Editorial: July 26, 2024

The secretary’s report for the last AKC delegates meeting held on June 11 was full of information that most will not read. There were 18 new delegates who were seated since the last delegates meeting. The American Kennel Club proudly remains the world’s largest all-breed registry and dog-sport organization. Supporting this statement is the fact that there are 5,037 clubs that hold more than 26,000 events in 28 different sports. The total entry of these events exceeded 3.6 million entries. The kennel club’s economic-impact study shows that the millions of dollars generated by these events total more than a whopping $2.7 billion — yes, billions of dollars — a year in local communities. A statistic that the American Kennel Club strongly suggests local clubs make known to their local government officials. Some say that the American Kennel Club should follow that same advice. Field agents who inspect kennels are also educating breeders to ensure proper care and record-keeping; since the year 2000, there have been more than 83,000 inspections made nationwide, breaking down the average to 300 inspections conducted every month. Part of expanding education and responsible dog ownership is the very successful AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, which has produced more than 1.3 million titleholders. The newer AKC S.T.A.R. puppy program has 272,000 puppies that have achieved that award.

Adding to the care, education and responsible dog ownership is the Education Department, which provides teachers with lessons plans and activities for grade-school students. AKC Canine College offers 26 courses on breeding dogs, and there 74 breed-specific courses that were created with the parent club of those breeds. There is also conformation for beginners, stewarding for dog shows, 10 different courses for puppy training, obedience judges’ education and AKC Fetch judges’ education. In broader areas, the AKC Humane Fund, created 15 years ago, has donated money to women’s shelters that provide help and shelter to domestic-violence victims and their pets. AKC also provides monies to parent clubs and affiliated non-profits for more than 450 rescue groups, making the AKC the largest rescue group in the nation. There is the Detection Dog Task Force, which focuses on filling the need for trained explosive-detection dogs to protect the public. The Patriotic Puppy Program helps teach breeders how to raise and train puppies for that purpose. The American Kennel Club has donated $36 million to the AKC Canine Health Foundation and established the AKC Museum of the Dog, which now boasts an art collection of 1,700 pieces and a library of 4,000 volumes.

All and all, a very impressive list of accomplishments. Each and every one of us has contributed in some part to these achievements, and we should all be proud of ourselves, the breeders of purebred dogs, for supporting our sport.