American Kennel Club

From LoveToKnow Dogs

When it comes to the sport of purebred dogs in the USA, no purebred registry club garners more respect and public support than the American Kennel Club.

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American Kennel Club Facts

The American Kennel Club (AKC) was founded in 1884 and currently recognizes 153 breeds for purebred registration. Another 49 rare breeds are currently working toward official AKC recognition through the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service.

Purpose of the American Kennel Club

The main purpose of the American Kennel Club is to maintain a pedigree registry of purebred dogs, which aids the AKC's mission to promote and improve the world of purebred dogs for companionship and sporting competitions.

AKC Registration

To be eligible for American Kennel Club registration, a puppy must be the product of two AKC registered animals of the same breed. The breeder will fill out a litter registration application, supplying all requested information about the parents, date of the mating, date of the litter's birth, and number of each sex born live. All of this is maintained in the AKC's data base, and each puppy will receive a temporary puppy registration that will serve until a permanent AKC registration and name is applied for.

AKC Pedigrees

Every registered dog is provided with a unique registration number that serves as its identification number for the rest of its life. By providing this number, located on the AKC registration certificate that you should have received from the breeder, and a nominal fee, you can received your dog's pedigree. A pedigree is basically a family tree, listing your dog's ancestors from four to five generations back. You will learn names, colors of each dog, and if any of your dog's progenitors were AKC champions. Even if you never intend to breed or show, it's fun to know a bit of your dog's family history.

ILP Program

If a dog obviously looks purebred but is uneligible for American Kennel Club registration because its parents are either unknown or unregistered, the owner may apply for an Indefinite Listing Privilege (ILP). The ILP is useful for dogs who came from shelters or breed rescues, and it provides each dog with a number to be used to compete in AKC companion and sporting events, such as obedience and agility trials. An ILP number will not allow a dog entry in a conformation event.

AKC Dog Shows

In order to promote the improvement of individual dog breeds, the American Kennel Club sponsors dog shows, which are events where dogs can compete against other representatives of their own breed to compare quality as defined by each AKC breed standard. The most outstanding specimens of each breed are chosen as winners and go on to compete against the best dogs of other breeds, to determine the ultimate best dog in the show.

AKC dog shows also offer obedience and sometimes agility trials in addition to the conformation classes.

AKC Supported Activities

  • The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation focuses on garnering donations to support research on numerous canine diseases in hope of one day eliminating them. Autoimmune disorders, hip dysplasia, various cancers, and blood disorders are just a few of the health conditions the AKC is currently tackling with the support of your generous donations.
  • The AKC Companion Animal Recovery Corporation Canine Support and Relief Fund began as a response to the outpour of public support for the search and rescue dog teams who worked so tirelessly to help recover victims of the 9/11 tragedy in New York. The inaugural project of this organization was DOGNY, a sculptural tribute to those same search and rescue teams.

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Comments

Is it true that because the sire was to young I wasn't able to receive a registration form for my puppy. Even though the parents were both registered AKC dogs. Is there a way around this?

  • Hi Gustava,

I'm not aware that AKC would refuse a registration in this situation, but the best way to find out is to contact them directly and give them all the details of your situation, including the name of the person you got your puppy from. AKC can tell you if this person's breeding dogs were even registered with them.

That said, your puppy is still just as loveable without a registration, so try not to be too disappointed if you don't wind up with papers.

Thanks for your question, and good luck with your pursuit.

-- Contributed by: Gustavo Ramirez

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