With a joyful bark and bound, Philo, a 5-year-old Samoyed, pressed his shoulders against his padded harness. Behind him, a cart loaded with gray concrete cinder blocks slowly moved forward, as his handler called out, “Work, work, work.” On that day, Philo pulled a load of more than 1,800 pounds—winning the event at Doggie U […]

Swarms of setters, hordes of herders, oodles of Poodles— with the seemingly endless variety of dogs gaiting around AKC show rings, you might assume every breed in creation is represented. Actually, hundreds of breeds from around the world are outside the AKC orbit. Here are just a few:   ESTRELA MOUNTAIN DOG Birthplace: northern Portugal Job […]

Ripple, a rescue Mastiff mix, takes over a Canadian television station's weather forecast! The good news is that Ripple was adopted after the broadcast. (The other good news is that these temperatures will make you feel better about the hot summer conditions!) Rescue dogs and mixed-breeds can participate in AKC events and programs through the […]

The Saint Bernard mix looked like he was dead when he was first spotted in a ditch on the side of a road. “We thought he had been hit by a car,” recalls Deborah Workman, executive director of the Sanctuary for Senior Dogs, in Cleveland, the group that took in the 8-year-old stray. The truth was […]

Portia Rocks Alsup THDD owned by Kathleen Smiley-Aslup of Rockford, IL Portia was a stray, found wandering the streets, and was taken in by Bullmastiff rescue groups after her rescue. But even rescue did not know what to do with her after a foster home did not want her back and adoptive owners returned her. […]

July 14 is Bastille Day, when France and Francophiles the world over commemorate the start of the French Revolution in 1789. The AKC joins the celebration in just the way you’d expect—with dogs. Here’s a roundup of some AKC breeds developed in France, plus a few that are French by tradition if not by birth. […]

All anyone has ever seen is a glimpse of these creatures, and there have been many different accounts, but there are two constants in all Bigfoot sightings. They are "as big as a man, and covered with hair from head to foot," one newspaper reported in 1884. Hmmmm. That could easily describe any number of […]

By Flo Laicher, Putnam Kennel Club Delegate  By Flo Laicher, Putnam Kennel Club Delegate Wanting to serve the pets and pet owners in our community, members of the Putnam Kennel Club, Inc. (PKC) started a project to donate rescue mask kits to the fire departments in Putnam County, New York. This kit gives the fire […]

Since Maggie entered into the phase of life known as senior, thoughts that I never dreamed I’d have keep floating through my mind, thoughts like: * I love my sponge mop, so, so much. * The world is a better place because of the existence of seven-foot-long, washable, waterproof hospital pads. * Whoever it was […]

Sweet & Sassy Cajun UD BN GN RN owned by Birgit Mantilla of Chicago, IL Cajun was born just over 11 years ago at Birgit’s home. She was one of 10 puppies in Birgit’s first foster litter from animal control.  “Even though I did all I was supposed to with Cajun (going to classes, socialization), […]