This story originally appeared in the summer 2012 issue of the AKC Canine Partners News and later was reprinted in a 2013 issue of AKC Family Dog magazine. The story won first place in the 2013 Dog Writers Association of America writing competition in the category of “Magazine Feature Article with the topic of Rescue.”Since […]

Thirteen-year-old Maddie Dunn TD TDU VST and her owner Charlene Dunn of Arlington, TX, recently became the first Canine Partners team to earn the AKC Variable Surface Tracking title. Maddie also holds the Tracking Dog (TD) and the Tracking Dog Urban (TDU) titles. Charlene found Maddie in the streets of Arlington, almost 12 years ago […]

As you look down at the Best in Show judging from your seat in the nosebleed section at Madison Square Garden (or from your own couch), you might be inclined to offer your own take on which dog is worthy of the top honor at Westminster.“That pug is the cutest dog in the ring,” you […]

The Poodle, recognized by the AKC in 1887, did not make the top ten breeds until the 1950s, when it ranked number seven. This glamorous show dog and companion strutted into the number-one position in the 1960s and would become the first breed to hold the number-one crown for two consecutive decades. German Shepherd Dogs, […]

Each year, The American Kennel Club recognizes and celebrates an outstanding purebred dog breeder with the Breeder of the Year Award. The award honors those breeders who have dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament and quality of purebred dogs. At a special presentation held during the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin, […]

AKC Gazette breed column: Survival of this rare terrier breed depends on getting the word out to potential owners about the Dandie's charm and personality. Everyone smiles when they see a Dandie Dinmont Terrier. They can’t help it. Whether on show grounds, sidewalks, or parks, the smiles are always there. The general public will ask, […]

AKC Gazette breed column: Bedlington Terriers — A judge’s perception of balance can depend on which side of the person’s brain is more dominant in processing information.  The brain is divided laterally into the right and left hemispheres. Theoretically, each hemisphere has a different way of processing information, making some people right-brain dominant and some people left-brain dominant.  Right-brain-dominant people are visual and process the whole […]

Pup Culture, By Bud Boccone   George Plimpton was an all-around man of letters, known to literary types as editor of the little-read but highly influential Paris Review. But in the 1960s and ’70s, he became an unlikely celebrity as a pioneer in the field of “participatory journalism,” in which a writer tries his hand […]

After each AKC Board and Delegate meeting, we’ll update you with the new Rules, Regulations and Policies adopted by the American Kennel Club. To view the updates from the April Board Meeting, see below. NOHS Changes (effective for events held on or after October 9, 2014): The AKC National Owner-Handled Series will be a required […]

James Dok, Dr. Charles Garvin and Ronald Menaker Elected   New York, NY – At the Annual Meeting of the American Kennel Club on March 11, 2014, the AKC Board of Directors Class of 2018 was elected. The three Directors elected were: James Dok, Delegate from the Gig Harbor Kennel Club; Dr. Charles Garvin, Delegate from […]