Editorial: September 9, 2022

A recent good-news clip on the television told a tale with a happy ending: Sixteen years ago, a couple’s cat got loose and ran away. Searching for months on end to no avail, they came to the sad conclusion that their cat was gone forever. Sixteen years and two children later, they received a phone call from a veterinarian who said their cat was in his office. He had scanned the cat for a microchip and got the owners’ information. During the filmed interview, in the lower corner of the screen were the words “AKC Reunite.” While there was no mention of it, we spotted it nonetheless. It had us revisit the works of this division of the American Kennel Club. AKC Reunite was established in 2013 and is headed by the very capable Tom Sharp. It is the largest non-profit pet-identification and recovery service in the United States. Since 1995, they have helped reunite 600,000 lost pets, and more than 9 million pets in 35-plus species are enrolled. We are all familiar with the microchipping and recovery program that was its origins, but AKC Reunite has grown into and expanded into other areas of pet protection. The best known of these is the Pet Disaster Relief Trailers, a nationwide program that helps animals displaced by fires, hurricanes and other weather disasters and aids shelter animals with medical supplies and equipment. They have delivered 97 trailers in 29 different states. They also sponsor the AKC Reunite Disaster Fund, which provides assistance to the non-profit animal shelters and organizations that care for displaced animals in time of natural or other disasters. One of its most unheralded charitable acts is the AKC Reunite Adopt A K-9 Cop Fund, which helps donate a K-9 police dog to police departments around the United States. With budget cuts and other cost-cutting measures, many counties nationwide do not have the funds to replace K-9 police dogs, Thanks to the added donations from kennel clubs, AKC Reunite donated monies to help these police departments replace their dogs. AKC Reunite matches donations from a club three to one: For example, if a club donates $2,500, AKC Reunite will donate a maximum of $7,500. In 2022, one grant per department will result in a total of 200 grants this year alone. Donations to the AKC Reunite 501(c)3 can be designated to any of the three major areas in addition to the general fund, can be made online, or sent to AKC Reunite, 8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Raleigh, North Carolina 27617. Many kennel clubs and individuals from around the country help support these causes, and they should be applauded.