Junior Handler Andrew Konior of Iowa, knows about the value of teamwork. He and dog "Charlotte," will compete at the 2024 AKC Agility League Championship,

Each year, the AKC Humane Fund pays tribute to five dedicated, hardworking dogs for making significant contributions to an individual or entire community. One award is given in each of the following categories: Uniformed Service K-9, Service, Therapy, Search and Rescue, and Exemplary Companion Dog. In a split second in 2006 Ryan Garrison’s life changed forever. Fast forward nine years […]

Ever wonder if you can go from watching dog shows on TV to competing at big shows yourself? Well that's exactly what Junior Handler Ashlyn Navis did.

In 1939, a million Americans a year paid admission to attend AKC shows exhibiting over 100,000 dogs across the country. The mightiest events, Westminster and Morris & Essex, reported record-setting entry numbers during the 1930s that have still never been topped. Savvy publicity efforts and new AKC publications brought the formerly closed-circuit world of purebred dog breeding and exhibition to the American public, who clamored for more. […]

Though we often don’t think about them in this way, dogs are really about people — those long-ago (or, sometimes, not so long-ago) figures who developed particular breeds for particular tasks. Some breeds — like the Doberman Pinscher, Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, and Cesky Terrier — owe their existence to just one visionary person. Other breeds were brought into being […]

A typical year for the Towell family means having their kids qualify for Westminster Juniors. Meet this year's participants, Bevin and Fenric Towell.

Whether you remember Petey from The Little Rascals, Lassie and Timmy, Benji, Beethoven, or Clifford the Big Red Dog, images of kids hugging and kissing dogs are burned into our minds. For dog trainers, that imagery makes us cringe. We’ve seen some of the painful results of such interactions in real life—the kinds that won’t […]

The spotlight shines on Giza, who is the sole representative of her breed - the Pharaoh Hound - in League. Not only is Giza a rarer breed of sighthound, she did not start her agility career until she was 6 years old. Now 12, she is still competing and having fun in the sport as […]

The AKC works with non-AKC service and sports organizations to recognize the titles that AKC-registered dogs earn in their programs. This includes the AKC Therapy Dog program and the AKC Search & Rescue program. AKC also recognizes titles of the Barn Hunt Association (BHA); North American Diving Dogs (NADD); the North American Flyball Association (NAFA); […]

Loudon’s Maggie THDD CGC owned by Rennie Loudon of Warwick, RI Maggie is a Reading Education Assistance Dog.  The AKC Canine Partners member is certified with Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs and registered with R.E.A.D. Intermountain Therapy Animals and Cold Noses Warm Hearts. She recently was bestowed with the AKC Therapy Dog Distinguished title for […]