In honor of past and future AKC® award winners crowned and celebrated at the Annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show I am pleased to announce that the AKC has recently installed a “Wall of Fame” at the American Kennel Club Library in New York City. Joining the 18,000 volumes of canine works and rare books […]

The Fort Collins City Council is expected to vote on Tuesday, September 3, on a proposal that will restrict pet sales in the city. As currently written, the proposal would ban the retail sale of dogs and cats in the city, with the exception of shelters and rescues.  “Hobby breeders” are also exempt, so long […]

PROHIBITING INSURANCE DOG BREED DISCRIMINATION ADVANCES: On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, despite opposition from the insurance industry, the Connecticut (CT) Joint Committee on Insurance and Real Estate approved a new draft of SB 1386, “Concerning Dog Breed in Insurance Underwriting and Evaluating the Feasibility of Establishing a Penalty for Misrepresenting a Dog as a Service […]

UPDATE #2 - 2/7/2024: Florida Senate Bill 660 is on the agenda of the Senate Committee on Rules for February 8, 2024. Florida residents are urged to contact committee members to express their concerns with this bill. UPDATE:  Florida Senate Bill 660, which seeks to exempt from public records requirements the identifying information about persons who […]

The California Legislature is considering two bills impacting dog owners as the session nears its end. To see the complete list visit, the AKC legislative tracker in the AKC Legislative Action Center at www.akcgr.org.  AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) will continue to provide updates and alerts on these and other bills that could impact you. […]

PA Update:  Senate Bill Impacting Field Trials, Winter Dog Events Advancing June 2, 2015 The Pennsylvania Senate has given tentative approval to a bill that amends the state’s cruelty laws to regulate tethering and sheltering for dogs kept outdoors. The AKC strongly believes that no dog should ever be kept in a situation that endangers […]

October 9, 2019 Please forward to those who own, breed, and raise dogs in Iowa, as well as those involved with rescue activities in the state: This morning, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) posted new proposed regulations regarding animal welfare, and is seeking public comment until October 30. This comprehensive proposal, […]

Last June, the Massachusetts General Court’s Joint Municipalities and Regional Government Committee accepted public testimony on H.1774, S. 114, H. 1757, H.1758, H. 1822, H. 1823, and S. 1204, which seek: to impose regulatory oversight over personal and commercial kennels, mandate annual inspections of all kennels, and create consumer protection laws that exempt animal shelters […]

New York Assembly Bill 3595 would prevent senior citizens from being denied occupancy or evicted from a multiple dwelling because they own a pet.  We encourage all New York residents to contact their State Assemblyperson and the members of the Assembly Housing Committee, and ask them to support this legislation. Summary: There are many positive […]

  The American Kennel Club is proud to announce the North Carolina Federation of Dog Clubs as the inaugural winner of the Walter Bebout Memorial Award for Leadership in Canine Legislation. Named for the late Director of the AKC Government Relations Department, the "Bebout" award recognizes those federations and owner/breeder organizations that have been actively […]