New York, NY – The AKC® Humane Fund has announced the winners of the 16th annual AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE). These awards commemorate five loyal, hard-working dogs that have significantly impacted the lives of their owners and people in their communities. One award is presented in each of the following five […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) continues its support of students pursuing veterinary studies with the presentation of the 2015 AKC/American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) Veterinary Scholarship to Courtney Korff, a third-year student at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. This $5,000 scholarship, offered since 2009, is designed to support individuals with a background in […]

A female dog reaches sexual maturity at around six months old. The stage of the cycle when she’s receptive to mating is called estrus, or heat. During this stage, there’s an increase in estrogen levels, then a sharp decrease and then her ovaries release eggs. Although six months old is the average age of a […]

Dog lovers all over the US have reason to celebrate news from the NAIA, which reported recently that the number of dogs entering US shelters has dropped significantly over the past few decades to new lows. Digging deeper into the matter, NAIA also learned that only about three percent of dogs in our country’s shelters […]

An October 2010 list published by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) called “Missouri’s Dirty Dozen” included the kennel of Mary Ann Smith.  The list, which purportedly listed, “some of the worst licensed kennels in the state,” was part of a public relations campaign designed in some measure to urge voter support of […]

Dog lovers all over the US have reason to celebrate news from the NAIA, which reported recently that the number of dogs entering US shelters has dropped significantly over the past few decades to new lows. Digging deeper into the matter, NAIA also learned that only about three percent of dogs in our country’s shelters are purebreds. NAIA’s […]

So after the months of preparation in organizing and testing before the breeding, praying and crossing fingers that your girl “took,” fretting before, during and after the whelping, the constant vigil for weeks after the whelping, the 24/7 care of your girl and the litter, the vet visits, testing and evaluating your pick, it is time […]

United States Senator Debbie Stabenow (Michigan) was honored with an AKC Legislator of the Year Award during her visit to the Detroit Kennel Club (DKC) show on June 20.  Senator Stabenow, who visited the show with members of her family, toured the event with DKC Show Chair Chris Berg, chatted with constituent dog enthusiasts and […]

June 17, 2015 AKC has learned that these ordinances have been pulled from the June 23rd agenda. The Washoe County Commission has directed animal services to return to the drafting board and has indicated that they do not want ordinances that will negatively impact responsible breeders or animal oriented businesses in a negative manner. AKC […]

Golden Retrievers — We now have the benefit of “clearance” testing and the mapped canine genome that could help guide intelligent crossbreeding decisions and the possibility that new breeds might eventually be developed. In the 19th century, as gentleman farmers and sportsmen kept breeding records of their canines and began to exhibit the best of their […]