Written by Tara Crouse, PACCC Board Member
Wow! We can’t believe 2020 has come to a close. It’s certainly been an interesting one. Although the year didn’t play out as planned, PACCC was still able to spread the importance of independent, third-party certification and continued education in a number of fun ways. We also had several people sit for PACCC exams! Here is a wrap-up of the year:
2020 kicked off strong for PACCC with an educational Webinar presented by Annette Uda of Pet Airapy. Titled, Infection Control and Prevention to Protect the Pets, Your Staff, and Your Pet Care Business, the webinar covered a great deal of information important for anyone in the pet care industry.
In the Winter of 2020, PACCC board members attended our only live event for the year in New Orleans for the ODD (Owner’s of Dog Daycares) Ball. We had a wonderful time on the vendor floor, which was a first-time feature of the annual conference. We saw friends and also met several Owner’s and Managers of Dog Daycares who were interested in learning more about PACCC.
Although Spring 2020 was a slower time for PACCC, we co-hosted a webinar with The Dog Gurus on How to Avoid Pet Tragedies in Your Pet Care Business. PACCC also had its first virtual booth at the Dog Gurus Rebuild, Rebound and Recover conference., where we were able to answer questions about PACCC via chat.
In the Summer of 2020, PACCC held its first Best Practices Collaboration session for Certified Professionals only. PACCC also held a webinar to end the Summer, which was hosted by IBPSA Founder and CEO, Carmen Rustenbeck. Carmen walked us through Recent Trends in the Pet Care Industry.
In the Fall, PACCC had a booth at IBPSA’s first virtual Pet Care Conference. Although we are used to traveling every year to the conference, it was still a success for PACCC. PACCC Board Chair, Kari Campbell, was interviewed on a Facebook Live session the week before the conference where she spoke about the importance of independent certification in the Pet Care industry. During the conference, Board members Amy Hillis, Tara Crouse and Stephanie Shipley each presented different topics at the conference while Stephanie also co-hosted the event.
To kick off the Winter season, PACCC offered a Best Practices session to Certified Professionals only, and was titled, “Navigating the Holiday Season”. In early December, our end of year webinar hosted by Jamie Engerdahl was held on Decompression in Pets and Professionals. Jamie is a seasoned Dog Trainer who will also be joining the PACCC Board in 2021.
Although this year was challenging for many in the Pet Care industry, some were able to use the down-time as an opportunity to study for a PACCC exam. In 2020, there were 23 people who passed the Pet Care Provider Exam, 6 passed the Manager one and 7 passed the Operator Exam. Congratulations to those who conquered the certification and are now #partofthepaccc!
2021 is already looking strong for PACCC and its members, with many planned webinars, events and more. We will be welcoming new board members and will continue to offer several opportunities to earn CEU credits. Be sure to follow our Facebook Page and Instagram Account for frequent updates and visit paccert.org for testing dates, practice exams, registration information, study tips, Newsletters and so much more!