Editorial: September 13, 2024
Congratulations to the AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB on the 140th anniversary of its founding on September 17, 1884. Its founders called a meeting at the Kennel Club of Philadelphia’s offices to form a club of clubs to consider all dog matters concerning bench shows and field trials. The 12 men and the clubs they represented were J. W. Munson (St. Louis); Samuel G. Dixon (Philadelphia); Elliot Smith (Westminster); Jas Watson, proxy (Montreal); J.A. Nickerson ( Boston, New England); G.E. Osborn (New England); J. M. Taylor (Kentucky); G. N. Appold (Baltimore); C.M. Dunhill (Cleveland); Elliot Smith, proxy (New Brunswick, Canada), and Jas. Watson, proxy (London, Canada). These gentlemen formed a committee to select a name and create a constitution and bylaws. It was decided that unlike the English Kennel Club, which is a club of individuals, this new club would be a club of clubs.
The next meeting took place in New York on October 22, 1884, and the National Bench Show Association officially became the American Kennel Club. J.M. Taylor was elected the first president, Elliot Smith first vice president, Samuel Coulson second vice president, Edward Porter secretary and G.N. Appold treasurer. In those formative years a stud book was created and the printing of a Gazette also was established. Moving along came the 27-year presidency of August Belmont, Jr., from 1888 to 1915. At first championship points were earned as they were in England: To become a champion you needed to place first at three different shows under three different judges. To further distance themselves from their English cousins, the point schedule was changed to the total entry of the show, not individual breed entries. For example, at a show whose total entry was less than 250 dogs you could only get one point; 250 to 500 dogs was two points; 500 to 750 dogs, three points; 750 to 1,000 dogs, four points, and more than 1,000 dogs, five points. (This might be something we should return to, as it would create less shows with bigger entries.)
In 1933, the millionth dog was registered in the AKC stud book, a Shetland Sheepdog named Sheltieland Alice Grey Gown owned by Catherine Edwards Coleman. There have been 20 AKC presidents in those 140 years, starting with J.M. Taylor and in chronological order Elliot Smith, William H. Child, August Belmont, Jr., Hollis H. Hunnewell, Howard Willets, John E. DeMund, MD, Charles T. Inglee, Russell H. Johnson, Jr., Dudley P. Rogers, William E. Buckley, Alfred M. Dick, John A. Lafore, Jr., William F. Stifel, Robert Maxwell, Louis Auslander, Judy Daniels, Alfred Cheaure and now to the present-day Dennis B. Sprung. When the English Kennel Club (now the Royal Kennel Club) celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, there was a garden party held at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the occasion. We have no kings but maybe some kind of celebration is in order.
Happy Anniversary, American Kennel Club.