This page is a collaboration of members of The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) and other dog lovers who reside in the state of Maine. We have taken the Shock-Free Coalition pledge, “…an initiative that aims to build an international movement committed to eliminating shock devices once and for all in the care, training and management of pets.”
Members of the Shock-Free Coalition of Maine are working together to educate pet parents, and pet care professionals about the importance of ensuring pet animals live in nurturing and stable environments to better prevent behavior problems. In this effort, it is our position that the use of electrical stimulation, or “shock” or “e-collars,” to train and/or modify the behavior of pet animals is not necessary for effective behavior modification or training and damaging to the animal.
We are not alone in taking this position. The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) in their AAHA 2015 Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines have both taken positions stating that shock collars should NEVER be used to train or manage pets.
To learn more about why shock collars are not good options for dogs, click to read Don’s article The Unintended Consequences of Shock Collars at or click here to read the article as a PDF file.
Please Be Part of Our Ad in Downeast Dog News
As the next step in our educational effort, we are raising funds to run an ad in an upcoming issue of Down East Dog News. This ad will list pet care professionals (animal shelters, boarding kennels, breeders, daycares, dog walkers, groomers, humane societies, pet photographers, pet-related media, pet sitters, pet store or other places you buy pet food and supplies, rescues. Shelters, veterinarians, and more.) who have taken the pledge to be shock-free and who have donated to this effort.
All donations will be accepted. I do ask for a minimum of $10 if you want your name and city listed in the ad, $25 if you want your name, business name, and city listed in the ad, and $50 if you want your business logo, business name, city, address, phone number, and website to appear in the ad. We are not a non-profit, so donations are not tax deductible.
I hope that the ad will raise awareness and will encourage other pet care professionals and pet parents also to take the pledge, to donate for future ads, and to join the Pet Professional Guild and its members in Maine, in our educational and advocacy efforts.
To add your name to the list of Mainer’s supporting the Shock-Free Coalition, complete the Google Form or click on the graphic to the left.
Click on the Gold button to donate or look below for more information.