If you’ve ever found yourself at a Breed ring at 8:00 a.m. in a blazer and sensible shoes, coffee in one hand and poop bag in the other, then you’ve probably asked yourself: Why do I do this? And if you’re a member of a parent club—the official AKC (American Kennel Club)-recognized organization for your breed—you’ve probably asked an even more nuanced question: Is this club here to support me? Or is it the other way around?
It’s a fair question. One that speaks not only to your relationship with your dog but to your relationship with the larger preservation dog community. And it does not come with a simple yes-or-no answer. Because the truth is, it’s both.
An AKC parent club is the national organization designated by the American Kennel Club to oversee all matters related to a specific breed. It sets the Breed Standard, guides judges’ education, maintains records of health studies, supports rescue efforts, and advocates for responsible breeding and ownership.
But what it feels like to be a part of a parent club can be a different story.
You might join full of hope, ready to contribute, eager to learn from those who’ve been breeding, showing, and working with the breed for decades. And sometimes, you’re welcomed in with mentorship, community, and even lifelong friendship. Other times? You might feel like you’ve entered a private club where the chairs are already full, and your voice doesn’t carry very far.
So, where does that leave you?
Let’s start with what a club should do for its members.
A healthy parent club is an advocate for its breed, yes, but also for the people who choose to own these particular dogs. This includes breeder education, mentorship programs, support for Juniors and newcomers, health research partnerships, and accessible archives of information about the breed’s history and purpose.
Many clubs also publish magazines or newsletters, maintain websites and social media accounts, and offer awards programs that recognize not just Conformation wins but Performance titles, community service, Therapy Dog work, and breeding achievements.
Parent clubs can be lifelines, especially for those who live in remote areas or who are the only people in their state with a rare breed. In theory, your parent club should be the lighthouse, not the gatekeeper.
But that’s the ideal. Not everyone gets the ideal.
Parent clubs, like any organization, are made of people, and people, being human, bring their quirks, biases, passions, and blind spots to the table.
Sometimes, long-time members are so protective of the breed that they inadvertently (or very purposefully) create barriers to entry. Sometimes politics get in the way of progress. Sometimes decisions are made by committee consensus that feel far removed from the lived experiences of regular members just trying to raise sound dogs and do the right thing.
This can make a person wonder, “Why am I giving my time, money, and emotional energy to this club?”
And here’s where the second half of the question comes in.
Are you there for the club? You are—whether you realize it or not.
Parent clubs don’t run on autopilot. They don’t survive off dues alone. Every newsletter article, every health survey, every trophy table at a National Specialty was organized, donated, and managed by a volunteer.
That’s likely someone just like you. Maybe it is you.
When a club falters, when it fails to serve its people, when its website is outdated or its voice is absent in legislation that affects your breed, it’s usually because the club is stretched too thin, or no one stepped up.
The hard truth is that clubs need members who don’t just consume resources, but also help to generate them. If you want the club to offer mentorship, be a mentor. If you want better health tracking, chair a committee. If the club’s publications are stale, write an article. If you think newcomers aren’t being welcomed properly, offer to redesign the welcome packet.
You might not get applause. You might run into resistance. You might not even get a thank you. But the wheels will start turning, and someone else might say, “If they can do it, maybe I can, too.”
The strongest clubs aren’t about hierarchy. They’re about stewardship. They’re made up of people who love the breed enough to protect its future while recognizing that no one owns it—not the founders, not the current board, not even the AKC.
The best clubs are collaborative spaces where knowledge is shared generously, new members are valued, and the priorities of health, temperament, preservation, and education are centered above personal egos.
And those kinds of clubs don’t just happen. They’re built. Sometimes they’re built from scratch. Sometimes they’re built by people who once felt left out.
Let’s be honest. Not every club is functioning as it should. Maybe there’s infighting. Maybe the club is resistant to new members, ideas, or technology. Maybe your breed is underserved or marginalized within AKC structures.
You have choices.
You can leave, and sometimes that’s the healthiest move.
You can also stay and quietly support what you believe in, whether that’s sending in health data, supporting ethical breeders, or sponsoring trophies anonymously.
Or you can run for a board seat. Rally like-minded members. Propose a mentorship program. Create a digital archive. Open a respectful conversation. Change the culture.
It’s not easy. It takes thick skin and a clear head. But it’s what sustains preservation breeding. It’s how we ensure that breeds have a future, not just in the show ring but in the homes, fields, couches, and hearts of people who love them.
Maybe. Maybe not yet.
But if you believe in the breed—really believe in it—then the club needs you more than you might realize.
It doesn’t need your silence. It doesn’t need your blind loyalty. It needs your voice, your ideas, your service, and your fire.
The club is there for you when you help to shape it into something worth being a part of.
And that’s a legacy worth building.
Let’s say you want to get involved. You want to make a difference for your beloved breed. Where do you start? Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
As you can see, there are plenty of tasks that need to get done. No experience necessary!
