Is Appointed to PPG’s Steering Committee


The Pet Professional Guild is pleased to announce that it has appointed Tom Candy to its Steering Committee. Tom, a U.K.-based animal behavior professional, will help build the organization in the British Isles. Click here to read the press release.


Chat & Chuckle with T Hamboyan Harrison About Strategies for Handling Fearful Cats


Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with T. Hamboyan Harrison of A Cat’s Purrspective about strategies for handling fearful cats. T Hamboyan Harrison is a cat behavior consultant at A Cat’s Purrspective, LLC. As a disabled person, T especially enjoys helping cats with chronic medical conditions. T has spent over a decade volunteering with cats in local rescues and shelters, and has several cats of their own at home. T has certifications through IAABC (CCBC, ACSB-C) and Fear Free Pets (FFCP, animal trainer) and is… Continued


“A Dog’s View” by Kristy and Jamie Spencer


PPG member Kristy Spencer and her son Jamie have made a short film called, “A Dog’s View.” Jamie is doing a filmmaking degree at the Film School in Manchester.   “The aim of the film is to hopefully help people develop a better understanding of how dogs see their world around them, including all sensory inputs,” said Kristy. “It’s going to be the start of a mini series of films to help express how a dog perceives its world and develop a deeper understanding of why dogs struggle with certain aspects… Continued


Industry News: Update on the U.K. “American XL Bully” Ban


The following update is from Cooper & Co. Solicitors, which specializes in criminal and civil cases involving dogs in England and Wales: The ban is being introduced in stages. The first thing to know is that you should STOP any plans you may have for breeding from an XL Bully, as by the time the puppies are born it will be illegal to sell the puppies (or even give them away). DEFRA has published what it says is the “Official definition of an XL Bully dog” and it summarizes what they… Continued





Chat & Chuckle with Tabitha Kucera About Cooperative Care for Cats


Join Laura Cassiday and Joanna Wachowiak-Finlaison as they chat and chuckle with Tabitha Kucera, RVT, VTS (Behavior), about cooperative care for cats—an important topic since significantly fewer cats than dogs see a veterinarian every year, and cooperative care can make vet visits less stressful and more comprehensive for cats!  Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, VTS (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training… Continued


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