Award Presented at AKC/Eukanuba National Championship   James W. Smith of North Collins, NY was honored with the 2012 AKC Breeder of the Year Award for his Absolutely Smooth Fox Terriers at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship on Sunday, December 16, 2012.  The annual award honors those breeders who have dedicated their lives to improving the […]

National Champion Beats Dogs from 49 States and 21 Countries GCHP CH Pinnacle Tennessee Whiskey, a Whippet known as “Whiskey,” triumphed over more than 5,000 entries to earn a $50,000 cash prize and the title of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, held December 15-16, 2018 in Orlando, Fla. […]

World’s Largest Gathering of Cats & Dogs to be Held October 16-17, 2010 at the Javits Center   Attention all pet lovers, it will be raining cats and dogs once again this October when the American Kennel Club® (AKC) and the Cat Fanciers’ Association® (CFA) return to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New […]

  Majority of Dog Owners Would Rather Kiss the Family Dog Than Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie Forget about the treadmill. A recent American Kennel Club® (AKC®) New Year’s survey revealed that dog owners will use Fido to assist with a New Year’s resolution to exercise more.  In fact nearly 75% of respondents intend on […]

Being truly unique in our mission and having a history spanning more than 120 years, there are few organizations with a heritage anything like ours. However, in recently learning more about the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), I have been struck at the many parallels it shares with the AKC. Both the AKC and AVMA […]

A public hearing will be held February 1, 2013 on House Bill 233, which would require licensing of "commercial dog breeders" subject to unnamed fees, would require unannounced inspections, and would establish requirements and standards of care. A commercial dog breeder would be defined as a person who owns, maintains, or otherwise has custody or […]

As the 2026 Florida Legislative Session concludes its policy calendar, the American Kennel Club (AKC) Government Relations team is pleased to provide a final update on key legislative outcomes impacting dog owners, breeders, and the broader purebred community across the state. While the Legislature will reconvene budget negotiations, all substantive policy matters of relevance to […]

A Texas Senate Committee held a public hearing on Tuesday, March 28 on Senate Bill 876 which will require anyone who owns 5 or more intact female dogs over 6 months of age to become a state licensed dog breeder – even if they never breed a litter or sell a single dog. This is […]

Late last week, President Biden signed into law the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Veterans Therapy (PAWS for Veterans Therapy) Act.  HR 1448/S 613 is a ground-breaking measure that recognizes the importance of service dogs in assisting veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and other mental disorders […]

The Maryland House Economic Matters Committee is scheduled to consider a bill on Monday, March 12, which will prohibit retail pet stores (defined as any “for profit establishment open to the public that sells or offers for sale domestic animals to be kept as pets”) from selling any dogs or cats.  Instead, they would only […]