Due to the length of its previous hearing, during which deep concerns were expressed by many dog owners, the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Dog Owners of the Granite State (DOGS), the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, the New Hampshire Farm Bureau and the New Hampshire Veterinary Medical Association, the New Hampshire House Environment and […]

The American Kennel Club Government Relations Department has just learned that Illinois House Bill 5771, which seeks to impose both government oversight over most responsible dog breeders and litter limits, has been removed from tomorrow’s agenda of the Illinois House Agriculture and Conservation Committee. The Government Relations Department will report new developments regarding HB 5771 […]

As part of its required five-year review process, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has proposed extensive changes to regulations applying to high volume breeders, pet stores, and dog brokers.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) encourages anyone potentially affected by the proposals to express their comments or concerns to ODA in one of the methods […]

Joint committees of the Massachusetts legislature will soon consider legislation about veterans’ service dogs, prohibiting animal cruelty violators from owning animals, establishing an animal cruelty registry, allowing non-economic damages, animal neglect cases, and animal tethering practices. Massachusetts residents are encouraged to review the information below, and contact legislators. TUESDAY, JULY 22: The Massachusetts Joint Committee […]

The Joint Municipalities and Regional Government Committee of the Massachusetts General Court is scheduled to consider 14 legislative proposals at its next meeting on Thursday, January 21, 2016.  Included in the agenda are bills pertaining to dogs.  All concerned Massachusetts dog owners are encouraged to contact the members of the Joint Municipalities and Regional Government […]

Today, North Carolina Senate Bill 460 was assigned to the House Committee on Commerce, Small Business, and Entrepreneurship.  The House Committee on Finance will also consider SB 460 if the Commerce committee approves the bill.  Both the American Kennel Club and the North Carolina Federation of Dog Clubs continue to oppose SB 460. Because the […]

Pennsylvania House Bill 2553 will remove the state's prohibition on breed specific local ordinances, thereby allowing municipalities to adopt any type of law applicable to dangerous dogs, including breed-specific ordinances.  It is imperative that concerned dog owners in Pennsylvania contact their legislators and express their strong opposition to this bill.  The American Kennel Club supports […]

Enhanced Guidelines and New Format Provide Best Practices For All Responsible Dog Owners As the only purebred dog registry in the country with an ongoing kennel inspection program, the American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is proud to announce recent enhancements to its Care and Conditions of Dogs policy.  Since 2000, AKC has conducted more than 55,000 […]

The AKC® Humane Fund is proud to announce the winners of the 22nd 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 nearly 1,000 impressive nominations. The […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) announced today the winners of the seventh AKC Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE), the award designed to commemorate loyal, hard-working dogs that have made significant contributions to their community. The ACE is given annually to dogs in each of the following five categories: Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Therapy, Service […]