The American Kennel Club set the standards by which other kennel clubs could be founded the CKC, for example. But unlike so many other clubs, the American Kennel Club has a long and complicated history of coming together into the organization it is today. Founded in the 1884 as a sort of conglomeration of smaller United States kennel clubs, the AKC began its mission of creating standardized guidelines for 157 breeds and partially recognizing 4 other breeds. With some of the looser standards among breeding and registry organizations, it clear to see why its popularity and its reach have continued to grow.

The History of the AKC

On the day of September 17 in 1884, there were twelve men that met in a room and began to create the American Kennel Club as it is known today. Each of these twelve men represented a different kennel club group that had successfully staged field trials or a dog show, but who wanted to band together with others to create a more useful organization. Without a home base at first, this club often rotated the meeting places into various large cities on the eastern seaboard and began to create its American Kennel Stud Club Book.

As the century drew to a close, the Gazette, a kennel magazine was begun, offering members of the club the chance to see the financial reports of the organization as well as to inform members of other worthwhile news and it is still one of the oldest publications to date.

The Purpose of the AKC

One of the first duties of the American Kennel Club is to maintain its pedigrees that are listed in the registry. This allows the organization the chance to see where champion bloodlines began and where they continued to spread. But one of the more famous duties of the AKC is to promote the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an event that is even older than the AKC Itself.

While the American Kennel Club is not a part of the International Canine Organization or the Federation Cynologique Internationale, it is clear that their influence is still felt in other countries of the world.

What Makes AKC Different from Other Kennel Clubs

What's interesting about the registration process of the American Kennel Club is that there is no qualification necessary in terms of the health of the dog, meaning that a breeder that is registered may or may not be breeding healthy dogs. At this particular time, breeders can and need to register if they want to sell registered puppies for purebred conformation, shows, or for dog sports.

The lack of health standards for breeding means that, in essence, the American Kennel Club does not require that breeders pay attention to the health of a dog when they are breeding or when they are selling that dog. This is concerning to some dog clubs as it could mean the deterioration of certain bloods lines when they are bred with ill and diseased breeds.

Regardless, the American Kennel Club is interested in spreading the word about the popularity of dogs in the United States and about making sure that all owners get the facts about dog health.