While recording this year’s special Christmas episode, a surprising phone call came in on the Defender Radio hotline. A reindeer named Agnes (yes, reindeer are Scottish, more on that in the episode) had reached out from the North Pole – with a threat to bring Christmas in Canada to a crashing halt due to how much fur she’d seen this year.

Will Christmas be cancelled this week? Will children and adults alike wake up to find no presents? You’ll have to tune in to this week’s Defender Radio to find out!

Shock collars are inherently inhumane and potentially traumatizing devices used to illicit specific reactions from dogs. For a long time, their use was supported by trainers and veterinarians. But science and the massive combined experience of top trainers have shown them for what they really are – and revealed more effective, humane methods of training.

The Ban Shock Collars movement was introduced to you in an episode last season, but there are some pretty exciting updates to share – not the least of which is that their ePetition is the first to be formally recognized in Canadian history. Any Canadian resident can sign this petition and you just need to follow the links on this week’s blog or hit up banshockcollars.ca to find it.

The group has also gained the support of Olympic figure skater Meagan Duhamel and iconic Canadian environmentalist and activist David Suzuki.

On this week’s episode, we’re talking with Ban Shock Collars.ca spokesperson Lucas Solowey about the movement, the petition, and why Canadians need to get involved. We’re also hearing from renowned dog behavior expert, trainer, and best-selling author Jean Donaldson, about the pitfalls of shock collars and what alternatives exist.