What is ABKA?
A characteristic common to all professional pet care providers is a deep love and respect for animals.
This is their basic motivation for establishing their businesses. In 1977, however, a dedicated
group of boarding facility operators recognized that the love of animals, by itself, was not enough
to guarantee the development of professional standards of pet care within the industry. Also needed
were educational opportunities for pet care professionals, to enable them to stay abreast of developments
in pet care, and some method of establishing and promoting a high level of ethical conduct
within the industry. To achieve these goals, these concerned boarding facility operators founded
ABKA.
Today, ABKA has a membership of approximately 3,000 pet care providers throughout the U.S.
and abroad. By means of its publications, conventions, seminars, regional meetings, ethics program,
certification program for pet care facility operators, accreditation program for facilities, and industry
committees the association helps members to develop and maintain the highest professional
business standards. This, in turn, enables ABKA members to offer you, the pet owner, the most
knowledgeable, ethical pet care available anywhere.
What does it mean to board your pet at an ABKA accredited pet care facility?
When you board your pet at an ABKA accredited boarding kennel, you know that you are dealing with a pet care facility that complies with all of the "Standards of Excellence" required by the ABKA Voluntary Facilities Accreditation Program (VFA Program). This is the only pet industry program which enables participating boarding kennels to demonstrate their commitment to exceptional pet care.
The VFA Program is administered by ABKA, the international trade association for the owners and operators of commerical pet care facilites, and offers you, the pet owner, the comfort of knowing that the accredited facility you are using has earned the ABKA "stamp of approval" by successfully completing this comprehensive program.
Boarding facilities that participate in the VFA Program must submit detailed information on their animal care procedures and business policies to ABKA. They must also open their facility to an on-site inspection by trained VFA evaluators, to verify compliance with the standards of excellence that the program specifies.
The program standards include over 200 detailed requirements for boarding facilities that were developed by ABKA over a five-year period. These standards reflect the veiws of kennel operators, veterinarians, pet owners, and humane organizations and thus represent the current "state of the art" in animal care and management.
What are the procedures involved in the VFA Program?
Boarding facilites that enroll in the program must first submit extensive and detailed documentation showing that their business procedures and policies conform to the requirements of the VFA Program.
When the VFA Committee has verified that all of the preliminary materials meet the program requirements, the applicant may then request an on-site evaluation of their facility.
The on-site evaluation is conducted by a VFA trained kennel operator. When the evaluation has been successfully completed, and is in compliance with the program standards, a "Certificate of Accreditation" is issued to the applicant.
But the process does not stop here! The program standards are continuously updated and the facility must repeat the entire process every five years in order to maintain accreditation.
How can a pet owner learn more about the Accreditation program?
Pet owners who would like to learn more about the VFA Program are encouraged to contact the headquarters of ABKA for information about obtaining a full copy of the Accreditation Standards.
1702 E. Pikes Peak Ave
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Toll Free: 877-570-7788
Phone: 719-667-1600
Fax: 719-667-0116
Web: www.abka.com
Email: info@abka.com
When you see the VFA Accreditation Ribbon displayed in a pet care facility, you can be assured that you are entrusting your beloved pet to the care of a dedicated leader in the industry...A facility which meets all of the industry standards for pet care.