The American Kennel Club (AKC) claims to love dogs, but in reality, it loves dollar signs. The AKC parades purebred dogs in circles at its dog shows while millions of animals are needlessly killed in shelters across the country due to lack of adopters. At the same time, puppies and their breeding mothers continue to languish in horrific conditions on puppy mills. Why would so-called “dog lovers” engage in such hypocrisy? 

The ugly truth is this: with every AKC registration comes a profit, but with a terrible price. The more puppy store pups registered through the AKC, the more money it has to pay its Political Action Committee (PAC). This committee of highly paid lobbyists challenge laws already passed throughout the country to protect dogs and their puppies, including legislation to ban the retail sale of dogs and to stop puppy mills. 

Much to the dismay of people who truly care about animals, the AKC not only fights laws involving the breeding and sale of puppies, but it also targets any legislation aimed to protect dogs, including laws to combat the sexual abuse of animals and laws to make it easier for people to rescue dogs from hot cars. It’s truly revolting! 

In pet stores across the country, gullible people are fooled into thinking that a piece of paper with AKC written on it will ensure they are getting healthy animals. In reality, AKC papers guarantee nothing involving a dog’s health, behavior, or the conditions in which the parent dogs are kept. In fact, many of the AKC-certified purebreds end up sick with hereditary defects from overbreeding. 

Puppy mill busts have shown that the AKC turns a blind eye to horrific conditions and sick dogs by directing its lobbyists to make sure protective laws aren't passed. These heartless efforts enable breeders to continue to breed sick puppies, which in turn, leads to more AKC registrations and profits. 

Don't be fooled by the AKC’s meaningless documentation created to give people willing to buy animals a false sense of comfort while diverting them away from adopting animals in need. If you are looking for a specific dog breed, you may find one at a shelter or rescue as approximately 25% of animals dumped at shelters are pure breeds. 

Also, when looking for a new family member, please always keep your mind open to all animals in need. A countless number of mixed breeds could be the perfect match for you and your family! To ensure any animal adopted will be loved by your entire household, please be sure to involve everyone who will live with the animal in the adoption process. Studies show animals given as gifts are much more likely to be dumped at shelters than ones chosen directly by their guardians. 

Please help shed light on the animal companion overpopulation crisis on National Homeless Animals Day on August 17. You can get involved by: 

• Having your companion animals sterilized
• Adopting from your local shelter or rescue, never buying an animal
• Fostering an animal in need
• Volunteering at your local shelter
• Helping to pass laws in your community prohibiting pet stores and puppy mills
• Holding a peaceful rally outside of a store that sells puppies to educate shoppers 

We need your help to continue this fight against puppy mills and the AKC’s deceitful tactics. Please support our ongoing efforts to stop puppy mills across the country.