A little more than five years ago, the American Kennel Club opened the door for mixed-breeds to compete. On the first weekend of competition in April 2010, a former shelter pup named Katylee qualified in AKC Rally on three straight days to earn her AKC Rally Novice (RN) title. She became the first mixed-breed dog […]

Every holiday season, our family gathers for a celebration between Christmas and New Year. Several of our young grandchildren are between the ages of 5 and 8. In wintertime in Western Pennsylvania, a fire is often started in the fireplace during the late afternoon or evening hours. The young ones ask how a fire is […]

MACH Mardens Prize Fighter MXB MJB OF T2B CGC CA owned by Denise Marden of Manalapan, NJ Five years ago, Denise had just lost her first rescue dog and started searching for a new dog to adopt.  “Looking through Pet Finder for a mixed-breed with either Australian Shepherd or Border Collie in the mix, I […]

Nekoda loves hiking and carrying his back pack through the Oregon wilderness with his owner Sally Freeman of Warrenton, OR. The 11-year-old mixed-breed dog is a member of the AKC Canine Partners program with the AKC formal name of Nekoda Pepper Freeman-Forster. If you would like to start hiking with your dogs and want them […]

Incredible Nose Earns Top Titles and Finds Lost Pets Griffin Fielding TDX owned by Maureen Fielding of N. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Seven-year-old Griffin came into being through an accidental mating between a black German Shepherd female and a German Short-haired Pointer male.  “He is a fine hunting dog with a strong work ethic, making […]

Adapted from a story originally published in the June 2011 AKC Gazette:After nearly a half-century in Borzoi, the best advice I can offer is to proceed slowly. When you begin to breed dogs, your first show dog will represent the ideal in your mind. That dog morphs in memory to near perfection in the years […]

Few U.S. dog owners would be surprised to hear that federal law prohibits bringing a dog into the United States from countries that are not rabies-free, unless it is fully immunized against the disease. But if you live near a border and travel across borders on a regular basis, it can be easy to forget […]

River Birch Bohland CD RAE owned by Brittany Rupp of Gully, MN River came to Brittany’s home as a 12-week-old fluff ball, thanks to a “Free Puppies” sign in the yard of a farm in rural Minnesota.  “She’s the first puppy I’ve ever had, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that if […]

  This year’s national specialty for the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of America (WSSCA) was held in late April during the Cherry Blossom Cluster in Maryland. We enjoyed four days of competition and camaraderie, and it only rained once! (In 2011 we held our national specialty in Pennsylvania during “The Great Harrisburg Flood.”) Welsh Springer […]

Never Stop Learning.One of my tips for being successful with your passion in the sport of purebred dogs is to never stop learning. Read the AKC standard for your breed and the other breeds in your group. Know what breed-specific characteristic are essential to define them. Know why they possess those traits and how they […]