The AKC Government Relations Department (GR) is dedicated to protecting the rights of all dog owners, promoting responsible dog ownership and ensuring that laws governing dog ownership and breeding are reasonable, enforceable and non-discriminatory. The Government Relations department leads the AKC’s legislative efforts and identifies its goals as “working to protect the rights of all […]

Issues at the City, County, and Metropolitan Levels, and in US Territories The AKC Government Relations Department is pleased to assist dog owners with canine legislation issues in their local communities, but we can’t help unless we are aware of the proposal. Please contact us at (919) 816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org when new laws are discussed or introduced […]

Anti-breeder and animal rights groups are making a year-end push on Capitol Hill to advance arbitrary and harmful federal breeder regulations (H.R. 2840 /S. 1385)  called the “Puppy Protection Act”.  This bill would mandate arbitrary new requirements for certain hobby and professional dog breeders, and continues to gain support Congress.  We urge all responsible dog […]

Below you will find recording links and resources for webinars that aired in 2022. Once you click the recording link, you will be asked to enter your name and email address in order to access the recording. Webinar Topic Recording Link Resources AKC DDTF Webinar Series: 6-9 Month Puppies, Getting Started Right for Detection Work […]

The AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin® will air as a three-hour special on the ABC television network on Sunday, January 1, 2023, at 2 p.m. ET. The show features thousands of dogs from around the country and the world competing for the coveted title of America’s National Champion. Hosting the broadcast are AKC […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to recognize breeding programs from the Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups as 2022 AKC Breeder of the Year group honorees. “It is our pleasure to honor these knowledgeable and respected breeders,” said Dennis Sprung, AKC President and CEO. “The individuals have made significant contributions […]

Issues at the City, County, and Metropolitan Levels, and in US Territories The AKC Government Relations Department is pleased to assist dog owners with canine legislation issues in their local communities, but we can’t help unless we are aware of the proposal. Please contact us at (919) 816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org when new laws are discussed or introduced […]

The Wichita Animal Services Advisory Board will meet this week on Wednesday, November 16 at 4:00pm to discuss a potential mandatory spay and neuter ordinance. The board will need to develop an ordinance and approve it before it will receive further consideration. Once the board approves an ordinance it may require approval from the Wichita […]

Last week, the San Marcos City Council gave initial unanimous support of an ordinance that will mandate spay/neuter for all dogs following a first offense of the city’s at large dog ordinance. Additionally, this ordinance will prohibit the sale of dogs at pet stores sourced from dog breeders. There will be one more reading of […]

Merle in dogs is one of the most intriguing coat patterns in the dog world, both in its appearance and its genetics. Also known as dapple, merle is characterized by irregular blotches of fur set on a lighter background of the same pigment, such as solid black on gray (called blue merle) or solid brown […]