For millennia, the Cirneco dell’Etna has lived in the shadow of Mount Etna. Scrambling over the rocky, volcanic Sicilian soil in pursuit of rabbit, these small red dogs were invaluable sources of sustenance and protection for their peasant owners. But by the time the 20th Century dawned, the Cirneco was facing its own sunset of […]

Senate Bill 556, as introduced, seeks to expand and make changes to certain laws that govern trapping in the state.  As introduced, this bill could potentially increase hazards for dogs whose owners participate in field trials, Coonhound events, hunting, and training for these sports, as well as hiking, wilderness camping, and other outdoor activities with […]

If you want to impress owners of American English Coonhounds, call their dogs "English dogs." Learn about American English Coonhound history.

While there was once debate over the Afghan Hound's appearance, there was universal agreement on its personality. Read more about the history of this breed.

Each year, the AKC Humane Fund pays tribute to five dedicated, hardworking dogs for making significant contributions to an individual or entire community. One award is given in each of the following categories: Uniformed Service K-9, Service, Therapy, Search and Rescue, and Exemplary Companion Dog. No matter the environment, just about everyone who meets Stella thinks she’s “scentsational.” From lifesaver […]

The giant Scottish Deerhound coursing joyfully through a field is a glorious sight. This majestic and ancient breed has been prized since at least the 16th century for its endurance, courage, speed, and great skill at bringing down deer. In fact, the 'Royal Dog of Scotland' was so highly esteemed that, in early days, ownership […]

Dogs can teach us a nation’s history as surely as any textbook. Trace the history of the coonhound, for example, and you’ll find a master class on how our fledgling nation flourished. The very first Americans were British, and so too were their dogs. But as America’s hounds evolved, they changed dramatically, just like the […]

Mr. Sprung was also awarded a PET AGE ICON Award for 2020 The American Kennel Club would like to congratulate its President and CEO Dennis Sprung on being named a Lifetime Member of the Afghan Hound Club of America, Inc. and for earlier this month being awarded the Pet Age 2020 ICON Award. “It is […]

There is such a thing as being too good at your job. Just ask the Irish Wolfhound. As far back as Roman times, there were accounts of large Greyhound-like dogs in Ireland – called cú faoil in ancient Gaelic – revered for their size and ferocity. Some Irish chieftains and warriors even grafted the word […]

Joseph and Brenna Carlisle are AKC Breeders of Merit Bronze and AKC Bred with HEART breeders. Their kennel, Heritage Hounds, is located on about 80 acres just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. Brenna has bred and shown Standard Longhaired Dachshunds her whole life, and Joseph has bred Treeing Walker Coonhounds and competed in competition hunts with […]

Radar is a “decomposition dog" who is trained to pick up the scent of death. He can also find missing people, suspects of crimes, and track evidence. Now eight years old, Radar has been training for this since he was just 10 weeks old. Since then, he's helped put away about 24 murders and has […]

The Irish Wolfhound is an ancient and giant breed. These tall, muscular dogs can weigh as much as 180 pounds and can stand as tall as seven feet when up on their hind legs. They have a strong instinct to hunt, which makes them a wonderful candidate for AKC sports like tracking, agility, and lure coursing. […]

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 […]

No doubt you've seen a Whippet or Italian Greyhound. These absolutely adorable dogs look like Greyhounds that have been blasted with a shrink ray. Thanks to their size, it's easy to see that they are not actually Greyhounds, but the trickier question is, how do you tell these two breeds apart? The larger Whippet is […]

MACH2 PACH Cooper X MXG MJB2 MXP3 MXPB MJP6 MJPS PAX OF T2B CGC owned by Shelley R. Webster of Trenton, NJ Cooper was found as a stray in Ohio at the estimated age of 7 months. His next 11 months were spent in shelters until Shelley adopted him in Princeton, NJ, on July 6, […]

SB 285 recently passed the Senate Finance Committee and is pending consideration by the full Senate. The measure seeks to eliminate the West Virginia Greyhound Breeding Development Fund (GBDF) and redirect all money from the Fund to the State Excess Lottery Revenue Fund.  Additionally, it would eliminate the requirement that video lottery and racetrack table […]

American English Coonhounds are sweet, mellow, and too friendly to perform as a guard dog. Bred to hunt raccoons, the breed descends from English Foxhounds brought to America in the early 1800s. American English Coonhounds sound a distinctive howl when locating their quarry. On a rugged hiking trail, a young couple turns around and realizes […]

Kimberly and Colin Fritzer are AKC Breeders of Merit and the owners of Windrock Greyhounds in Grand Junction, Colorado. They are originally from Wyoming and plan to return to their home state next year. The Fritzers have been breeding Greyhounds since the early 1990s, having bred Afghan Hounds before that. Kimberly, who describes herself as “just an old farm kid,” is also a livestock judge with a very critical eye when it comes to animals. She has raised more than 350 champions and […]

If modern dogs were required to have resumés, most would list their job description as “companion." But from the badger-battling Dachshund to the sled-pulling Alaskan Malamute, dogs' bodies – not to mention their brains – still reflect the original purposes for which they were bred. Indeed, dog breeds display a tremendous variety of not just […]