The True Force Behind Professional Pet Care

Certification is a giant step toward pet care services being viewed as a respected profession. The timing is important as the pet services industry continues to grow which leads to more coverage by the media when things go wrong.

In fact, the dark side of serious injury or death of pets in professional pet care was a strong motivating factor for starting the Professional Animal Care Certification Council (PACCC). However, certification alone is not enough to bring professional pet care the respect it deserves.

The true force behind professional pet care is strong industry trade associations.

In the digital age membership in trade associations can seem old school and unnecessary. Trade associations are the traditional resource for business owners to connect, obtain education and share best practices. Over the past 15 years membership in free online chat groups for some has replaced their trade association membership. These are great groups, but we don’t feel they can replace fully the important role of our trade associations.

One of the most important roles of a trade association that may be overlooked is to outsiders they are viewed as the “voice of an industry”.

A trade association is the go-to resource for media and government representatives looking for standards and best practices. Unfortunately, these calls are frequently initiated by a local tragedy that happens at a pet business. The media and government look to the association for answers on what went wrong and how to prevent a future occurrence.

An industry gains respect as a profession from outsiders with high membership numbers in their respective trade associations. In addition to the education and networking opportunities available, being a member of your trade association sends a message that you are a proud and supportive member of your profession.

The Dog Gurus would not exist today if Robin and I had not been members of ABKA, the American Boarding and Kennel Association. We are very grateful to our respective associations for the education and relationships made attending conferences.

Supporting our industry associations remains a priority. Robin is the current chair of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) board of directors and

The Dog Gurus are proud to be vendor partners of the International Boarding and Pet Services Association (IBPSA).

We encourage you to support the organizations that bring professionalism to pet care services by becoming members of IBPSA or APDT, if you are not already. Both organizations hold conferences with educational speakers and great networking opportunities.

Along with PACCC, IBPSA and APDT can always use more volunteers to help them provide more resources to the industry. We challenge our members to choose one organization and volunteer as a way to give back to the industry that allows you the privilege of spending your days with dogs.

PACCC: www.paccert.org, email: info@paccert.org

APDT: www.apdt.com, email: info@apdt.com

IBPSA: www.ibpsa.com, email: membership@ibpsa.com