The American Kennel Club

The most famous organization that represents purebred dogs in the United States is the American Kennel Club. Established in 1884 to advance the interests of purebred dogs, today the American Kennel Club recognizes more than 150 breeds in seven groups (Sporting, Non-Sporting, Working, Herding, Terrier, Hound, and Toy) as well as a host of breeds in the Miscellaneous Class as well as its Foundation Stock Service (FSS).

The AKC is a nonprofit organization whose members are not individual dog owners but breed clubs. Each member club (and there are currently more than 500 of them) elects a delegate to represent the club at AKC meetings.

The delegates vote on the rules of the sport of dogs — they are the legislative body of the American Kennel Club. The delegates elect the AKC's twelve-member Board of Directors, who are responsible for the overall and daily management of the organization.

Most people are familiar with the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show that's televised from Madison Square Garden every February. Westminster is one of the member clubs of the AKC — one of the oldest, too. Besides the hundreds of member clubs, there are nearly 5,000 affiliated clubs that conduct AKC events (dog shows and other events) following AKC rules of conduct.

The AKC oversees the establishment of recognized breeds in the United States, and also enforces the standards by which breeds are judged. To carry out its many functions, the AKC maintains offices in New York City (where it was founded) and Raleigh, North Carolina. It has several divisions: Registration, of course, but also Judges' Education, Performance Events, Publications, and more. The AKC maintains a reference library of more than 20,000 books, including editions of some of the earliest books ever published on dogs.

What does all this mean to you? It means that when you buy a purebred puppy and register him, you are joining a very large and time-honored family of people who are crazy about dogs. If you want, you can look up fifty generations of your Golden Retriever's ancestors. That's what being purebred means — not that your puppy is some kind of elite dog, but rather, that all the caretakers of his family before you wanted to breed the same kind of dog over and over. The AKC's purpose is to preserve the integrity of its registry of purebred dogs, to sanction events that promote the purpose and function of purebred dogs, and to ultimately protect and ensure the continuation of the sport.

The AKC works very hard to make sure that the dogs it registers and awards show points, championships, and performance titles to are the best examples of their breed. However, the AKC is quick to point out that having an AKC-registered dog does not necessarily mean your dog will be free of health problems, or that it is of championship quality. All it means is that your dog's parents are registered purebreds, and that those dogs' parents are registered purebreds, and so on. Never forget the family and the network you are joining by registering your puppy with the AKC. Don't abuse registering or owning a purebred dog. Be proud of your dog's heritage and your dog's health.

The United Kennel Club (UKC)

The United Kennel Club was founded in 1898 by Chauncey Z. Bennett. The UKC registers more than a quarter-million dogs each year. Their largest number of registrations are for American Pit Bull Terriers. Those two important facts make the UKC the second oldest and second largest all-breed dog registry in the United States. They are located in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The UKC, like the AKC, sponsors events of many kinds, from dog shows to a host of performance events. The UKC is made up of over 1,000 different clubs that oversee several thousand licensed annual dog events. Many of their events are very easy to enter and compete in, promoting owners to show and compete with their dogs, as opposed to hiring professional trainers or handlers.

The American Rare Breed Association (ARBA)

The mission of the American Rare Breed Association is to serve and protect what are considered rare breeds of dogs in the United States. This includes promoting and educating the public dog fancier about 130 or more breeds from around the world that are not now recognized by the American Kennel Club.

The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC)

Much like the AKC, the CKC is the primary registering body and overseer of the sport of purebred dogs in Canada. Many Canadians who want to compete in the United States register their dogs in both clubs. Much like the AKC, the Canadian Kennel Club is devoted to encouraging, guiding, and advancing the interests of purebred dogs and their responsible owners and breeders in Canada.

The Kennel Club (UK)

Founded in 1873, the primary objective of the Kennel Club is to promote in every way the general improvement of dogs. The Kennel Club is able to offer dog owners an unparalleled source of information, experience, and advice on dog welfare, dog health, dog training, and dog breeding.

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI)

Currently based in Belgium, the Fédération Cynologique Internationale was created in 1911 with the aim to promote and protect cynology and purebred dogs by any means it considers necessary. The founding nations were Germany (Kartell für das Deutsche Hundewesen en und Die Delegierten Kommission); Austria (Osterreichischer Kynologenverband); Belgium (Société Royale Saint-Hubert); France (Société Centrale Canine de France); and the Netherlands (Raad van Beheer op Kynologisch Gebied in Nederland). The Federation disappeared due to the first World War and in 1921, the Société Centrale Canine de France and the Société Royale Saint-Hubert re-created it. Today the organization sponsors two of the world's largest dog shows: The European Dog Show and the World Dog Show.