Thanksgiving Reflections

Featured photo: Christopher Sweetwood presenting AKC Distinguished Service Award to U.S. Capitol Police Chief.

Thanksgiving Reflections

American Kennel Club Board Members do many things to reflect great credit on our sport. Chris Sweetwood is one of those whom I find to be always bubbling over with enthusiasm and thanksgiving about the numerous activities AKC offers that enrich our lives!

As we reflected on Thanksgiving, we discussed a list of a few AKC activities to share with you.

Did You Know…

The American Kennel Club is the largest dog registry in the world and it depends on you registering your dog to fund their efforts. It is not inexpensive, but their efforts are important! Check out this partial list of what your registration dollars allow our AKC to accomplish:

• There are over 29,000 dog events with more than 3.5 million entries!
• AKC’s Detection Dog Task Force is working to address the shortage of US/AKC purpose-bred detection dogs that protect the public and national security. The DDTF created a program called the Patriotic Puppy breeding program that has bred over 200 US/AKC registered dogs that are presently working in law enforcement. Most notably, there is an entire team of dogs deployed with our U.S. Capitol Police force.
• Thanks to the AKC Humane Fund, for more than fifteen years, AKC has provided grants to shelters that house victims of domestic violence to provide a safe place for them with their pets.
• More than 114 fully stocked disaster relief emergency relief trailers, which provide needed equipment to care for pets, have been donated to communities in the US.
• The AKC Reunite Adopt a K-9 Cop Matching Grant program has provided funds that allowed local law enforcement to purchase almost 900 police K-9 dogs.
• AKC Reunite has reunited 700,000 pets with their owners.
• AKC’s rescue network, in conjunction with AKC Clubs, is the United State’s largest dog rescue in the country.
• We are the only organization that regularly visits and inspects kennels to ensure proper care and conditions of AKC registered dogs, and have conducted over 83,000 visits to date.
• The Canine Good Citizen program encourages and recognizes good family manners, and over 1,300,000 dogs have passed this test.
• The education department provides teachers with thoughtful lesson plans that incorporate dog-related subjects geared for grades K-12.
• AKC events inject more than 2.15 million dollars, on average, into the community during each event. Nationwide, that is 2.7 billion dollars.
• The AKC Canine Health Foundation funds research projects that focus on the physical, social, and mental well-being of dogs. Their grants have totaled over 75 million dollars.
• The AKC Museum of the Dog, with its 1,700-piece art collection, preserves, protects, and celebrates the history of the canine-human bond.
• The Government Relations Department protects our rights to own, breed, and responsibly care for our dogs, by tracking thousands of Federal, State, and local bills that directly impact our rights. This includes testimony in the legislative arenas, meeting with our representatives, countless activities of vital importance to our future, and so much more.

This is a short list of all that we do for dogs, for you, and for our communities. We can be very proud of our accomplishments and look forward to a bright future.

The next time someone asks about the AKC, you have the power and information to become an ambassador for what we love.

Please register your dog, and support our affiliates to insure these vital activities continue!

Now, take a few minutes and head over to AKC.org and see what’s new!

And during this season when we thank God for all of our many blessings, remember all of the joy that AKC activities have brought into the lives of you and your family!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!