The first time Lucy Hayes met Stella, the Dayton, Ohio, native could sense something special about her. Hayes had owned a Bulldog before, but that dog had been somewhat stubborn and sedentary. Stella, however, was a whole different story. Despite being the runt of a nine-pup litter, Stella showed a certain spunk and eagerness to achieve. […]

Competition & Title Updates  We have some big news to report about All-Americans succeeding at earning the top titles in Agility, Coursing Ability, Rally, Obedience, Scent Work, and Tracking. AGILITY Congratulations to the winners at the 2019 AKC Agility Invitational AKC Canine Partners congratulates the All-American Dogs and their owners who competed and won honors at the AKC […]

Former Scared Stray Now Touches Many Lives as Therapy Dog Zoe was a terrified matted puppy when animal control picked her up and turned her into the county shelter. She had no social skills and was marked for euthanasia before a private rescue saved her. Diane & Ken Bykowski of Scottsdale, Arizona, adopted the little […]

Organization records over 3 million entries across Performance, Conformation, Companion and Family Dog events. The American Kennel Club, the world’s largest dog registry, advocate for dogs, and the governing body in the United States, continues to be the leader in the sport of dogs with a record setting increase to 3.3 million entries in 2019 […]

Janie’s Little Loyal Levi CD BN RM RAE AX OAJ XF CGC TKA owned by Janellen Henderson of Amarillo, TX “When I retired after teaching for 38 years, my husband thought I needed a dog to fill my time. A dog! What? Because of several bad experiences when I was a child, I had spent most […]

  Clubs Encouraged to Hold Educational Events For AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day The American Kennel Club (AKC) is pleased to announce that the fourth annual AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day will be held on Saturday, September 16th. The goal of the initiative is to educate first-time dog owners about the responsibilities of dog ownership […]

Penny Kelley of Sandusky, Ohio, has had Icelandic Sheepdogs for 11 years. The dam of her first litter, Ch. Valhalla’s Heart O’ Gold, is the first Icelandic Sheepdog to earn an AKC championship (shown by Kelley) and is the mother of nine AKC champions, and six of those are Grand Champions AKC: How did you get started in breeding dogs? Kelley: I got started in breeding Icelandic Sheepdogs nine years ago after my first girl, Ch. Valhalla’s Heart O’ Gold (Stella), became […]

Give GWPs A Chance A few years ago, Ariel Wolf had hardly even heard of the German Wirehaired Pointer. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, native was born with a rare connective tissue disorder, resulting in issues with her joints, tendons, and ligaments. Wolf had benefitted from service dogs in the past, and she was seeking a new dog […]

In 2020 the dogs are taking their talents to the Javits Center in New York City when The American Kennel Club (AKC®) hosts its annual AKC Meet The Breeds® on January 25-26th, 2020. This family-friendly, educational extravaganza gives animal lovers the unique opportunity to meet and play with hundreds of adorable dogs while learning about […]

Jonny Justice knows how to work a room. As a therapy dog, he's spent years bringing joy to countless people, in the reading program at his local library and visiting children with terminal illnesses at the San Francisco nonprofit Family House. On one occasion, Jonny performed his whole repertoire of 25 tricks for a young […]