Bringing Dog Lovers Together Since 1884
For 140 years, the American Kennel Club has been the country鈥檚 leading authority on all things dogs, acting as the premier resource for dog lovers, from the fancier to the everyday owner. Along with our affiliated organizations, we encourage dogs as family companions; advance canine health and well-being; advocate for dog owner rights; and educate the public about responsible dog ownership.
We are passionate about everything related to dogs, and we celebrate the joy they bring to our lives every single day. Being a dog lover is not a pastime; it鈥檚 a way of life 鈥� and we make every moment count.
At our core, in our heart of hearts, our values are ever constant. An exhibitor will always beam with pride as she stacks her dog for a big win shot. A good retrieve has always been a good retrieve, and the soulful gaze of a trusty hunting dog will always be the sportsman鈥檚 sweetest reward. The deep satisfaction handlers derive from a flawless obedience routine is the same as it was in the early 1930s. Of course, the point of it all鈥攑ast and present鈥攈as been to produce good dogs, of sound mind and body. This will always be so.
We remain true to our core mission set forth by our founders which was well put by William E. Buckley, an AKC President in the mid-20th century, who once assembled the staff to remind them, 鈥淎lways remember: We are a service organization. The dogs are not here for us, we are here for the dogs.鈥�
The AKC at a Glance:
- We are the world鈥檚 largest and oldest not-for-profit all-breed聽registry, with 201 recognized breeds and counting.
- We have more than 5,000 licensed and member聽clubs聽and affiliated organizations.
- We receive more than 3 million entries to 22,000+聽sports and events聽each year.
- We are the number one content site for dogs, as reported by SimilarWeb, with over 8.3 million visitors to AKC.org every month.
- Almost 50,000聽Canine Good Citizen聽certifications are awarded each year.
- 罢丑别听聽allocates millions of dollars in health research funds to study nearly all of the top diseases in dogs, including cancer, epilepsy, thyroid disease, hip dysplasia, allergies, heart disease, progressive retinal atrophy, and cataracts, among others.
- 罢丑别听AKC Rescue Network聽is the largest network of dog rescue groups in the country, with more than 450 groups participating.
- Over 5 million micro-chipped or tattooed pets are enrolled in the聽, and over 470,000 pets have been returned home to date.
- 聽is home to the largest collection of canine art in the country.
- AKC Library聽is America鈥檚 most comprehensive collection on the subject of domestic dogs with more than 18,000 volumes.