Becoming a Pro Guardian on Guardiens: a complete guide
Guardiens welcomes two types of guardiens: passionate individuals who offer their services, and registered animal care professionals who practice this profession. To clearly distinguish the latter, and to allow owners to choose with full knowledge, we issue a verified Pro Guardian badge.
This article explains who can obtain this status, what documents to provide, how verification works, and what it changes for you and for pet owners.
Who can become a Pro Guardian?
Anyone who carries out a registered animal-related activity in France can apply for Pro status. Typical profiles include:
- Holder of the ACACED (Certificate of Knowledge for Domestic Animal Species), which is mandatory for working professionally with dogs, cats, or exotics.
- Canine educator, behaviorist, trainer with a recognized diploma (Professional Certificate in Canine Education, Certificate of Competence, Animalin training, etc.).
- Boarding kennel, shelter, home-based micro-boarding facility with a SIRET number and registered with the prefecture.
- Dog-sitter, pet-sitter, cat-sitter who has created a micro-enterprise dedicated to pet sitting.
- Veterinary assistant (ASV), groomer, animal osteopath wishing to offer pet care services in parallel.
Pro status is not reserved for large organizations. A registered sole proprietorship and a relevant diploma are sufficient.
Why a separate Pro status?
The majority of pet care on Guardiens relies on trust between individuals, without direct financial transactions: you care for a loved one's pet, you provide a service, you exchange care for care. This is the core of our promise.
However, some owners are looking for professional, paid, contractualized care. For them, it is essential to know who practices this profession and who does it as a favor. The Pro badge meets this demand:
- Transparency: no surprises, no ambiguity about the nature of the service.
- Flexible pricing: a Pro can display an indicative rate, which an individual does not.
- Responsibility: a Pro assumes their professional liability (professional liability insurance recommended).
- Visibility: "Pro" badge on search maps and a dedicated filter for owners looking for this profile.
Guardiens remains outside the financial circuit: we do not charge any commission on Pro services; you invoice your client directly.
Vous êtes propriétaire d'animaux ou vous aimez les animaux ?
Accepted documents for verification
You must provide at least one conclusive document from the following:
Diplomas and certifications
- ACACED certificate (dog, cat, exotic, equine, depending on your scope)
- Certificate of Competence for keeping domestic animal species
- Professional Certificate in Canine Education
- Veterinary assistant diploma (ASV, AVQ, AVS)
- Recognized behaviorist training (Animalin, FFAB, etc.)
- Any equivalent diploma-granting animal training
Documents for declared activity
- Kbis extract or SIRENE notice less than 3 months old
- URSSAF registration certificate (sole proprietorship)
- Professional Civil Liability insurance certificate (recommended but not mandatory)
The declared SIRET must be consistent with your identity and ideally with an animal-related activity (NAF codes 96.09Z, 01.62Z, 75.00Z primarily, but others are accepted on a case-by-case basis).
How verification works
- You upload the document from your Settings > Security, Pro Guardian section. The file (PDF or image) is stored privately and encrypted.
- Our AI automatically analyzes the document: type of document, holder's name, SIRET if applicable, consistency with your profile. The analysis is almost instantaneous.
- Automatic validation if confidence is high (≥ 85%) and the information matches your profile. You receive the badge within the minute.
- Manual review otherwise: a member of the Guardiens team examines your application within 48 business hours. In case of refusal, you will receive the reason and can re-submit a document.
You can remove a document and re-upload a more legible or more recent version at any time.
What the Pro badge changes on your profile
Once validated, your profile displays:
- A "Verified Pro" badge visible on search maps and on your public profile.
- A declared specialty (educator, boarding, dog-sitter, ASV, etc.) that you choose.
- A free-form tagline to describe your approach in one sentence.
- A flexible pricing field where you indicate what suits you: hourly rate, daily package, range, quote on request. It's up to you to define it.
Owners can filter search results to see only Pro Guardiens. You also remain visible in classic results.
Expected ethical framework
By displaying the Pro badge, you commit to:
- Operating in compliance with French regulations (declaration, ACACED if applicable, insurance).
- Being transparent about your prices and conditions before any service.
- Refusing a mission that exceeds your skills (exotic animals without experience, reactive animal without behavioral training, etc.).
- Keeping your documents up to date. An expired certificate may result in temporary removal of the badge.
- Respecting the Guardiens charter: kindness, animal safety, clear communication with the owner.
Any reported breach will be reviewed. In case of proven document fraud, the badge will be permanently removed and the account suspended.
Privacy and document retention
Your documents are stored in a private space accessible only to you and the Guardiens moderation team. They are never displayed publicly. In case of deletion of your Pro status or your account, the documents are erased according to our retention policy (see our General Terms of Use and our GDPR policy).
Start the process
If you are an animal care professional, go to Settings > Security > Pro Guardian to upload your first document. The operation takes less than 5 minutes. You will receive your badge upon validation.
For any questions regarding the eligibility of a diploma or activity, please contact us via the Contact page. We review each case.
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