TAMPA, Fla. - April 8, 2020 - The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has announced a new initiative designed to support and reward 10 of its long-standing, loyal members with a 12-month sponsored PPG membership. In addition, the initiative will invite 10 representative organizations from the worldwide shelter and rescue community to apply for a sponsored PPG membership, again for a 12-month period.
Known as the PPG Sponsored Membership Program, the initiative was born of the generosity and kindness of long-time professional member, Frances Dauster of Sunpaws Pet Services in Mobile, Alabama, who recently reached out to PPG and presented the idea of sponsoring a number of memberships for the next 12-month period.
"I have benefited so much as an individual from the force-free community that I felt passionate about giving back to it, and now seemed a better time than any," said Dauster. "When I chatted to Niki [Tudge, PPG founder and president] and offered to sponsor 10 Individual professional memberships, she was immediately enthusiastic and offered to match my donation."
The criteria for the 10 sponsored Individual Professional Memberships state simply that the candidate must have been a professional PPG member of PPG for three years or longer. For the initial 12-month period, starting immediately, names have been selected randomly from memberships that were currently up for renewal across different states in the U.S. and/or different regions in the British Isles. For the 10 sponsored Shelter and Rescue Community Memberships, eligibility criteria require that the organization is philosophically aligned with PPG in terms of its Guiding Principles, which state that shock, pain, choke, fear, physical force and compulsion-based methods are never employed to train or care for a pet. The memberships will be awarded on a first come, first served basis, but be limited to one free membership per location. Interested parties are invited to complete this application form so PPG can confirm their eligibility. Once verified, the membership will be activated and the successful parties informed immediately.
"When Frances first contacted me via email and asked the price of annual membership, I worried that she may have been questioning the value," said PPG president Niki Tudge. "I was floored when she said she wanted to sponsor an existing member with their membership renewal, and even more delighted when she explained that she actually wanted to sponsor 10. I was happy to match her offer and reach out specifically to the shelter and rescue community in recognition of the fact that they may need additional support to access appropriate education and networking opportunities to aid them in their valuable work.
Over the past two weeks, PPG has worked – and will continue to work – diligently to provide support and resources to its membership to help them navigate the uncertain times we are all facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frances' extremely kind gesture will go a long way to helping 10 of our long-standing, loyal PPG members and the rescue community will benefit too. We love the +R factor in all of this: it's a great example of practicing what we preach."
About the Pet Professional Guild
The Pet Professional Guild is a 501(c)6 member organization founded on the principles of force-free training and pet care. Its membership represents pet industry professionals who are committed to force-free training, pet care philosophies, practices and methods. Pet Professional Guild members understand force-free to mean: no shock, no pain, no choke, no fear, no physical force and no compulsion-based methods are employed to train or care for a pet.
Contact
Niki Tudge
