News Release - March 22, 2022.

Pet Industry Advocacy International (PIAI) has today announced their launch across the globe. Initiative set to Professionalize the Pet Industry Through Ethics, Consumer Protections and Professional Competency. 

“Over the past 10 years we have seen an emergence of new organizations, educational providers and retailers flooding the pet industry marketplace to leverage and benefit from this billion-dollar industry.  However, this industry shift has failed to cohesively provide the much-needed improvements required to meet the welfare needs of our pets and the consumer protection deserved by pet guardians.  PIAI will work to build a coalition of pet industry organizations all committed to professional ethics, consumer protections and professional competencies” said PIAI representative Niki Tudge.

Tudge also states, “In the pet industry there are many other inherent challenges, one being  how pets are legally classified. Additionally, the lack of reporting of animal cruelty and the variability of how animal cruelty laws are enforced means there is insufficient protection for pets and their owners when it comes to holding professionals accountable for their methodology, approach and philosophy and the consequences of a professional’s actions.”  

PIAI states on their website that the pet industry worldwide needs increased regulation, oversight and adherence to policies and procedures and best practices as applied to the concept of professional competency, skills and knowledge of practitioners, the delivery of, and adherence to, professional ethics. Current ethical models used in behavioral sciences and the medial professional are most appropriate and can work with transparent and honest operational policies that protect the end-user and consumer from fraudulent and deceptive operational and marketing practices. 

Debra Millikan a signatory PIAI Board Director added “By bringing together a coalition of organizations supported by like-minded professionals we hope to create power in numbers so PIAI initiatives gain traction and make a difference for pets and their people."

Don Hanson, PIAI Board Director says, “I’ve been a part of this industry since 1995 and the science in that time has led us to a much better understanding of our pets and their needs. It dismays me that the ethics in the industry has not kept up with the science. PIAI intends to change that by developing a coalition of pet professional organizations who also agree to implement and hold pet professionals accountable for our pets welfare by advocating for best practice policies for all professions in the industry, standardizing pet industry ethics, implementing transparent and honest operational policies, developing the "Gold Standard" for professional competencies and providing a model for industry oversight that is ethical and competency based.”

PIAI membership is open to all professional organizations who are committed to supporting the emotional, physical and environmental well-being of our pets and their people. PIAI also provides for organizations who wish to sponsor the coalition and support the mission.

The full news release is available here 

Sponsor Level Members

• PIAI allows any pet business that provides products, retail or wholesale, who supports and wants to sponsor the PIAI, to join under a sponsor level. Sponsoring organizations must fully comply with the member eligibility in terms of products, tools and services provided.
• Visit the Join us page to learn more about Sponsor membership

The PIAI will be a 501c4 nonprofit organization. The nonprofit will be set up with 9 signatory organizations that will be represented on the PIAI’s Board of Directors.

•  A Pet Professional Educational Organization
• A Pet Boarding & Daycare organization
• A Pet Grooming organization
• A Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist
• A Licensed Veterinarian
• A Rescue and Shelter organization
• A Pet Sitting & Dog Walking organization
• A Pet Guardian End of Life organization
• A Dog Club organization  

FLY The PIAI FlAG

Any pet professional organization that currently practices and advocates for ethical, humane science-based services is eligible to join. This membership level is a non-voting membership.

Membership organizations will have access to fly the “PIAI Organizational Flag” and their individual members will have access to fly the “PIAI Flag”. Members will also be provided resources to propagate the PIAI mission and goals at a state and international level.  

• Organizations wishing to sign up to the PIAI must have been in business for a minimum of 3 years and have a minimum of 10 individuals working or volunteering or studying within the pet industry.
• Organizations accepted into the PIAI will be granted license to fly the PIAI Membership Badge.
•  Individual members of Member Organizations, who are working, volunteering or pursuing pet industry careers, may fly the PIAI Logo with a link back to the website.