Press Releases

The American Kennel Club (AKC®) is pleased to announce that Octavia Stensen with her Norwegian Buhund GCHB CH Cultiva Cruisin For A Bruisin was awarded the coveted title of Best Junior Handler along with a $5,000 scholarship. The Junior Showmanship competition, for handlers between 9 to 18 years of age, was held for the 23rd […]

The AKC® National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals Best in Show honors went to GCHB CH Kinloch So There!, an Irish Setter known affectionately as “Stryker” owned and handled by 14-year-old Adam Kucera and bred by Patty Fanelli and Mike Fanelli. Adam and Stryker beat out 874 other dogs to take highest honor. Additionally, 15-year-old Savanna […]

CH Von Hawes Forever Forward, a Rottweiler known as “Granger” triumphed over 1,717 dogs ages six months to 18 months to become the AKC® Royal Canin National All-Breed Junior of the Year, held today in Orlando, Fla in conjunction with the AKC® National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. “Granger,” owned and bred by Peter Hawes […]

The AKC® Humane Fund is proud to announce the winners of the 24th annual AKC® Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE). These awards celebrate five loyal, hard-working dogs that have significantly improved the lives of their owners and communities. The five winners were carefully chosen from a pool of over 600 impressive nominations. The […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®) is pleased to announce that Frank Murphy has been hired as an AKC Executive Field Representative. He will start January 2nd, 2024. Murphy has over forty years of experience in handling various breeds. He has handled top winning dogs in almost every group, such as the Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC) is excited to announce that its popular special, AKC HEROES: 2023 AWARDS FOR CANINE EXCELLENCE, will premiere on Sunday, December 10th at 10:30pm ET on ESPN2. The show features incredible stories of this year’s AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE) winners. These annual awards celebrate loyal, hard-working dogs […]

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 2023 AKC Breeder of the Year group honorees.   “We are proud to honor these knowledgeable and responsible breeders,” said Dennis B. Sprung, AKC President and CEO. “Each of these individuals are […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for all dogs, is honored to recognize K9 Huk of Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in Jacksonville, Florida and K9 Loki of Michigan Department of State Police, in Houghton Lake, Michigan with the American Kennel Club’s DOGNY Paw of Courage Award. The AKC […]

The AKC® National Championship presented by Royal Canin has a new record-breaking entry. A grand total of 5,762 dogs will compete for the title of America’s National Champion on December 16 and 17, 2023 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Combined with the other weekend events, including the AKC®/Royal Canin National All-Breed […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC) presented New Hampshire Senator Howard Pearl on November 4, 2023, with the 2023 AKC Legislator of the Year award in recognition of his advocacy for fair and balanced legislation for responsible dog owners. The award was presented by Sheila Goffe, AKC Vice President of Government Relations (GR), noting Pearl “has […]