The Barkfest at Bonhams Charity Brunch
The 2012 Barkfest at Bonhams welcomes all dog lovers and their dogs! To buy tickets, make your donation HERE. Or call our RSVP line at 212-696-8306. Indicate the names in your party. Admission is a $50 donation per person to the AKC Humane Fund with advance online, phone or mailed donation, or $60 at the door. Bonhams is located at 580 Madison Avenue between E. 56th and 57th Streets. 10 am to 12 noon, Sunday, February 12, 2012.
2011 AKC Humane Fund Benefit
Join Us
For an unforgettable evening to benefit the AKC Humane Fund, Inc.
Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark
With after show party at
The 21 Club
Friday, February 11, 2011
Special thanks to Pet Partners, Inc., Your Partner in Pet Health Care, whose crucial support makes 100% of ticket sales directly benefit the AKC Humane Fund.
Tickets for theater and dinner party are $350. Reserve seats at 212 696 8203 or email Joyce at jwk@akc.org
Click the image below for a PDF of the event information.
Katie Up and Down the Hall Book Launch Party Benefits AKC Humane Fund
The AKC Humane Fund and AKC Canine Health Foundation Support the Mean Seeds Project
The AKC Humane Fund, Inc. and its members are proud to join the AKC Canine Health Foundation as we jointly provide financial support to the Mean Seeds Project which will be conducted by Professor Bill Lauenroth from the University of Wyoming. This project will examine the problem of grass awn disease in dogs and the use of barbed awns in conservation program reserve lands. Whether you participate in field events or simply like to enjoy the great outdoors with your dog, everyone should learn about the dangers of grass awns to dogs. To learn more about the Mean Seeds Project, click here.
Dogs, Dickens and Delectables at the Barkfest at Bonhmans
The 2010 Barkfest at Bonhams Charity Brunch was a smashing success! Click here to view photos!
Any dog lover, fine art enthusiast, or classic literature buff will get a real thrill at this year’s Barkfest at Bonhams. Coinciding with the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this February 14th from 10am to 12pm, the annual Barkfest at Bonhams Charity Brunch for the AKC Humane Fund will feature a dog collar belonging to Victorian literary great, Charles Dickens. Or belonging to one of his beloved canine companions, that is! The collar is rather large, made of thick leather with a heavy brass buckle and nameplate which reads, “C. Dickens, Esqe., Gad’s Hill Place, Higham.” It was likely worn by one of Dickens’s Newfoundlands, Mastiffs, or St. Bernards.
Dogs figured prominently in several of Dickens’s novels. There was Bull’s-eye, the vicious but ever-loyal sidekick of the brutal Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist. Dora Splendow, David Copperfield’s child bride, was inseparable from her dog, Jip. Dickens’s own dogs may be less well-known, but it makes sense that the man who created such memorable canine characters in his fiction would have surrounded himself with dogs in life, and in turn, surrounded his dogs with genuine affection.
He sometimes described his dogs – their personalities and antics – in humorous detail in his correspondences. In a letter to the wife of his publisher, upon returning home from an overseas trip in 1868, Dickens wrote:
“The two Newfoundland dogs, coming to meet me with the usual carriage and the usual driver, and beholding me coming in my usual dress out at the usual door, it struck me that their recollection of my having been absent for any unusual time was at once cancelled. They behaved (they are both young dogs) exactly in their usual manner; coming behind the basket phaeton as we trotted along, and lifting up their heads to have their ears pulled – a special attention which they receive from no one else. But when I drove into the stable-yard, Linda [Saint Bernard] was greatly excited; weeping profusely and throwing herself on her back that she might caress my foot with her great fore-paws. Mamie’s little dog, too, Mrs. Bouncer [Pomeranian], barked in the greatest agitation on being called down and asked ‘Who is this?’ and tore round and round me…”
In addition to the Dickens dog collar, Barkfest at Bonhams will preview over two hundred works of canine art and memorabilia from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Well-known canine artists include Maud Earl, Arthur Wardle, William Trood, and many others. Last year, John Emms’s New Forest Foxhounds was sold at a record price at Bonhams Dog Sale, held the following Tuesday after the Barkfest. This year, his Bitchpack of the Meath Foxhounds may break that record yet again.
Your own canine companion is welcome to join you at the Barkfest at Bonhams Charity Brunch. You can both enjoy delicious treats while you explore this one-of-a-kind dog art collection. All proceeds from the brunch benefit the AKC Humane Fund, which celebrates the human-canine bond and promotes responsible pet ownership through education, outreach, and grant-making.
Barkfest at Bonhams will take place from 10am to 12pm on Sunday, February 14th, at Bonhams’ fashionable new galleries located at 580 Madison Avenue, between 56th and 57th Streets. Previewed items will be auctioned at Bonhams’ Dog Sale the following Tuesday. Admission to the Charity Brunch is a $50 donation to the AKC Humane Fund with reservation by phone, or $60 at the door. To reserve your space, please call AKC’s RSVP line at 212-696-8277.
AKC Humane Fund Grant Helps Silky Rescue at a Critical Time
The mission of the AKC Humane Fund is to promote responsible dog ownership, and celebrate the bond between people and pets. The Silky Terrier Rescue Charitable Trust, or "Silky Rescue" for short, is the first breed rescue organization that the AKC Humane Fund was proud to support this year through its new grant program.
Silky Rescue began over 20 years ago and covers the entire contiguous United States. The group usually rescues about 60 dogs each year. Most of the west coast silkys rescued come from shelters while most of their east coast rescues are owner turn-ins.
The organization places the rescued dogs in foster homes and completes any veterinary care needed including vaccines, dental procedures, spays/neuters and other necessary surgeries. Once the dogs are stable, both physically and emotionally, they are adopted into new, loving homes.
In July of 2008, Silky Rescue took in 20 puppy mill dogs at once. They were vaccinated, micro-chipped, spayed/neutered and dentaled. Happily, most of them have been successfully re-homed and adopted. There were some heart-breaking cases, however. According to Sally Stevens of Silky Rescue, "Two were so emotionally traumatized that we are still working with them – over 18 months later. Trust is a huge issue for them."
The AKC Humane Fund grant came at a critical moment for Silky Rescue. Much of the organization's financial reserves had been spent on the puppy mill dogs, but there were several additional expensive rescues this year. Two puppies with Legg-Perthes (a degenerative hip disorder in small breeds) required surgery in the thousands of dollars. Another silky who had suffered for two years with a dislocated hip also needed surgery. Rescuing a dog with severe heartworm disorder involved costly treatments.
"Our funds were really low," Stevens recalled. "You want to do whatever it takes, but with a small group and the present economy, we were really afraid we'd have to deny something necessary to a dog and just couldn't see doing that. We are ever so grateful to The Humane Fund for helping us over this rough patch."
Raymond Felt Page and Duke by Alban Jasper Conant Donated to the AKC Humane Fund
Donated in 2009 to the AKC Humane Fund Collection by Elizabeth M. Sanfilippo, the painting entitled Raymond Felt Page and Duke (c. 1887) by Alban Jasper Conant is truly a treasure. The portrait depicts a five or six year old Raymond Felt Page along with his dog Duke. Raymond was the youngest son of George Shepherd Page (1840-1892), a pioneer in the development of Coal Tar Products in America, who bred the first AKC registered Scottish Deerhound, Bonnie Robin, in 1886. Page’s interest in Scottish Deerhounds probably stemmed from a gift of two Scottish Deerhounds that he received from the Duke of Sutherland. Elizabeth M. Sanfilippo, who generously donated the painting to the AKC Humane Fund, is the great granddaughter of George Shepherd Page.
The artist of the painting, Alban Jasper Conant (American 1821-1951), became famous for painting the Smiling Lincoln, the one and only portrait of Lincoln smiling, as well as dignitaries including Attorney-General Edward Bates and Secretary of War Edwin McMasters Stanton. One of his best known paintings, The First Gun at Fort Sumter (Major Robert Anderson), hangs in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Raymond Felt Page and Duke exhibits Conant’s dedication to detail and his ability to capture the essence of his subject.
This gorgeous canvas can be seen in person by visiting the headquarters of the American Club at 260 Madison Avenue in New York City. To schedule a tour of the artwork contact AKC.
Do You Know a Canine Hero?
-- AKC Humane Fund Seeks Entries From Across the Nation for 10th Annual Awards for Canine Excellence --
Just about every dog owner agrees that canines offer us unlimited love and companionship no matter what hardships we face in life. The AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE) were created to celebrate this special relationship between humans and their dogs. Whether you know a dog who is a champion leg warmer at the foot of his owner's bed at night or a hero who comforts others or one who saves lives, an ACE nomination is a prestigious way to pay tribute to the canines who devote their lives to making ours better.
Each Year ACE honorees are recognized nationally and five dogs are chosen who have performed an exemplary act or series of acts, whether large or seemingly small, that have significantly benefited a community or individual. One award is given in the following five categories: law enforcement, search and rescue, therapy, service, and exemplary companion dog. Honorable Mentions are awarded to outstanding entries in each category.
In addition to the prestige of being chosen from hundreds of entries, each of the five honorees receives a cash award of $1,000, an engraved sterling silver collar medallion and an all-expenses-paid trip for dog and owner to Long Beach, Calif., to be honored at the ninth annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in December 2009. The engraved names of the five recipients will also be added to the ACE plaque that is on permanent display in the AKC's Library in New York City. Dogs receiving honorable mention will be awarded an engraved bronze medallion. All entrants will receive an ACE Certificate of Recognition in acknowledgement of their nomination.
Anyone, including the dog's owner or handler, may submit a nomination. Submissions for the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence for 2009 must include:
- A non-returnable, original photograph of the dog. Hi-resolution electronic photos provided on a disc are permissible but not scans. (electronic requirements: 300dpi and at least 5x7 inches or, 72dpi at least 20x30 inches)
- A 500-word-or-less description of how the dog has demonstrated excellence.
- Dog's call name, registered name if applicable, breed, age and sex.
- Owner/Nominator name(s), address, phone number. E-mail address if available.
*Please note that to be considered, dogs are not required to be AKC registered but must be an AKC recognized breed.
Nominations will be accepted until June 30, 2009 and should be sent to:
Ronald N. Rella: ACE Awards 2009
c/o The American Kennel Club Humane Fund
260 Madison Avenue, 4th Floor
New York, New York 10016