THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY HANNA, BEAR, BEYER, BRENNAN, BROOKS, CALTAGIRONE, CONKLIN, D. COSTA, DALEY, DeLUCA, DONATUCCI, ELLIS, EVERETT, FAIRCHILD, FLECK, GEIST, GIBBONS, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARHART, HARRIS, HELM, HENNESSEY, HESS, HOUGHTON, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, KRIEGER, MAHONEY, MANN, MENSCH, MILLARD, MOUL, M. O'BRIEN, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PARKER, PASHINSKI, PAYNE, PEIFER, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, PYLE, QUINN, READSHAW, ROSS, SAINATO, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SEIP, SIPTROTH, STABACK, TALLMAN, TRUE, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WATSON, YOUNGBLOOD AND DELOZIER, JULY 17, 2009

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, JULY 17, 2009  

A RESOLUTION

Congratulating the American Kennel Club on the occasion of the

125th anniversary of its founding in the City of Philadelphia

and designating the month of September 2009 as "American

Kennel Club Month" in Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, The House of Representatives takes great pride in

recognizing organizations dedicated to providing for the welfare

of dogs and the strengthening of the human-dog bond; and

WHEREAS, On September 17, 1884, a group of 12 dedicated

sportsmen, responding to a "meeting call," met in the rooms of

the Philadelphia Kennel Club at the northeast corner of 13th and

Market Streets; and

WHEREAS, Each member of the group was a representative or

delegate from a dog club that had, in the recent past, held a

benched dog show or had run field trials; and

WHEREAS, This new "Club of Clubs" was, in fact, the American

Kennel Club (AKC); and

WHEREAS, The AKC, headquartered in New York City, with an

operations center in Raleigh, North Carolina, operates the

world's largest registry of purebred dogs, is the nation's

leading not-for-profit organization devoted to the advancement,

study, responsible breeding, care and ownership of dogs and is

the only registry that incorporates health screening results

into its permanent dog records; and

WHEREAS, The AKC offers the largest and most comprehensive

set of DNA programs for the purposes of parentage verification

and genetic identity to ensure reliable registration records;

and

WHEREAS, The AKC created and supports the Canine Health

Foundation (CHF), which funds research projects focusing on the

genetics of disease, the canine genome map and clinical studies

and has donated more than $22 million to the CHF since 1995; and

WHEREAS, The AKC approves, sanctions and regulates the events

of its 609 member clubs and monitors more than 4,000 licensed

and sanctioned clubs throughout the United States which hold

events under AKC rules and regulations; and

WHEREAS, The AKC in 2008 sanctioned or regulated 22,630

sporting events that included breed conformation, agility,

obedience, earthdog, herding, field trial, retrieving, pointing,

tracking and coonhound events; and

WHEREAS, The AKC honors the canine-human bond, advocates for

the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health

and well-being and works to protect the rights of all dog

owners; and

WHEREAS, The AKC promotes responsible dog ownership and

breeding practices and supports thousands of volunteers and

teachers from affiliated clubs across the country that teach

responsible dog ownership and safety around dogs; and

WHEREAS, The AKC founded and supports the AKC Humane Fund,

which promotes the joy and value of responsible pet ownership by

supporting breed rescue activities, educating adults and

children about responsible dog ownership and by assisting human-

services organizations that permit domestic abuse victims access

to shelters with their pets; and

WHEREAS, The AKC trains and employs kennel inspectors and

conducts more than 5,200 kennel inspections each year; and

WHEREAS, The AKC promotes responsible dog ownership, care and

handling of dogs to more than 21,000 youths 9 to 18 years of age

enrolled in its National Junior Organization; and

WHEREAS, The AKC established the AKC Canine Good Citizen

program, which certifies dogs with good manners at home and in

the community; and

WHEREAS, The AKC created and operates DOGNY - America's

Tribute to Search and Rescue Dogs, which supports canine search

and rescue organizations across the United States; and

WHEREAS, The AKC annually awards $170,000 in scholarships to

veterinary and veterinary technical students; and

WHEREAS, The AKC has reunited more than 340,000 lost pets and

their owners through the AKC Companion Animal Recovery Program;

and

WHEREAS, The AKC maintains the world's largest dog library

and the Museum of the Dog in St. Louis, which houses one of the

world's largest collections of dog-related fine art and

artifacts, both of which are open to the public; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives congratulate the

American Kennel Club on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of

its founding in the City of Philadelphia and designate the month

of September 2009 as "American Kennel Club Month" in

Pennsylvania; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House of

Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania transmit

copies of this resolution to the American Kennel Club, 260

Madison Avenue, New York, New York.