Don Hanson:  

I was born in Reedsburg, WI, in 1957, spent a year in Wyoming, and grew up in Madison, WI. I attended Badger Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Lincoln Middle School, and Robert M. La Follette High School. At La Follette, was very involved in Student Council, The Lance, Drama Club, and Forensics. I attended UW-Madison for three semesters and then transferred to the Wisconsin School of Electronics, where I graduated with an AS in Electronic Engineering Technology in 1979. I married Paula Klump in 1978. In 1979, I started working for The Burdick Corporation in Milton, WI, as a Technical Writer. Paula and I moved to Janesville, WI, where we bought our first home. I left Burdick as a Product Manager in 1986 when I started working for the Lunar Corporation in Madison, WI, also as a Product Manager. Paula and I lived in an apartment in Monona until we sold our home in Janesville and then purchased a home in McFarland. While working at Lunar, I also became involved with the Madison Audubon Society, serving on its Board of Directors for seven years, four of which I served as President. I left Lunar in 1995 as its Manager of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance. In 1995, we purchased the Green Acres Kennel Shop and moved three dogs and three senior parents from McFarland, Wisconsin, to our new home and business1400 miles away in Bangor, Maine. Green Acres offers boarding, daycare, grooming, training classes, behavioral consultations, and the sale of wholesome pet food and quality supplies. We have consistently been voted the best kennel, pet store, dog trainer, and pet groomer in the region for several years. In 2021, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I launched a separate business, ForceFreePets.com, whose mission is to provide humane, ethical, and science-based education for people who work with or include a pet as a family member. I am a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A), accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board, and am also a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Community involvement is very important to me, and I was honored to have served on the Board of the Madison Audubon Society from 1989 through 1995, four years as its President, while we lived in Wisconsin. After spending a year in Maine, I was asked to serve on the Board of the Bangor Humane Society, which I did for 15 years, five of which I served as its President. I became involved with the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) in 1998 when Dr. Ian Dunbar asked me to serve on the new Education Committee. I served on that committee until we launched the Certification Council for Professional Dog Tr...Expand for more