Accredited Boarding Kennel Association
The Voluntary Facilities Accreditation (VFA) Program is a voluntary professional
program which requires pet care facilities to demonstrate their adherence to a comprehensive set
of operational standards
Our boarding facility is accredited by the American Boarding Kennels Association (ABKA),
and only 3% of all boarding facilities in the United States have this distinction.
In order to achieve this unique status, we are evaluated in over 200 areas to maintain the highest standards,
codes, and procedures relating to health, safety, and cleanliness.
This program has been developed as a vehicle for professionalizing the boarding kennel industry by
providing over 200 objective standards of excellence in 17 separate areas of kennel operation.
These standards reflect the views of facility operators, veterinarians, pet owners and
humane organizations and thus represent the "industry standard" in animal care and management.
ABKA is the non-profit trade association for pet care service businesses in the United States and
around the world. Only ABKA members commit to the ABKA Code of Ethics and the Pet Owners'
Bill of Rights which assure pet owners that their beloved pets will receive professional, loving care.
Pet care facilities that participate in the VFA Program must submit detailed information
about their facility, their animal care procedures and business policies and submit to
an on-site inspection by trained VFA evaluators.
The VFA Program offers pet owners the assurance that accredited facilities that have
successfully completed this comprehensive program have earned the ABKA "stamp of approval."
When pet owners see the ABKA VFA Blue Ribbon in a pet care facility's office,
they can be assured that they are entrusting their pet to the care of a dedicated leader
in the commercial pet care industry.
Objectives:
- To raise the professional standards and improve the practice of animal care and
management within the boarding kennel industry by giving special recognition to
those kennels which, by conforming to stringent standards of kennel design and operation,
have demonstrated the highest level of quality in commercial pet care.
- To identify boarding kennels which operate in accordance with industry
established standards of excellence.
- To encourage applicants in a continuing program of professional development.
