Thousands of dog-lovers made their way to the Javits Center Jan. 25 and 26 for the 11th annual AKC Meet the Breeds®, an unforgettable weekend full of canine fun and education. Adults and children alike went from petting Afghan Hounds to Yorkshire Terriers, learning about purebred dogs and responsible pet ownership along the way. So how do nearly 1,000 dogs get to one place? Individual owners and breeders volunteer to represent their National Breed Club by bringing their dogs to the event.

Behind every pettable dog at AKC Meet the Breeds is a person who has worked years to educate themselves and others about their breed, train their dog, and improve the breed’s health and reputation.

Coming from all over the country, breed representatives dedicate much of their lives mastering and bettering their breed. True experts, these devoted volunteers spend time educating the public year-round about topics such as:

• The history and importance of purebred dogs
• How to find a responsible breeder
• Matching the right dog with the right family
• Responsible dog ownership
• Health and temperament testing

The passion these breed representatives have shows through at events like AKC Meet the Breeds where club members spend hours carefully decorating their booth to best represent each breed’s history and personality. Ask any breed representative what they love most about their dog, and they are happy and excited to talk about one of their favorite subjects.

“The AKC knows the extraordinary effort every breeder and owner puts forth to make the AKC Meet the Breeds event such a huge success,” says AKC Executive Secretary Gina DiNardo. “We watch with sheer amazement and are humbled by the work of each and every volunteer breeder and dog owner as they share their beloved purpose-bred pets with the pet-loving public at Meet the Breeds. We are overwhelmed by the spirit of the participants and the love of dogs that takes over at Meet the Breeds.  This labor of love exists because of the dedicated purebred dog breeders that work tirelessly to educate about their breeds, and for that we at AKC are grateful.”

The AKC would like to thank all of the volunteers who worked to make this year’s event happen — especially our National Breed Clubs (parent clubs) and all of the volunteer members that educated the public about their unique breeds and responsible dog ownership.