Spring 2009 - National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

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The New NAPPS Certification By: Christi Fries The year 2009 brings pet sitters a series of unfamiliar challenges. How will we market in this new economy? How can we increase profits and maximize value from operational expenses? Many answers can be found by utilizing existing NAPPS member benefits, including the benefit of professional certification. Gain the Edge Certification will let you gain the edge and draw more pet-parent attention to your business. Clients will choose a certified professional first when researching a service provider. In our unregulated industry, obtaining your NAPPS certification will give you recognition as a serious professional who has obtained a high level of expertise through personal study. With the “NAPPS Certified” banner, you gain a competitive advantage in the areas you service. Now Available: The New Certification Program In 2005, the Member Benefits Committee started work on creating an improved certification course. As the scope of the project grew, a new Certification Committee was formed; 10 member volunteers donated thousands of hours performing research, writing articles and questions, data entry, proofreading, and systems testing. Through the efforts of NAPPS members, the design and implementation of the new NAPPS Certification Course was launched in January 2009. This new program was designed by pet sitters for pet sitters; an Advisory Board comprised of pet industry leaders reviewed and contributed material to this unrivaled educational tool. Now is the time to become a leader and obtain your NAPPS Certification. By taking your pet sitting career to the next level, you can reap the benefits of increased revenues and market share, and for less than $6 per month. The course is online, portable, and designed to allow you to study on your schedule. The Benefits of Certification The American Certification Institute states that certified professionals earn “…salaries that are 25 percent to 40 percent higher than those who are not certified.” In obtaining certification, the $10,000 you made in 2008 could be $14,000 in 2009. If your revenues last year were $30,000, becoming certified could take you to $42,000 this year. Many NAPPS members who have already earned their certification gross more than $200,000 per year! Other benefits of certification include: • being perceived as a business that maintains a higher code of ethics • knowledge and skills at a higher level of safety and effectiveness, without close supervision • the ability to charge higher rates • an increase of your value in your market, with instant credibility • being perceived as having a greater level of human resources through certified supervision of staff • recognition of your higher level of knowledge and accomplishments • an awareness of your dedication to continuous improvement and education • a discount on insurance renewal with Business Insurers of the Carolinas • a possible IRS tax deduction under “Self Employment Education” • more opportunities for volunteering and networking in the pet care field If you believe in your professional identity, you can easily sell your higher level of competence! Getting Started The new NAPPS Certification Course is the equivalent of a college semester in time: 16 weeks. When broken down into 60 to 90 minute sessions, three to four times a week, you can easily complete the course in the six months allowed. The course of study includes pet nutrition, health, and behavior of rabbits, cats, dogs, birds, and exotics. An extensive section on business development and management will give you the education you need to start, maintain, and grow your pet sitting business at a professional level. The pet first aid section expands beyond the variety of American Red Cross (ARC) courses offered in many areas; if you’ve completed the ARC program it will be of value in completing this section of NAPPS certification and earning recertification. Getting started is easy; you can begin the course the minute you purchase it at the NAPPS store. Pet first aid materials will be mailed to you while you begin on the pet or business sections of the course; you choose where to start. The program is designed so you can easily focus and the exam questions are in a logical order with no random scrambling. Course material can be printed, but it is not necessary, as it will remain updated in the NAPPS Virtual Library. You’ll save your work as you complete the exam, learning at your own pace. Instant Results = Instant Recognition When you submit your complete exam online, your final score will appear almost instantaneously! No waiting for weeks or months for the results to arrive in the mail. A score of 75 percent is required to pass, and your certification is valid for three years. In addition, you will immediately have access to a downloadable certificate to print and a certified logo for display and use in your marketing materials. You can instantly add it to your own Web site, and a new “NAPPS Certified” banner will be added to your NAPPS locator listing. Continuing Education and Recertification The new NAPPS certification course is a sustainable investment; the Certification Committee will continue to update and expand information as the industry, and pet-care practices, change. During the three-year period you hold certification, you will have many opportunities to earn Continuing Education Units (CEU). Most are low or no cost. CEU activities are assigned a point value, with 30 points needed over the three-year period to become recertified. Members will track and submit evaluation requests, available in the member center. The NAPPS Network • 16
Participation in, and education received from, events such as volunteering on a NAPPS committee, a local shelter or animal-welfare cause, attending the NAPPS annual conference, and taking the American Red Cross pet first aid course are shown in the CEU chart. Many more will be added, and we welcome the voice of all NAPPS members in supplying new activities and events for consideration and inclusion. Certification Course Investment NAPPS members may purchase the full certification course for $200. In addition, your staff may obtain a limited certification for $125, which excludes the business section. The value received in the per-year 10 percent insurance renewal discount may in itself offset the cost of your investment! The non-member certification fee is $300. What other affordable, high value, sustainable education tools will you have access to in the next three years? Certification can help you reap the benefits of increased revenues and market share, at a cost of just $1.28 per week. More information can be found at the NAPPS home page, www.petsitters.org. Click on “About Certification.” Make the Commitment Obtaining your NAPPS Certification demonstrates your dedication to our profession and industry, as well as to your clients and their pets. NAPPS Certification is one of the invaluable member benefits that will allow you to gain the edge, become a leader, and reap the benefits! Christi Fries is the owner of Terrapin Pets LLC, in Beltsville, MD, chair of the NAPPS Certification Committee, and winner of the NAPPS 2009 Business of the Year and a Member in Action awards. ■ Book Notes By: Debra Farrington Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned, Cathy Scott, Howell Book House, 2008 None of us who care about the welfare of animals will forget the wrenching scenes of animals abandoned during hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Cathy Scott, now a writer for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, went to Louisiana to document the disaster for Best Friends, and helped with animal rescue along the way. This book is a collection of stories about those animals, the extraordinary efforts made by Best Friends, as well as other rescue organizations, to rescue and care for them, and efforts to reunite as many as possible with their people. Keep your tissues handy as you read; there will be tears of both sadness and joy. But as pet sitters, perhaps the most important reason to read this book is to educate ourselves on what we—and our clients—can do to be prepared for emergencies and disasters, as well as arm ourselves with the stories that give us the will and desire to make the necessary preparations. The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health: Home Edition, Cynthia M. Kahn, Editor, Merck & Co. Inc., 2007 If you’re going to have only one medical reference in your library, this is probably the one to have. Authored by more than 200 veterinary experts, and written in terms lay persons will understand, the manual covers basic care and the most common medical disorders for cats, dogs, horses, birds, reptiles, fish, and commonly kept exotics. A concluding section includes Continuing Education Units COURSE OR ACTIVITY NAPPS board participation* NAPPS EC participation* NAPPS annual meeting attendance/participation* NAPPS mentoring teleconferences* POINTS/VALUE 10/year 12/year 10 One each (five points maximum) NAPPS committee chair* 10 NAPPS committee meetings* NAPPS committee active participation* NAPPS disaster preparedness certification (coming soon) NAPPS Presents 4 Pets participation* NAPPS Youth Education program American Red Cross pet first aid course* Community service, i.e. local shelter volunteer, Emergency search and rescue efforts* Courses provided by non-NAPPS providers subject to approval by NAPPS. One half each (three points maximum) Five (five points maximum per year) Seven Three One per lesson plan (three points maximum per year) Three Five hours = one point (two points maximum per year) One point per hour of course * Requests must be submitted to NAPPS headquarters. NAPPS thanks VPI for providing free copies of the Merck Manual at the 2009 annual conference. chapters on special subjects such as traveling with pets, poisoning, drugs and vaccines, zoonotic diseases (ones that spread from animals to humans), and more. A glossary of medical terms and a detailed index are also helpful. This excellent resource will assist any pet sitter in learning what he or she needs to know to help clients understand their animals’ illness, as well as provide proper care. ■ The NAPPS Network • 17
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents ASSOCIATION NEWS
Page 5 and 6: Membership Every NAPPS member in go
Page 7 and 8: Get to Know Your Board John F. D’
Page 9 and 10: Some state statutes address the IC
Page 11 and 12: Monica Leighton, 2009 NAPPS Preside
Page 13 and 14: The NAPPS Network • 11
Page 15 and 16: An Open Love Letter Some say it's t
Page 17: • Make sure someone knows where y
Page 21 and 22: New NAPPS Members NAPPS Would Like
Page 23: NAPPS COMMITTEES As a member of NAP

Spring 2009 - National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

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