Anyone who mentors newcomers to showing dogs knows the steps to follow on the path to success. Yet we may present the advice as if it were a script,  forgetting to take that occasional refresher course ourselves. The start of the year is an excellent time to get back to dog show basics and try […]

Monday, January 14, 2019 New Jersey Assembly Bill 4552 seeks to prohibit the leasing of dogs and cats.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) is concerned that the bill may impact the ability of responsible breeders to enter into limited-term leases for the purposes of breeding.  Such leases have historically been used by AKC’s preservationist breeders […]

January 8, 2019 Last night, the New Haven Board of Alders incorporated into its public record the AKC’s request and suggested amendments to its recently-amended animal ordinance.  After AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) and a board member of the Connecticut Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners met with the Mayor of New Haven […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, announced today that the Azawakh (pronounced Oz-a-wok) has gained full AKC recognition. This new addition to the AKC registry became eligible to compete in its group on January 1, 2019. “We’re excited to have the Azawakh join the AKC […]

Read part one and part two of this series. Genetics is a fundamental field of biology that covers the passage of genetic information to successive generations (inheritance). More broadly, genetics covers the study of genes, how they are organized in cells, how they are regulated, and how they interact with each other and the environment. Genetics is […]

AKC Government Relations and a board member of the Connecticut Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners, met with the Mayor of New Haven, CT and her staff yesterday to discuss in detail the concerns of dog owners and breeders with the animal ordinance enacted by the city’s Board of Alders on November 8th. […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is pleased to announce that Connecticut State Representative Doug Dubitsky will be presented with the 2018 AKC Legislator of the Year Award. During the 2018 legislative session, Representative Dubitsky established a diverse legislative working group to study various dog-related […]

The Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, recently presented a comprehensive Animal Welfare Reform plan to the City Council. This eight-step plan includes a complete overhaul of the City’s Animal Ordinance. While we do not yet know what this draft will include, other localities in the area have recently passed or are considering restrictive new laws, including […]

Election results are being finalized across the country and there’s a new crop of lawmakers in Congress, statehouses, and local communities across the country. Now is a good time to reach out to your newly-elected legislators. This month’s Taking Command includes a communications action plan for dog advocates so you can start now in taking […]

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 in your city or county. We will provide you with resources and […]