All around the country, dog owners and breeders are working at the grassroots level to educate lawmakers and members of their communities about the value that the American Kennel Club and local AKC clubs bring to their communities.

AKC Government Relations provides state and federal bill tracking, legislative alerts, and a variety of resources and downloadable materials to assist you in your outreach. If you haven’t already visited the AKC Legislative Action Center and the Government Relations web page, please take a moment to become familiar with the newsfeeds and tools on these websites.

For the past several years, legislation has been introduced in Iowa that would further expand some of the most restrictive dog breeding rules in the country. A dedicated group of Iowa breeders and club members have joined together and been working tirelessly to share the other side of the story – all the ways responsible breeders make a positive difference in the lives of dogs, dog owners, and the state as a whole.

On February 4, the group hosted an educational day at the state capitol to share this message; show how responsible breeders benefit the state; and explain how the restrictive bills introduced once again this year would negatively impact breeders’ ability to raise and breed dogs responsibly

More than one hundred legislators from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut publicly shared their commitment to responsible dog ownership this month by serving as honorary chairs for the Meet the Breeds™ event hosted by the American Kennel Club and Westminster Kennel Club.

Many of the Honorary Chairs, their staff, and families attended this year’s event where they had opportunity to sign the AKC Pet Promise for responsible dog ownership, meet dogs of their favorite breeds, and learn about the importance of supporting responsible dog owners and breeders. Read more.

Click here to read more about tri-state legislators who participated as Honorary Chairs.

Purebred dogs are so much more than museum pieces. The birth of each new generation inspires us. They are works of art that deserve at very least the same protection, support, respect and admiration.

In a ceremony held at the AKC New York headquarters in January, the American Kennel Club presented Dr. Arnold L. Goldman, DVM, MPH and the Connecticut Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners with the 2015 Bebout Memorial Award for Leadership in Canine Legislation.

Meme (mēm) — An idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture. (merriam-webster.com)

The American Kennel Club’s name is recognized internationally as the standard for excellence in purebred dogs. However, when questioned more deeply, few people truly know the extent of AKC’s commitment to dogs.

AKC’s Communications team has developed these new memes to highlight our investment in canine health research, our inspections process, AKC’s support of search and rescue dogs, commitment to dog training through the Canine Good Citizenship program, and the good work done by our public education and government relations departments. Please share these with your family, friends and legislators to help increase awareness of all the AKC really does for our canine companions.

Above and Beyond
Canine Health
Inspections

Thank you for helping us educate the public about all the good things the American Kennel Club is involved in. We hope to add to these memes to continue this proactive campaign.

In February, the American Kennel Club announced a new program to honor dogs that work in government agencies, including police, military, border patrol, the Transportation Security Administration, and more. This offers AKC clubs a great opportunity to work with law enforcement and agencies in support of purpose-bred working dogs.

Read more about this community outreach program and click here for a nomination form.