-- Creating a New Conversation -- New York, NY – Given that I spent nearly 45 years in the advertising agency business, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of my favorite TV programs is “Mad Men” – the quintessential show about the advertising business in the 1960s, a time I remember well. One episode […]

-- The Way Forward in 2014 -- Everyone who has ever produced a litter of puppies knows this time of year brings holiday cards from puppy buyers with heartwarming photos and most-welcome news about the progress and antics of those puppies during the year. The cards are both informative and inspiring as the breeder considers […]

-- Preserving and Protecting Our Breeds -- In describing his 1889 trip to Idaho, Theodore Roosevelt noted "a certain half melancholy feeling as I gazed on these bison, themselves part of the last remnant of a doomed and nearly vanished race. Few, indeed, are the men who now have, or evermore shall have, the chance […]

-- The True Essence of AKC Breeders -- Eleven years ago, Ron Menaker, Dennis Sprung, and the good folks at Eukanuba created the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship and made celebrating our breeders an integral part of the event. In 2003, they added the Best Bred-By-Exhibitor competition and every year since then, many of our sport's top […]

-- AKC Breeders a Labor of Love -- One of the founding fathers of the American Kennel Club was William G. Rockefeller; his family is featured prominently throughout the history of the AKC. The Rockefellers had a family creed that formed their guiding principles. Visitors to New York will find it carved in granite at […]

-- Join With the AKC to Protect Responsible Small Breeders -- Outside the Johnson County Courthouse in Warrensburg, Missouri, stands a statue dedicated to a Foxhound named Old Drum - commemorating a famous trial held there in 1870. Old Drum was shot and killed when he wandered onto the neighboring farm. His owner’s only recourse […]

--A Shared Agenda for Success-- President John F. Kennedy’s address to a special joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, was both an historic and a defining moment for the United States. It was during that speech that he announced a plan to put a man on the moon before the decade was over. […]

-- Together We Are Truly the Dog’s Champion! -- At the Delegates Meeting in June, we spoke of the proposed new regulations to the Animal Welfare Act and the onerous impact on AKC Fancy breeders, like you and I. We were determined to act quickly and with great purpose to address this issue. And we […]

-- Join Us in the AKC Conversation -- This isn't so much a Chairman's Report as it is a little straight talk among friends. And I intend it to be the first of many. We are fortunate that my predecessors, Ron Menaker and David Merriam, had the foresight to carefully plan for a financially sound […]

- Highlights of 2011 - It was a pleasure to be with many of you in Florida this weekend as we enjoyed the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, AKC Agility Invitational, AKC National Obedience Invitational and the surrounding festivities. We hope you enjoyed the incredible series of events that unfolded over the weekend. We are all aware […]