The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is pleased to announce the second round of the AKC Paw of Courage award recipients, to show appreciation for the many sacrifices that working dogs make while serving and protecting our country. This award specifically recognizes the extraordinary sacrifices […]

The AKC® Humane Fund is proud to announce the winners of the 26th annual AKC® Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE). These awards celebrate six loyal, hard-working dogs and one incredible team that have significantly improved the lives of their owners and communities. The winners were carefully chosen from a pool of close to 700 impressive nominations and will be featured on Good Dog TV on AKC.tv!  An award is presented in each of […]

More Canine Victims of the Hurricanes Airlifted Out of Ravaged Area Continuing its efforts to aid the canine victims of the hurricane affected areas, the American Kennel Club (AKC®), along with its affiliate AKC Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR), airlifted 4,000 pounds of furry passengers to Illinois and Wisconsin. This is the sixth airlift of […]

UPDATE: HB2927 was stricken from the docket on February 2nd. Many thanks to the Virginia Federation of Dog Clubs and the countless Virginia dog owners who helped make this victory possible! Please continue to watch our Web site for information about other pending legislation in Virginia.    [Monday, January 24, 2005] Immediate help is needed […]

The Ohio House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a public hearing on House Bill 79 for Wednesday, April 14.  This bill, sponsored by Representative Barbara Sears of Lucas County, removes the term "pit bull" from Ohio’s statutory definition of dangerous dogs.  Ohio is currently the only state to have enacted statewide breed-specific legislation.  […]

The American Kennel Club applauds Ohio Representative Barbara Sears of Lucas County for introducing House Bill 79, which removes "pit bull" from Ohio's statutory definition of dangerous dogs.  Ohio is currently the only state to have enacted statewide breed-specific legislation.  The current law states that if a dog "belongs to a breed that is commonly […]

Wednesday, May 27, 2015 Louisiana House Bill 710 is scheduled to be heard by the House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee on Thursday, May 28.  The bill seeks to require certain dog breeders to register annually with their parish and to submit to annual inspections of their facilities by local officials.  The AKC […]

In mid-March, Ohio Representative Barbara Sears of Lucas County introduced House Bill 79, which removes the term "pit bull" from Ohio's statutory definition of dangerous dogs. Ohio is currently the only state to have enacted statewide breed-specific legislation. The current law states that if a dog "belongs to a breed that is commonly known as […]

Immediate action is needed by animal owners and animal-related businesses in St. Landry Parish to oppose an overreaching proposed animal ordinance.  Among other problematic provisions, the proposed ordinance would: Trample the privacy rights of animal owners and animal-related businesses. Define any owner of two intact animals of the same species as a “breeder” and define […]

-- Click here for more information about PAWS -- To help dog owners better understand the recently introduced PAWS legislation, please see the bill analysis below as prepared by Dr. James Holt, AKC's federal government relations consultant. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS OF S. 1139/H.R. 2669, THE "PET ANIMAL WELFARE STATUTE" (PAWS) INTRODUCED MAY 26, 2005. […]

Updated: Monday, July 20, 2026 Since first detected on June 3, 2026, 41 cases of New World Screwworm (NWS, hereinafter screwworm) have been detected in southwest Texas and New Mexico. NWS is a parasitic fly whose larvae burrow into the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, typically through an open wound, causing painful wounds, serious infection, and […]

The Show Must Go On! Conformation and Our Future The sport of Conformation is the flagship AKC event, and is the sport that is at the very foundation of our Registry.  The pursuit of Championship points, records and rankings is only a set of mileposts along a journey that is at its core about the […]