As the American Kennel Club’s 200th fully recognized breed, the Bracco Italiano became the Sporting Group's latest member in 2022. Its AKC recognition was a huge milestone for the organization’s mission in the preservation of purebred dogs. After all, it's been a long time since America's oldest dog registry recognized its first breed, the Pointer, […]

Rinn Siegrist and "Saffron" the All-American Dog are competing at the Diving Dogs Teams Challenge. Saffy is the oldest dog at the 2026 event.

Meeting your new puppy for the first time is always a memorable experience and the start of an incredible journey together. For Nina Cosgriff, the start of this journey meant traveling more than 4000 miles to her home country of Sweden, where her dog "Leia," an Australian Kelpie, was born.

Every sport has had its great ones. And the sport of dogs had Alva Rosenberg. Excruciatingly modest and correspondingly revered, Alva Rosenberg was, and arguably still is, the most respected judge in the history of dog shows in America, and perhaps the world. Even the British, who invented the conformation game and have no tendency to […]

A Minnesota dog was reunited with her family earlier this week after she had been missing for 985 days. The Great Pyrenees, Betty White, ventured into the woods of her owners' 13-acre property on Nov. 16, 2013 and failed to return home, devastating her family. We had the opportunity to connect with Betty White's owner, […]

There are days when Nina Daniel feels like a gymnast while penciling in Jack’s schedule. With fluidity and flexibility, the Starksboro, Vermont, dog owner finds herself writing in Agility entries for the 8½-year-old Boxer for events weeks and months ahead. But when it comes to Jack’s other life – TV commercial acting – that’s a […]

The story of “Woodbine, the Pandemic Puppy” starts with Christmas 2019 when James Canavan surprised his wife, Breedette Hayes, with a gift book, “The Curious History of Irish Dogs,” by David Blake Knox. “We live in New York City but are originally from Ireland, so we were keen to learn more about native breeds,” says […]

Though we often don’t think about them in this way, dogs are really about people — those long-ago (or, sometimes, not so long-ago) figures who developed particular breeds for particular tasks. Some breeds — like the Doberman Pinscher, Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, and Cesky Terrier — owe their existence to just one visionary person. Other breeds were brought into being […]

The original American Water Spaniel history is shrouded in a bit of mystery, but these curly hunting dogs were bred with purpose.

Mark Daniels and Aura after he was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in Afghanistan in 2013. Credit: CherryBlossoms Photography.   “What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life.” -- Emil Brunner, Swiss theologian Hope has been an important ingredient in the lives of San Diego-based Marine Staff […]

Hank, a 3-year-old German Shepherd Dog, has changed the life of 10-year-old Harrison Brimner, who is autistic, and the lives of his family. Hank is the recipient of the 2023 Award for Canine Excellence in the Service Dog category.

What better way to brighten the holidays than with fabulous photos of your adorable puppies and beautiful dogs? Good pictures will show your dogs to their best advantage on social media and to puppy buyers. And of course, they make holiday cards that friends and family will treasure. Taking good photos of dogs is harder […]

This article originally appeared in the award-winning AKC Family Dog magazine. Subscribe now! One of the highlights of 2025 for Michelle Starr was the Pismo Beach Corgi Nation Vacation. She drove three hours from her Carmel, California home with her two Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Bailey and Blue, to join her best friend and her Cardigan […]

Linda Shoenberger gets excited each time she gets to play Disc Dog with her Australian Shepherd, "Watson." They competed at the 2024 AKC Disc Dog Challenge.

Cassidy Hayes first stepped into the ring as a toddler—and this year she'll be competing at Westminster for the second time. While she still might be considered young, this 16-year-old from Indiana is already deeply committed both to the sports of purebred dogs and to making dog shows welcoming for newcomers. Family Fun "My parents […]

She radiates joy, but it’s her fighting spirit that defines the heart of a 13-week-old German Wirehaired Pointer that is about to embark on a coast-to-coast flight to a new home. Appropriately, Joy is her name. And, adds her breeder, Laura Reeves, of Grants Pass, Ore., “This is the case of the right dog at […]

At 10 years old, Olivia Merrill is an active Junior Handler of over eight years. After a house fire, the dog show community helped her family rebuild.

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 […]

The AKC works with non-AKC service and sports organizations to recognize the titles that AKC-registered dogs earn in their programs. This includes the AKC Therapy Dog program and the AKC Search & Rescue program. AKC also recognizes titles of the Barn Hunt Association (BHA); North American Diving Dogs (NADD); the North American Flyball Association (NAFA); […]

-- A Summer of Positive Action for AKC -- New York, NY – It is back to school time across America and students are being asked that time-tested question – “What did you do over the summer?” For my wife and I, it’s a rather easy question to sum up in just five words – “We […]