Notes from the March 2025 Delegates’ Meeting submitted by LRC’s AKC Delegate Krista Beal

Avian Influenza Upate: AKC Canine Health Committee strongly recommends owners avoid feeding raw or dehydrated chicken-based products (including eggs) until the H5N1 Avian Influenza epidemic subsides. Dogs can contract the virus, and older dogs may face severe respiratory issues. For more information, refer to the AVMA guidance on Avian Influenza and pets here.

In addition, the AKC has strict penalties for knowingly bringing to an event a dog with a communicable disease (like H5N1) or one exposed to such a disease within the past 14 days.

Companion Events Committee Update: While most Companion and Performance events saw growth in 2024 (with Scent Work and FastCAT leading the way), Conformation entries dropped by nearly four percent, equating to a decline of about 56,000 entries. Despite this, Conformation still accounted for 38% of total entries (1.43 million out of 3.7 million entries).

VP for Sports and Events, Doug Ljungren, noted that only 15% of AKC-registered dogs participate in any AKC sport. Encouraging members, regional clubs, and breeders to promote participation could help boost these numbers.

AKC Financial Update: AKC faced a $4.7 million operating loss in 2024, a stark contrast to the $5.4 million surplus at the end of 2023 — a $10 million swing. This decline was driven by significant drops in litter registrations (-17%) and individual dog registrations (-10%).

Board Elections: Nine candidates were submitted. After six rounds of balloting, four were elected:

• Dr. Thomas Davis, Springfield Kennel Club
• Ms. Sylvia Thomas, Kennel Club of Riverside
• Mr. Robin Stansell, French Bulldog Club of America
• Mr. Eduardo Fugiwara, Two Cities Kennel Club