On March 3, the House Agriculture Committee will mark up draft language pertaining to federal dog laws in the 2026 House Farm Bill (H.R. 7567). As introduced, the bill supports important priorities for dog enthusiasts and responsible breeders, including canine health, welfare and the rights of responsible dog owners and breeders.  As a constituent of an […]

Thanks to the strong response from AKC advocates and sportsmen’s groups—and the strong leadership of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson—the House Farm bill, H.R. 7567, the “Farm, Food, and National Security Act,” passed by the U.S. House contained positive provisions that support responsible breeding and dog ownership and no provisions that will cause harm. […]

No Good news for dogs as AKC announces its most popular breeds:  The picture painted of the American Kennel Club in a blog published by HSUS yesterday was filled with so many inaccuracies, we’ve decided to try to fix the inaccuracies section by section, rather than write a full rebuttal. –AKC. HSUS:    Last year, […]

The New Hampshire House Environment and Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hear House Bill 337 on Wednesday, February 11. This measure would prevent any dog owner from selling more than one dog or cat per year without a temporary license, which expires after 60 days. The AKC urges all responsible dog owners, fanciers, and breeders […]

-- Canine Health Always A Top Priority -- For more than a century the American Kennel Club®, its parent clubs, and responsible breeders have been dedicated to canine health. The very existence and continuation of breeds in this country depends on a foundation of healthy, sound and good tempered breeding stock. AKC takes very seriously […]

The American Kennel Club is the only purebred dog registry which mandates both registration as well as care and condition quality control standards enforced through ongoing rigorous inspections of AKC Breeders. In 1991, the AKC’s Compliance Department came into its own, going beyond the complaint-based system of investigations to mandatory inspection for certain AKC breeders.  […]

Communicating the AKC mission to the public is one of our most important goals as an organization. Our leadership and staff are dedicated to sharing our message about purebred dogs, the work and expertise of the AKC, and responsible dog ownership as broadly as possible on a daily basis. Last year, the Communications department generated […]

- New Data Says Pets Start Nearly 1,000 Fires Each Year - New York – July 12, 2010 – An estimated 500,000 pets are affected annually by home fires, however, nearly 1,000 house fires each year are accidentally started by the homeowners’ pets, according to a new data analysis by the National Fire Protection Association. […]

New York, NY- With the Biden family pondering over what to name their new German Shepherd pup, the American Kennel Club is offering up a list of most popular dog names in the U.S.A.  AKC's recent survey of 2007 registration statistics showed that "Lady" and "Bear" topped the list for females and males respectively. The […]

The full U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled vote on the Farm Bill (H.R. 7567 – the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the week of 27th.  The AKC is proud to support the version of the Farm Bill slated for consideration by the House as it includes important priorities for dog enthusiasts […]

Hello, everybody, and thank you for joining us for the second virtual meeting of our Delegate Body. The onset of Autumn is usually a time when we celebrate the return of events in cooler climates when the heat of the summer is replaced by the hint of turning leaves, and yet here we are, with […]

Congress is back in Washington for the lame-duck session and working to quickly move major legislation, such as the Farm Bill, not completed before the election. Yesterday, the Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Stabenow (D-MI) released the Senate version of the federal farm bill, The Rural Prosperity and Security Act of 2024, for immediate consideration. Unlike […]

Please share this important information with your club members, family and friends The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to debate amendments and vote on final passage of the Farm Bill, H.R. 7567, the “Farm, Food, and National Security Act,” the week of April 27. In our previous Farm Bill alert to AKC constituents, we reported that […]

Some people live by the motto "bigger is better," and it extends to their dogs too. There are many large dog breeds, each with different care and training needs. Exercise Most large dog breeds were bred for a purpose or function. Some breeds were meant to be hunters, others guard dogs. Dogs with great endurance […]

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 […]

Good morning or afternoon, whatever the case may be. Resilience. Flexibility. Communication. When we look back on the past year and a half – as we do now nearing the midway point of 2021 – these are the words that characterize our incredible organization. The end of the pandemic is at last in our sights, […]

New Hampshire House Bill 1624, which seeks to impose many unreasonable and unnecessary restrictions on responsible dog breeders and owners, will be considered by the House Environment and Agriculture Committee on Thursday, January 21.  The American Kennel Club and our New Hampshire federation, the Dog Owners of the Granite State, both oppose this measure as […]

As the year comes to a close I’d like to review what the AKC has accomplished. The Board and Staff have worked diligently to ensure the continued success of our club and the sport. The Fancy has played a major role in our success. They were effective in defeating the proposed mandatory spay and neuter […]

The Senate Agriculture Committee will be marking up draft language pertaining to federal dog laws in the 2026 Senate Farm Bill later this month.  As introduced, the bill supports important priorities for dog enthusiasts and responsible breeders, including canine health, welfare and the rights of responsible dog owners and breeders.  As a constituent of an […]

New York, NY – A Q&A between AKC Chairman of the Board Alan Kalter and Dog News’ Matthew H. Stander originally appeared in the April 11, 2014 issue of Dog News. The contents of the interview about the future direction of the AKC are reprinted here with permission of the publisher.   What steps do […]

The Johnson City Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hold a third and final vote on Thursday, November 21, 2019 to enact an overreaching new animal ordinance.  Proponents of the ordinance state that they will immediately seek to pass this same legislation throughout Washington County. AKC agrees with the city’s intent to protect dogs in […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to recognize extraordinary breeding programs from the Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups as 2024 AKC Breeder of the Year group honorees. “It is our pleasure to honor this array of esteemed breeders,” said Dennis Sprung, AKC President and CEO. “These individuals have made important […]