Tasty little updates on what’s happening with the PACCC!

How long have you been working with animals?
I began my journey of working with animals at UW Madison, doing some grooming work with the horses they had there in 2014. I then started working at The Dog Den to work as a dog daycare attendant at the end of 2015.
Why did you choose to become PACCC certified?
I chose to become PACCC certified in order to advance at The Dog Den, but also to truly show that I know my stuff when it comes to animal care.
You hold 2 certifications, Provider and Manager. What inspired you to seek both levels of certification?
I wanted to achieve both CPACP and CPACM certifications in order to show that The Dog Den is one of the best dog daycare facilities in the state.
Why do you feel that certification is important in the pet care/pet services industry?
In a world where animal care is widely unregulated, it is extremely important to me and The Dog Den to become certified. We can show our clients that we have a better understanding of animal care.
Would you encourage others in the industry to become certified? Why?
I would highly recommend getting certified through the PACCC, so we can start raising the bar for animal care and make sure we are taking care of the animals to the best of our ability.
How did you tell your friends, family, customers, etc. that you obtained your PACCC certification?
Through social media posts on my own personal Facebook and my boss posted it to our business social accounts.
How did you prepare for the exam?
I prepared for the exams with coworkers who were also taking the tests around the same time as me and we used the recommended study materials from the PACCC.
Do you have any words of wisdom for others who might be considering PACCC certification?
My piece of advice is that if you are thinking of taking the test, but have cold feet, take the plunge and if you don’t pass the test the first time, spend some more time studying and then come back and ace it!

Podcast

Late last year, PACCC Board Chair, Stephanie Shipley, was a guest on Joe Zuccarello’s podcast, ‘Hey Joe!’, to discuss continued education and certification in the Pet Care Industry. Check it out here.

ODD Ball

VMX

Welcome New PACCC Board Members

Meet Janie

Janie Budnick founded 4-Legged Kids, Inc in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1997 after nearly a decade of animal education including pursuing her Bachelor’s in Animal Science at Mizzou and veterinary technician training. 4-Legged Kids provides dog walking and pet sitting services as St. Louis’ largest staffed in-home pet care service. 4-Legged Kids exists to maintain and support the connection between pets and people because Life With Pets is Life Well Lived ™. The Company’s mission combines love for the amazing pets and families of St Louis with the social responsibility necessary to provide for those homeless animals not as fortunate. Their One-for One business model provides a meal to a local homeless pet for every service provided. Janie has spent the last two decades working directly with local rescue, from personally pulling dogs and puppies from death row and preparing them for fosters, to serving on the governing board of Open Door Animal Sanctuary, the largest no-kill shelter in the State of Missouri. She is also mama to four cats and four “2-legged kids”. Her expertise in the industry has led her to develop online education and strategic planning courses for other dog walkers and pet sitters. She is excited to be part of the change that PACCC is bringing to the in-home pet care industry.

Meet Jenn

Jenn Dahinten became the owner, operator of Royal Pets Hotel and Enrichment in 2009 and founded the charitable “Racers Fund”, for retired service dogs shortly after. Having been a pet parent and client of pet care facilities on four different continents she relished the opportunity to provide the kind of loving care, expertise and professionalism that she always felt our fur family deserved. Before joining the pet care industry, Jenn first was a paramedic (human). Jenn studied Biochemistry at University of Guelph, Ambulance and Emergency Care at Conestoga College, and then Advanced Life Support Paramedic (L3) at the University of Natal. During her years of providing air/ground emergency care across continental Africa, Europe and the UK, Jenn was also active in providing veterinary assistance at local small animal practices and shelters. During a subsequent career in pharmaceutical sales, marketing and training, Jenn returned to Canada and there discovered her calling in the pet care and education industry. From the start Jenn has been an advocate for fear free practices across grooming and training and has ensured that Royal Pets has been at the forefront of setting the standard in pet care. Royal Pets has been a part of both the IBPSA and The Dog Gurus since their inception and is proud to be active members of the APDT, Fear Free ™ Organization and PACCC. Jenn continues to provide education and training opportunities locally and within her industry and continues to champion for continuing education, certification, regulation and professionalism as some of the many necessary means to guarantee our pets get the care and attention they deserve.

Meet Tracy

Tracy Marcotullio has been with the Oromocto and Area SPCA in Oromocto, NB for 25 years, since June 1997 as the Manager and Animal Behavior Consultant. Her many years of experience have contributed to her passion for understanding the role of animal shelters and to better help the Oromocto and Area SPCA be on the forefront of animal welfare. Tracy’s current focus is spearheading current and new community outreach programs such as low cost spay/neuter programs, access to low cost/no cost veterinary, no cost grooming programs, vaccine clinics for First Nations Communities, Kibble Food Bank to name a few. Tracy and her husband, Dave are part of the local military community and they live with their 3 cats, Julio, Beans and Nacho and their 2 dogs, Cholo, a corgi.chihuahua mix and Shaymus, a dachshund. All adopted from the Oromocto and Area SPCA. Tracy hopes to use her knowledge and passion to help others in the animal sheltering field become well respected, knowledgeable experts through PACCC certification and continuing education.

Welcome our 2022 Sponsors

PACCC Certified Professionals have established themselves as the Best of the Best in pet care so it should be no surprise that, in 2021, PACCC went in search of supporters who also represented the Best of the Best with their products and services. Researching and aligning with these organizations help us to increase the awareness of PACCC within the pet professional and pet parent communities. We highly recommend their products and services so, when searching for the highest quality, be sure to check out our selected sponsors. As a non-profit organization, PACCC relies heavily on the support of our sponsors and we are very thankful for each and every relationship with these wonderful organizations.

Diamond Level Sponsor

• Gingr Software – gingrapp.com

Platinum Level Sponsor

• PetTech First Aid & CPR – pettech.net

Gold Level Sponsor

• International Boarding and Pet services Association (IBPSA) – ibpsa.com
• The Dog Gurus – thedoggurus.com

Silver Level Sponsor

• Fetchfind – fetchfind.com
• Kuranda Dog Beds – kuranda.com
• Cintas – cintas.com
• Paragon School of Pet Grooming – paragonpetschool.com
• Gator Kennels – gatorkennels.com

Bronze Level Sponsor

• Aerapy – aerapy.com
• Puppy Playground – puppyplayground.com
• Natura – natura-turf.com

A Word from our Diamond Sponsor – Gingr

Gingr is proud to sponsor PACCC. Our team shares PACCC’s mission to promote education and certification throughout the animal care industry.

Made by pet lovers, for pet lovers, Gingr serves all types of pet-care businesses. With over 4.12 million pets and 3.24 million users across dozens of countries, it’s no wonder Gingr is the top pet-care software on the market today.

Over the last few months, Gingr has made some exciting releases:

• Sales receipt + QuickBooks export
• Customer portal and pet parent mobile app
• Gingr Payments integrated payment processing system

Here’s a sneak peek at 2022:

• Dedicated phone support
• Improved grooming and training appointment booking workflows
• Specialist reporting
• Revamped facility calendar

We look forward to an amazing 2022!