PHILADELPHIA, February 5, 2025 — The Kennel Club of Philadelphia once again has stepped up with its annual charitable giving aimed at empowering organizations to continue their work in support of canine health and causes, and in support of the people and families who love dogs.
NBC’s National Dog Show Presented by Purina and Hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia on Thanksgiving Day has powered an annual charitable giving program by the Club that has now totaled over $1.5 million since 2014, including donations of $137,000 for 2025.
“The vision that was shared by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, NBC and Purina in 2002, and the impact it has created, has certainly earned the name the founders chose for the event that drives it all – the National Dog Show,” said Wayne Ferguson, president of Kennel Club of Philadelphia. “That is especially evident as you look at the list of our charitable recipients from coast to coast for 2025.”
This year’s giving provided $50,000 for veterinary school scholarships at the University of Pennsylvania; $25,000 for Colorado’s Sunrise Service Dogs; and $20,000 on the Western side of the country for two animal-related disaster relief organizations hard at work in the California wildfires. The National Service Animals Memorial received $10,000 and 11 other entities received a total of $32,000.
Through the years, KCP has given to a broad array of 47 mission-related charitable causes nationally and internationally. Topping that list of recipients are the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation, the dog show world’s Take the Lead, and AKC Reunite, with a combined total of just over $900,000 since 2014.
“The members of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia are proud to have partnered with NBC and Purina to become a significant player in our world,” said Ferguson. “And we also thank all the entries, owners, handlers, spectators and millions of television viewers every Thanksgiving that helped to put us in the position of being able to give so much back to the sport, the people, and of course, the dogs.”
