Fall 2018
 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
In 1972 when my grandmother Patricia Blosser first founded the IAOPCC, I’m sure she never imagined a third generation of her family being involved to this capacity within the industry. I can say it is a true honor to be able to write this first letter to friends and colleagues alike.

Spending my entire professional career of 24 years in the industry it is evident the landscape is evolving. Not only in the pet afterlife service sector but also the veterinary medical sector. There has never been a time when educational outreach and best practices of facilities have been more important. As the recognized leaders in pet aftercare, the IAOPCC is committed to continuing to forge the way.

You asked and we listened - It is with great excitement we can announce an all-new Certified Pet Crematory Operator Program (CPCO) ON-Line! Continuing our joint partnership with CANA, you and your staff can now be IAOPCC/CANA Certified online as soon as November 29, 2018. Now ALL of your staff can be CPCO Certified without the logistics of them having to attend the annual conference. I would personally like to commend to the Board of Directors and CANA for working tirelessly to facilitate this new program.

In closing, I urge every member to make your voice heard, this is your organization! And as always “Never let fear slow you down”.

Respectfully,
Robert Blosser
FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TOGETHER.
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE PET AFTERCARE PROFESSION.

What an exciting and wonderful Conference we experienced in Ft. Lauderdale this past September!  If you did not get to join us, be sure to check out all the pictures in this issue to see what you missed! From our world-class speakers (thank you James Malinchak!) to our many certification courses, we continue to be the association where you learn the best practices to grow your business!  

It’s hard to believe it was just three short years ago when we handed out our industry’s first ever Accreditation Award. So exciting to know that we now have more than 70% of our membership working towards Accreditation! Congratulations to those members who achieved Accreditation status this past year and were presented their plaques at our conference! I want to send A HUGE THANK YOU to our wonderful hosts, Juan Palencia and the Staff of Paws & Cherish, for an up close and personal tour of their accredited facility. Juan went above and beyond to be transparent in his operations for our members. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and I am sure, like me, you came back with many ideas of how to run your own businesses more effectively and efficiently! Be sure to read Juan’s inspiring note to us all in this issue. If you weren’t at the Conference, you missed out on a lot! Note to self: MUST be at the 2019 IAOPCC Conference in Colorado!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL MEMBERS! IT’S HERE!
As we announced at our Conference, over the past several months, your Board has been working diligently developing the industry’s first ever ON-LINE Certified Pet Crematory Operator Program (CPCO)! I am happy to announce that program is now AVAILABLE to our Members and their staff! We are so excited for the additional benefits this brings to our Members by providing convenient and easy access for all your employees. Visit the IAOPCC website and find out how you can get your staff CPCO Certified today!

Many thanks to these individuals who worked tirelessly to get our program on-line for our Members: Jennifer Head, Education Director with CANA, as well as our Board and IAOPCC members, Steve Woods, Angie Hansen, Steve Rohleder, Keith Shugart, and Donna Shugart-Bethune.

Lastly, as the year winds down and a new one begins, I hope you will take time to enjoy family and friends and return thanks for all that you’ve accomplished over the past year. In the hustle of daily life, it can sometimes be difficult to slow down, enjoy, and just be thankful. I am grateful for each of you and the many things I’ve learned and the friendships gained over the years. Looking forward to keeping us moving forward! Bring on 2019! Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas, the Happiest of Holidays, and Many Blessings in the New Year!

Warmly,
Donna Shugart-Bethune
IAOPCC Executive Director
NEW ONLINE COURSE AVAILABLE!
CERTIFIED PET CREMATORY OPERATOR WITH CANA CERTIFICATION
GET YOUR STAFF IAOPCC/CANA CERTIFIED TODAY!

We are excited to announce our ON-LINE Certified Pet Crematory Operator Program (CPCO)! This prestigious and much sought after certification is now easily available to you and your employees.

Click Here for more information and registration.
 IAOPCC 47TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS
The IAOPCC thanks all of our Attendees, Exhibitors and Sponsors for your participation at the successful 47th Annual Conference! A great time was had by all in .

THANK YOU FROM PAWS AND CHERISH -
The 2018 Offsite Visit
On Behalf of Glenn Tuck, myself, and our dedicated staff, we want to thank you for attending the private tour at Paws & Cherish on September 22, 2018 at our Deerfield Beach Florida location.

We hope that you found the tour informative and worthwhile. The primary goal of this tour was to bring together different members of the IAOPCC from around the world in an open dialogue, under one roof to demonstrate our strong codes of ethics & standards of business practice ensuring that our open door policy not only provides a physical location for clients and visitors, but allows pet parents the opportunity to view as much or as little of their pet’s cremation process. We believe that one of our strong characteristics is offering the utmost quality care and services to pet parents and their pets with total compassionate care coupled with our identification and tracking process.

Thank you again, your presence helped make this event/tour a great success. We wish you the best and great success in your future endeavors.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time. Again, thank you.

Sincerely,

Juan Palencia
General Manager
Paws & Cherish Pet Cremations, LLC
O: (954) 971-9966
C: (786) 602-9726
SAVE THE DATE - 48TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Please join us for the 2019 IAOPCC 48th Annual Conference on September 26-28, 2019 at the beautiful Gateway Rockies Resort & Convention Center. Registration will open in Spring 2019!

NEWEST IAOPCC ACCREDITED MEMBERS and RECENT CERTIFICATIONS
Congratulations to the facilities and IAOPCC Members that have received IAOPCC Accreditation in 2018!

AN INTERVIEW WITH AN IAOPCC ACCREDITED FACILITY
Learn more about Paws & Cherish by clicking below!
ASK THE PET CHAPLAIN WITH JOE DWYER
Humans struggle with trust in each other, especially lately with many issues being exploded on social media. However, trust is an important characteristic of a solid spiritual foundation.

How can we improve our levels of trust so we are more spiritually grounded?

Every issue starts with ourselves. We need to be able to honestly feel a good level of trust in ourselves, before we can trust others.
Do we have that healthy level of trust and confidence?

Animals really do. Consider a dog's level of trust in him or herself.
They do not waste time with needless questioning of themselves when taking something on.
You will never see a dog say, they are too old, or not experienced enough to learn something new.

Once we make strides here, then we can consider being openly trusting of others.
I always suggest to start on smaller issues and with those you feel you have the best chance of success with.

Try to take note of two things as you work on trust:

  1. Observe animals in how they trust themselves and others.
  2. Take note of how you feel emotionally when you are more trusting of yourself and others.

Members are encouraged to submit questions to Joe at  info@iaopc.com, which will be answered in upcoming issues of the News & Views.
The Standards Corner with Steve Woods & Keith Shugart, Co-Chairs of the IAOPCC Standards Committee
Welcome to the Standards Corner! Follow along with us as our Standards Committee Chairs answer questions and discuss excerpts from our IAOPCC Accreditation Workbook offering sound advice and standards when working towards achieving Accreditation. Questions regarding Accreditation may be sent to the Home Office at info@iaopcc.com

2018 IAOPCC Accreditation Workbook, May 2018  


IAOPCC News and Press Releases
IAOPCC would like to recognize Robert Blosser as President and Donna Bethune as the Executive Director of IAOPCC.
2019 IAOPCC MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
The Home Office has begun distributing dues renewals for the 2019 membership term, which begins on January 1st. Renew now to beat the holiday rush and to ensure that there is no interruption to your membership benefits. To renew your membership online, please follow the link below to renew online .
 
To login to your membership account, please follow these steps:
  1. Enter username - The Primary email address we have on file for you.
  2. Enter password - Personally created; If you have never logged-in, use Password1 (case sensitive) and you will be asked to change your password.

  • Once you are logged-in, select Membership located in the left-hand menu.
  • Where it says Shop For, choose your facility name from the drop down menu and select Go to Shopping. Be sure you are renewing under your facility name.
  • Choose the appropriate membership type and Add to Cart. Review your cart and select Check Out.
  • Fill in your payment information and select Purchase Now

Thank you for your on-going commitment to your International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories, the  Recognized Leader in the Aftercare Industry!

If you have any questions or comments regarding your membership renewal or need assistance, please email   info@iaopc.com  or call the Home Office at (800) 952-5541.

INDUSTRY NEWS
"How do I know this is my loved one?" Pet Edition

The International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories (IAOPCC) and the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) share similar values of dignity and respect in the care of the deceased and standards to maintain this level responsibility at all times. We’re pleased to present this post from our partner association about determining proper standards of care for our loved ones, no matter how many legs.

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
History & Overview: Passages was founded in 1999, in response to crematories needing to give something more respectful than a cardboard box when returning the remains of a family member. Within a few years we introduced our pet line of biodegradable urns and minimum returns containers. Since 2007, when we attended our first IAOPCC convention in Denver, we have been a consistent sponsor and exhibitor with the IAOPCC, and we are proud to be supporting this important organization.

GET LINKED IN
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Click the LinkedIn Photo to visit the IAOPCC Page.
IAOPCC MEMBER NEWS
We want to hear from YOU! Please share your news with your IAOPCC peers! Send updates, articles and award announcements to   info@iaopc.com .
RESOURCES
Our goal is to provide a list of resources that you can draw from to provide your staff and clients for educational and informational services. If you have a resource that you would like to submit for consideration, please email the Home Office at  info@iaopc.com

ADVERTISE WITH THE IAOPCC
The e News & Views will now be distributed three times a year along with a special printed Conference edition of the News & Views each Summer. The IAOPCC offers several advertising options to fit every budget!

ABOUT THE IAOPCC
The  International Association Of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories (IAOPCC)  is an organization dedicated to advancing the standards, ethics, and professionalism of pet cemeteries and crematories around the world.   With Members in more than 15 countries, we are the Recognized Leader in the Pet Aftercare Profession !