Welcome to the last quarter of 2023! Now is a great time to prepare for next year’s legislative session, whether that is introducing yourself to your local lawmakers, touching base with your regional AKC Government Relations analyst to set up a presentation for your club, or familiarizing yourself with the great things AKC and its dog clubs are working on to share these successes with your lawmakers.
Recently, AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) sponsored Pet Night on Capitol Hill. The annual celebration brings together Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and leaders in the pet care community to underline the crucial role of pets in our lives and pave the way for important discussions on policies and programs.
Take a moment to learn about the Belle-City Kennel Club, the “best-kept secret in Illinois.” The club shares their initiative to introduce their club to their state representative, shedding light on their commitment to preserving their way of life as breeders and trainers. They share lessons learned and misconceptions and legislative challenges they have faced.
The AKC’s Detection Dog Task Force (DDTF) brings together breeders, trainers and government agencies to improve development and access to U.S.-bred dogs to serve as explosive detection dogs that protect public safety and homeland security. This month the DDTF unveiled a new video that showcases their mission to ‘Educate and Empower.” The video features interviews with terrorism experts, law enforcement officials, academia representatives, and the passionate participants of the AKC DDTF Patriotic Puppy Program (PPP). It also offers an up-close look at the training journey, capturing the growth and development of these remarkable canines from 8-week-old puppies to fully-fledged detection dogs that have gone on to forge impressive careers as working dogs.
Thank you again to all who contacted their legislators, inspired their clubs, and worked with our GR team members to further our love of purpose-bred dogs. As always, please reach out to doglaw@akc.org with any questions, comments, or concerns.