In early February, the U.S Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which oversees implementation of federal Animal Welfare Act regulations and pet breeder/dealer licensing announced it was removing certain documents from its online databases for review appending litigation and to ensure full compliance with privacy requirements. Almost immediately, the statement created […]

As recent history has shown, many anti-breeder animal rights extremists continuously advocate for incremental breeding and sales restrictions that they hope will eventually lead to outright bans on all animal breeding and ownership.  They collectively consider all breeders and pet stores as substandard and inherently not interested in practicing or promoting animal welfare.  These politically-aware […]

Searching for a new purebred puppy isn’t necessarily as easy as it seems. Sure, anyone can post an advertisement for healthy, purebred, AKC-registered puppies on sites like Facebook and Craigslist, but that doesn’t make them true. It is important for dog owners to know where exactly their new furry friend came from to ensure their […]

Since 2012, the AKC Government Relations team has hosted Conferences on Canine Legislation for AKC legislative liaisons and state federation leaders. The popular biennial conference brings together in Raleigh, North Carolina, grassroots leaders from across the country -- from as far as Hawaii to Maine Raleigh, North Carolina for two days of training and networking. […]

Atlanta, GA – The American Kennel Club (AKC) honored Georgia Senator Bill Heath with the AKC Legislator of the Year Award on January 12, 2017 in recognition of his dedication to protecting the wellbeing of dogs and the rights of responsible dog owners and sportsmen. The AKC Legislator of the Year award honor legislators who demonstrate […]

In last November’s election, we saw a fair amount of misuse of the term “animal rights” and even outright support for “animal rights” by candidates that otherwise seemed to support the human-animal connection, kindness to animals, and proper care of animals based on sound science. Policymakers know semantics matter. We urge every policymaker and their […]

Approximately 40 legislative liaisons, federation leaders, and dog owners and advocates from across the country travelled to Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington DC this past weekend to attend the AKC Government Relations team’s second regional legislative conference of the year. The purpose of these conferences is to empower club members, dog fanciers, and leaders with the […]

  For over 130 years, the American Kennel Club has been dedicated to protecting and promoting the health and well-being of dogs. This is reflected in AKC events, public education initiatives, inspections, and many programs that celebrate and encourage responsible dog breeding and the preservation of purebred dogs. At its April meeting, the AKC Board […]

  Frankfort, KY –The American Kennel Club (AKC) is pleased to announce that Kentucky State Senator Robin Webb and State Representative Tommy Turner are recipients of the AKC Legislator of the Year Award for 2016. “The American Kennel Club is pleased to honor Senator Webb and Representative Turner with our Legislator of the Year Award,” […]

  2016 was another busy year for AKC Government Relations, its state federations, and responsible dog owners and breeders advocating for dogs. Over 2,200 bills impacting animals were monitored by AKC GR. Several new laws impacting dog owners and breeders were enacted over the past year. It is imperative for responsible owners to ensure they […]