FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Four Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control leaders have received the highest recognition for animal welfare professionals.

Amy-Jo Sites, Lisa Cain, Laura Rowe and Belinda Lewis all recently earned the Certified Animal Welfare Administrator credential, according to the agency.

It’s the only agency in America with four members achieve this level of certification.

The women had to take a rigorous exam to get the credential, which only has about a 30 percent pass rate, according to Sites.

“It’s definitely a prestigious certification in our field,” she said, adding that it’s similar to lawyers passing their board exam. “We are really proud of it. It’s our moment to shine.”

It accepts every animal that needs help and always has officers on-call to aid abused animals. It also offers pet adoptions, educational programs for children and micro-chipping for pets.