There are many organizations of dog owners with a presence on the Web, though perhaps the largest and most influential is the American Kennel Club (AKC), devoted to supporting the pure bred dog since 1884.  It has established the standards for the recognized breeds -- approximately 180 of them today -- and it now registers over 1 million pure bred dogs a year.  It also is the umbrella organization for over a thousand clubs nationally which sponsor over 15,000 shows each year, which include All Breeds shows and Specialty Shows for a particular breed.  Plus there are clubs devoted to obedience training, tracking, and other skills for dogs which are part of this network, too. 

           As described in it's mission statement, the AKC's purpose is to:

                 •Maintain a registry for purebred dogs and preserve its integrity.
                 •Sanction dog events that promote interest in, and sustain the process of,
                         breeding for type and function of purebred dogs.
                  •Take whatever actions necessary to protect and assure the continuation of the
                         sport of purebred dogs.

           It's Web site provides a vast array of information on the organization, on the different breeds, on dog show events, on books and videos on dogs, including the comprehensive The Complete Dog Book, now in it's 19th edition, which describes the standards for each breed and has sold over 2 million copies.  Additionally, the AKC has set up a special site for the latest show information at www.infodog.com.   You can find shows by dates, type of show, and location.

          Another major organization devoted to responsible dog ownership is the American Dog Owners Association founded in 1970 that also has affiliate clubs.

          I did a study on dog owners who were members of two different AKC clubs -- the Northern California Pomeranian Club and the Northern California Siberian Husky Club, because I wanted to look at the differences between owners of two very different types of breeds.   I theorized that there might be major differences in their interests, lifestyles, activities with their dogs, and personal characteristics based on their different choice of breeds -- and in fact, I found such differences, reported in the section on Books and Research. 

          But here, if you want to visit several types of AKC dog shows, click away.  The main event is the conformation show, based on the dog's physical appearance and behavior measured against the breed standard.  In addition, these shows commonly include obedience trials and sometimes agility and other skill tests.   Here are examples of the major types of shows which I attended in the Northern California area.  Just follow the links to see the shows.

            - An All Breeds Benched Show, which is especially designed to provide outreach to a general audience.   There are only 4 of these shows left around the country, but one is the annual San Francisco Dog Show sponsored by the Golden Gate Kennel Club at the Cow Palace.   I visited this show in February 2003 and took lots of pictures of the dog owners and the exhibition rings.

            - An All Breeds Unbenched Show, which is the most common type of show.  There are dozens of them each week around the country, and they are open to pure-bred dogs in every category.   Many are held at local fairgrounds, such as the Solano Kennel Club All Breeds Show I attended in April 2003 at the Solano County Fairgrounds near Vallejo, California.

            - A Specialty Show, which is sponsored by a local dog club devoted to a particular breed.   The two shows I attended in April 2003 were the Northern California Pomeranian Club Show  and the Northern California Siberian Husky Club Show.  The Pom Show (as Pomeranians are called for short) was held shortly after the All Breeds Show at the Solano County Fairgrounds ended (since according to AKC bylaws, such Specialty Shows held at the same location can't begin until 30 minutes after the Best of Show winner is announced for the All Breeds Event).  The Sibe Show (as Siberian Huskies are called for short) was held at the Inn Marin in Novato, California.      

          What are these shows like?  How are they set up?  Here's a report I did described the setting, structure of the event, rules of the event, and characteristics of the participants and literature about dog shows distributed at the event.  It's called an Observation Mapping at a Dog Show. 

A growing world of people who
look like their dog--or think so...

What It's All About...