diff --git a/redis/connection.py b/redis/connection.py
index 004c7a6f78..6b6a8faed1 100755
--- a/redis/connection.py
+++ b/redis/connection.py
@@ -534,6 +534,20 @@ def disconnect(self):
             pass
         self._sock = None
 
+    def shutdown_socket(self):
+        """
+        Shutdown the socket hold by the current connection, called from
+        the connection pool class u other manager to singal it that has to be
+        disconnected in a thread safe way. Later the connection instance
+        will get an error and will call `disconnect` by it self.
+        """
+        try:
+            self._sock.shutdown(socket.SHUT_RDWR)
+        except AttributeError:
+            # either _sock attribute does not exist or
+            # connection thread removed it.
+            pass
+
     def send_packed_command(self, command):
         "Send an already packed command to the Redis server"
         if not self._sock:
@@ -953,7 +967,7 @@ def disconnect(self):
         all_conns = chain(self._available_connections,
                           self._in_use_connections)
         for connection in all_conns:
-            connection.disconnect()
+            connection.shutdown_socket()
 
 
 class BlockingConnectionPool(ConnectionPool):
@@ -1072,4 +1086,4 @@ def release(self, connection):
     def disconnect(self):
         "Disconnects all connections in the pool."
         for connection in self._connections:
-            connection.disconnect()
+            connection.shutdown_socket()
diff --git a/tests/test_connection_pool.py b/tests/test_connection_pool.py
index 11c20080a9..2a764a0df4 100644
--- a/tests/test_connection_pool.py
+++ b/tests/test_connection_pool.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 from __future__ import with_statement
+from mock import Mock
+
 import os
 import pytest
 import redis
@@ -69,6 +71,30 @@ def test_repr_contains_db_info_unix(self):
         expected = 'ConnectionPool<UnixDomainSocketConnection<path=/abc,db=1>>'
         assert repr(pool) == expected
 
+    def test_disconnect_active_connections(self):
+
+        class MyConnection(redis.Connection):
+
+            connect_calls = 0
+
+            def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+                super(MyConnection, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+                self.register_connect_callback(self.count_connect)
+
+            def count_connect(self, connection):
+                MyConnection.connect_calls += 1
+
+        pool = self.get_pool(connection_class=MyConnection)
+        r = redis.StrictRedis(connection_pool=pool)
+        r.ping()
+        pool.disconnect()
+        r.ping()
+
+        # If the connection is not disconnected by the pool the
+        # callback belonging to Connection will be called just
+        # one time.
+        assert MyConnection.connect_calls == 2
+
 
 class TestBlockingConnectionPool(object):
     def get_pool(self, connection_kwargs=None, max_connections=10, timeout=20):