The holiday season inspires many to donate their time and money to charitable causes.  The November/December 2010 issue of the American Kennel Club’s AKC Family Dog magazine reports that for dog owners, volunteering at a breed-club rescue is a great way to help dogs in need of homes, medical attention, or simply a good scratch […]

Dogs from 45 States and Canada Vie for National Agility Champion Titles Nearly 1,000 of the top agility dogs and handlers in the nation will vie for the title of American Kennel Club® (AKC®) National Agility Champion in their height classes on March 30 – April 1, 2012 at the Reno Sparks Livestock Event Center […]

Lab Ties Poodle for the Longest Consecutive Reign at #1 and Bulldog Enters Top 5   Check out a Slideshow of the Top 10 Breeds at TODAY.COM   New York, NY – Proving that bigger really is better, the American Kennel Club (AKC®) announced today that the Bulldog has muscled its way into the top […]

From one of the most popular breeds to one of the rarest, the American Kennel Club (AKC®) celebrates Mexico’s two native breeds in honor of Cinco de Mayo.    While neither will be shaking their maracas in celebration of their country’s heritage, both have played integral parts in Mexico’s history, having been known as healers. […]

Daily Life Smaller dogs don’t necessarily need to work off loads of energy, so they are quite suitable for apartment life. But not all small dogs live to be lap warmers! Certain breeds like Dachshunds or small terriers would also love country life and the opportunity to run around on a farm. If your family […]

GCH Lockenhaus' Rumor Has It V Kenlyn, a German Shepherd Dog known as “Rumor,” triumphed over more than 4,000 dogs to earn a $50,000 cash prize and the title of Best in Show at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, held this weekend in Orlando, Fla. “Rumor,” owned by Deborah Stern, Pamela Buckles, Patti Dukeman, Pam McElheney […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) and Royal Canin are pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2016 National Championship to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, 2016. The 2016 event will showcase the top national and international dogs and will also […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to recognize breeding programs from the Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups as 2016 AKC Breeder of the Year group honorees. “We are proud to honor some of the nation’s finest breeders with this award,” said Dennis Sprung, AKC President and CEO. “The dogs that […]

–Award Presented at AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin –   Alan Kalter and Dr. Chris Lezotte were presented with the 2016 AKC Breeder of the Year award for their HappyLegs Bullmastiffs at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin on Saturday, December 17, 2016.  The annual award honors those breeders who have […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2017 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17, 2017. The 2017 event will showcase the top national and international canine athletes […]

A pet makes a wonderful addition to any household. Cats and dogs mean furry snuggles and tons of comic relief; they can also teach us all a few things about unconditional love. Unfortunately, they also bring with them some less desirable traits: sloppy table manners, a propensity to break things, and truckloads of animal hair. […]

At a recent agility trial hosted by the Red Dirt Agility Club earlier this month, judge Cynthia Blanton (second row kneeling, far right) and the majority of the competitors wore blue to demonstrate their support for law enforcement officers. Red Dirt Agility, founded in March of 2009, is an AKC club located in the Oklahoma […]

Agility is one of the fastest growing dog sports in the country and the single fastest growing event held in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Dog Show Presented by Royal Canin. It's challenging, great fun for dog and handler, and thrilling for spectators. For the dog-human team, agility requires athleticism, concentration, training, and, most […]

ASK AKC Dear AKC: I have a pet rabbit in my house and I'm thinking of getting a Beagle puppy. Is there a problem keeping them both in the same house? The puppy would only be loose when someone is home. -- Hound & Hare Dear Hound: Before considering adding a dog to your household […]

We've done it again. In the 17th year of the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin the event has drawn record entry numbers. An entry of 4803 dogs will compete for the title of National Champion on December 16 and 17, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. Combined with the other weekend events including the inaugural […]

Every year in conjunction with the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin the general public is given the exciting opportunity to meet (and more importantly, play with!) over 100 different dog breeds at AKC Meet the Breeds. Attendees get the opportunity to learn about the different breeds and find out which dog might be […]

Ask AKC   Dear AKC: My dog is a wonderful Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua mix. My question has to do with taking him to go out. He will only go to the bathroom where other dogs have gone. My husband and I moved into a townhouse where no one has lived before. As a result, he will […]

Learning Objectives With support from the teacher, students will organize, represent, and interpret data. Students will ask and answer questions about the total number of data points and how many are in each category.   Grade Levels K-2   Common Core Standard CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.MD.C.4 Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and […]

Learning Objectives Students will understand the purpose of animal adaptation.   Grade Levels 3-5   Next Generation Science Standard Strand 3.Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems   Materials Needed Observation handout Picture of a Chihuahua Picture of a wolf   Lesson Introduction Tell students that today you will be introducing the concept of adaptation. Define adaptation as […]

The most joyous event of the year took Tompkins Square Park over the weekend and saw scores of wildly imaginative and carefully thought out costumes. From four legged versions of Pennywise the clown a la It to 8 legged Corgis, here are some of the best ensembles we spotted at the annual event. Behold, our […]

An event such as the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin offers an amazing opportunity to meet the many breeds competing in the ring. This year, the AKC Meet the Breeds individual booths represented more than 100 breeds. Like every breed, and, in fact, every dog, every booth is truly unique. Each breed club […]

This past weekend, thousands of dogs and dog lovers descended on Orlando, Florida for the 2015 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship at the Orange County Convention Center. Here are a few highlights: New world records were set during the Elite Finals of Dock Diving. The winning jump was 30 feet 7 inches by a Labrador Retriever named […]

For 141 years, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show judges have chosen one dog, and one dog only, as Best in Show. You would think that, with 141 different dogs being chosen, America's favorite breeds surely must have won a few times. You'd be wrong. Every year, the AKC ranks the breeds that are most […]

MACH Delilah Dog MXB MJB T2B CA owned by Jennifer Rourk of Dallas, OR Ten-year-old Delilah is a Chihuahua mix that Jennifer says embodies the phrase "Size is no indicator of talent. She pours her whole self into everything that she does, and agility is no exception.” At trials in the Pacific Northwest, Delilah and […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) and Royal Canin are pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2016 National Championship to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, 2016. The 2016 event will showcase the top national and international dogs and will also […]

Pirate, a German Shepherd Dog, curls up in a laundry basket. The 7-year-old dog jumped in with little enticing, says owner Kathy Green, of Gold Bar, Wash. Header photo courtesy of Kathy Green When it comes to the Great Box Challenge, there simply are no limits—on size, shape, or container. And those loose parameters apply […]

On the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina wreaking havoc in the southeastern United States, Seattle Times journalist Ranny Green reflects on his time in Louisiana on assignment with Noah's Wish, an organization that helps animals affected by natural disasters. Read Ranny's diary of his trip below, which originally ran in The Seattle Times in 2005. -- […]

7-year-old Ethan Engum is on a mission, and it isn't a typical one for a first grader. Ethan has been working diligently to raise money for the Green Bay, WI Police Department to help them purchase and train a new K-9 officer. Ethan (who has a German Shepherd and two Chihuahuas at home) became interested […]

Did you know that in most of the animal kingdom, larger animals outlive smaller ones? For dogs, however, the opposite is true. Smaller dogs, like Chihuahuas, often outlive larger breeds, like Great Danes, by a number of years. As dog owners, we hate watching our dogs go through the often difficult aging process; we want […]

Michael Delgado’s family thought they lost everything when powerful tornados roared through the town of Rowlett, Texas, the day after Christmas. Their home and most of their belongings were gone, but they still have something to be thankful for—their yellow Labrador Retriever, Sawyer, and Chihuahua-mix puppy, Lucy. Both survived, even after being buried in rubble […]