Here at the AKC, we believe in honoring responsible breeders who have gone above and beyond on health issues, temperament, and genetic screening, as well as to the individual care and placement of puppies in responsible homes. That’s why we started the AKC Breeder of Merit Program: To give breeders a way to prove [...]

-- The True Essence of AKC Breeders -- Eleven years ago, Ron Menaker, Dennis Sprung, and the good folks at Eukanuba created the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship and made celebrating our breeders an integral part of the event. In 2003, they added the Best Bred-By-Exhibitor competition and every year since then, many of our sport's top […]

-- Creating a New Conversation -- New York, NY – Given that I spent nearly 45 years in the advertising agency business, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of my favorite TV programs is “Mad Men” – the quintessential show about the advertising business in the 1960s, a time I remember well. One episode […]

-- The Way Forward in 2014 -- Everyone who has ever produced a litter of puppies knows this time of year brings holiday cards from puppy buyers with heartwarming photos and most-welcome news about the progress and antics of those puppies during the year. The cards are both informative and inspiring as the breeder considers […]

-- Changing the Future -- New York, NY – Last Thursday we posted a charming photograph of three Golden Retriever puppies on the American Kennel Club Facebook page. The caption was “I love my breeder” with a request to “share your love for your dog’s breeder.”  The image was shared 2,500 times, received 11,000 likes and […]

-- A New Year, An Evolving AKC -- With a new year come new perspectives. Fresh resolutions allow us to look to the future, tackle our goals head on and make change a reality. It is a time to learn from the past and to embrace new starts and new ideas. In my past reports, […]

-- Progress to a Better Future -- New York, NY – Coming originally from the Bronx and being an ardent baseball fan, I always admired New York Yankees Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra. He is not only famous for being a gifted player, but also for his gifted ability for a memorable turn of phrase […]

-- 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 […]

New York, NY – This weekend we will have the pleasure of watching the top national and international dogs compete in the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. This spectacular event will feature more than 4000 dogs consisting of 191 breeds and varieties, with one thing in common – a dedicated responsible breeder bred each. These few thousand […]

New York, NY - As I am sure you will recall, before Ronald Reagan became President of the United States, he had a very successful career as a television and film star and as the head of the Screen Actors Guild. What you might not remember was his long-running role as GE spokesman. Starting in […]