We are living in a day and age when our relationships with pets has never been more important to us. We are realizing the value they add to our lives every day. Anyone that has a therapy dog or cat can attest to this. So it only stands to reason that we want caring and qualified people to care for them when we have to take them to a veterinarian or grooming salon or boarding facility.
Many things can go wrong in pet facilities and accidents can happen when you have people mixed with animals and sharp objects. It doesn’t matter if you are in a veterinary clinic, grooming salon or a daycare/boarding facility, life can happen. The risk can be great and no one feels that more than caring and qualified pet care providers.
That is why looking for businesses and individuals who are educated in their pet care field is important. We expect our veterinarians to have an education in knowing about the physical health of Fido or Whiskers and how to keep them healthy, but do we demand that from the many other pet care providers around them? Veterinary Technicians are required to have education and certifications in order to care for our pets safely and properly. We should not expect any less from our salon, dog daycare and boarding technicians.
Education and certification prove that the people you hand your pets over to, care enough about them and you to spend valuable time and money to learn and then be tested by national and international boards of experienced individuals, to safely and lovingly care for your animals. We want to know our airline pilots and mechanics know how to keep us safe when flying. We want to know our favorite food service provider knows how to safely handle our dinner as he brings it to us. We know these things because we understand that they are required to have education, certifications or licenses to prove they know what they are doing in their particular industry.
While it is not required by law yet for most pet care providers to have education and certification, except for veterinarians and veterinarian technicians, it is a great indicator of the care you should expect from your pet care facility. We all want to know that the individuals and facilities as a whole have proven themselves to be able to take care of our four-legged family members safely and beautifully.
So the next time you drop your dog or cat off at the grooming salon, dog daycare or boarding facility, ask them about the staff’s education. Ask them about their certifications and the processes used to achieve those. Let’s make sure everyone is cared for safely with the highest standards of professionalism available.