New York, NY — The American Kennel Club (AKC®) announced today that Patte Klecan of Albuquerque, New Mexico has been named a recipient of the AKC Community Achievement Award for her diligent work on legislative matters of interest to the dog fancy. She was one of two honorees this quarter – John Fredericks of the Vegas Valley Dog Obedience Club of Las Vegas, Nevada also received recognition.
The AKC Community Achievement Awards support and recognize outstanding public education and legislation efforts of AKC-affiliated clubs, AKC-recognized federations and their members. AKC selects award recipients who have successfully promoted purebred dogs and responsible dog ownership within their communities or who have successfully introduced, monitored and responded to legislative issues affecting dog ownership.
Klecan received this recognition for her outstanding service as Legislative Liaison for the Rio Grande Kennel Club, an organization in which she previously served as President and Show Chairman. She was also recently named AKC delegate for the American Bouvier des Flandres Club.
“Fanciers and pet owners in the state of New Mexico owe a great deal of gratitude to Patte for her dedication to protecting their rights as dog owners,” said Noreen Baxter, AKC’s VP of Communications. “Her efforts at the state and local levels to assist the legislature in enacting reasonable canine legislation have been extremely successful and well recognized. We are proud to recognize Patte’s hard work by honoring her with the AKC Community Achievement Award.”
Klecan is the face behind much of the Rio Grande Kennel Club’s legislative efforts. Active in the New Mexico Legislature, she has lobbied on the behalf of dog owners on numerous occasions, including opposition to a difficult animal control ordinance, enforcement of existing animal control regulations and increased public education initiatives. She attended AKC Lobby Day in September 2004 in Washington, D.C. where she had the opportunity to meet and work with other AKC legislative liaisons from around the country as well as New Mexico congressional members.
Klecan is a member of the New Mexico Coalition of Animal Advocates and, along with past AKC Community Achievement Award winner Norm Wilson, she is a founder of the New Mexico Animal Owners Alliance.
Nominations for the AKC Community Achievement Awards are accepted year-round. Up to three honorees are named each quarter. They receive a certificate and a $1,000 check payable to the club or federation’s public education and canine legislation efforts. Visit www.akc.org/public_education/community_achievement.cfm for more information and a nomination form.