Chicago's ACA Opens Fall 2010

Online, August 16, 2010 (Newswire.com) - It's "Bark to School" season in Chicago as animal lovers near and far anticipate the opening of Animal Career Academy (ACA), the city's first animal care vocational school.

ACA is the brainchild of Beverley Petrunich, owner of Dogone Fun! in Chicago and a life-long animal care provider. Petrunich entered the pet industry in 2003 with the goal of providing high quality, friendly, safe, clean and fun dog care center that would treat every dog like she would want her own to be treated. Since then, her company has turned into a thriving full-range dog care business, serving over 100 dogs each day with services including daycare, boarding, training, grooming, pet massage, dog walking, pet sitting, birthday parties, and more.

As her business grew, Petrunich met many individuals wishing to start a career in animal care. However, much of the vocational training available was either veterinarian-specific or informal online training. With the increasing number of pet owners and the demand for quality animal care, Petrunich realized that better vocational training needed to be available. Thus she began Animal Career Academy, where students can receive comprehensive hands-on training to become certified in animal care professions ranging from kennel management, behavior training, and pet business operations to massage therapy, grooming and bathing.

ACA is unique for its constant focus on the full picture of animal care. The core curriculum trains every student, regardless of one's chosen career, to have a complete understanding of the "whole" animal - its origin, body, cognition and communication skills, and intuitive behavior - in order to provide optimal care. Because ACA is affiliated with Dogone Fun!, a 20,000-square-foot full-service dog care facility, every student will have daily hands-on experience with all kinds of dog breeds in various care situations. Students also learn basic business fundamentals with an emphasis on customer care, which is essential for the success of any business.

The goal of ACA is to provide animal lovers the opportunity to pursue their career dreams of working with and enriching the lives of animals, or to simply learn more about their own beloved pets. While ACA has opened with a focus on dogs because of its affiliation with Dogone Fun!, the school is eager to expand its courses to cats, rabbits, and other domestic pets.

Classes begin September 13, 2010. For information regarding admissions and registration, visit acachicago.org or contact [email protected].