AKC STATEMENT ON DISMISSAL OF HANDLER DUE TO UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

On Saturday, April 30th , 2022, the American Kennel Club was made aware of an alleged animal abuse incident outside the ring at the AKC 2022 World Team Tryouts. In the initial complaint, onsite staff was only provided with a small portion of the video, as the event was still live streaming. After reviewing the video, an event committee hearing was held, and the handler was found guilty of the violation of harsh handling of a dog, which is an offense punishable by a reprimand and a fine. This judgement was made with the portion of video that was available at the time. Once the full video from the live stream was obtained and reviewed, the Coach and the Director of AKC Agility deemed the conduct unacceptable and unsportsmanlike conduct and the handler was notified she will no longer be able to compete at the World Team Tryouts per AKC policy. Additionally, the handler has been removed from the 2022 AKC Agility European Open Team. The AKC takes accusations of abuse and unsportsmanlike conduct seriously and will not condone, nor tolerate this type of behavior at any AKC events.