The aim of the Kennel Club is to promote in every way the general improvement of dogs, and the Kennel Club team works hard behind the scenes to achieve this aim and also towards 'making a difference for dogs'.

We are: The UK’s largest organisation dedicated to the health and welfare of dogs.

Our Objective: The Kennel Club of today holds within it the broadest remit to protect and promote the general wellbeing of dogs. At its heart are programmes and investments in education and health initiatives to help dog owners across the UK to have healthy happy dogs living long lives with responsible owners.

The diagram below shows how we invested our money in 2009 in order to achieve this objective.

1. Registrations and Healthcare = £5 million
   (Processing registrations, Petlog and insurance)
2. Canine Activities = £2.3 million
   (Processing licences, judges and awards for shows and the activity disciplines)
3. Education = £1.9 million
   (Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme, Safe and Sound for children, Young Kennel Club, Crufts and Discover Dogs)
4. Health, Welfare and Charity = £3.2 million
   (Support for the Kennel Club Charitable Trust - making a difference for dogs)
5. External Affairs = £1 million
   (Lobbying Parliament at Westminster, Scotland, Wales and the EU on issues of concern to dog owners)

We Believe: That together, working with breeders, owners, the government, other dog organisations and the veterinary profession, we can give all dogs the opportunity to lead happy healthy lives.

History: Originally founded in 1873, the Kennel Club’s sole consideration was to regulate the conduct of dog shows and trials and then later to register dogs to avoid the duplication of a name in the stud book. Whilst these functions remain, the Kennel Club has developed in ways that could not possibly have been imagined when it was established in Victorian times.

We Do: We are a voluntary register for all dogs, whether cross breed or pedigree, and we run an Accredited Breeder scheme whose members have agreed to follow basic responsible breeding practices  for breeding puppies. The Kennel Club runs Crufts, the world’s largest dog show and licenses over 4,000 dog shows and trials each year. It is also at the forefront of the development of many canine health initiatives and invests in education programmes and other campaigns to protect and promote the general wellbeing of dogs.

The Kennel Club is concerned with anti-dog legislation, promotes the place of dogs in society and actively represents the interests of responsible dog owners , whether Kennel Club registered or not.

Things you didn't know about the Kennel Club

The Kennel Club’s objective is to ‘promote in every way the general improvement of dogs’. Broken down this means that we:

• Lobby the government on dog welfare issues, including banning electric shock collars, revising the Dangerous Dogs Act and improving access for dog walkers.
• Give grants to dog welfare charities and to scientific research to aid the development of health testing for canine diseases, through our Charitable Trust.  For instance CLAD, a disease that caused early death in puppies, has already been eliminated in Irish Setters and Irish Red & White Setters as a result of DNA tests that were developed with Charitable Trust funding. It also works with the British Veterinary Association on eye testing schemes and screening programmes for hip and elbow dysplasia. In the last 20 years around 200,000 hip dysplasia x-rays have been assessed and overall hip scores on the twenty most affected breeds have all improved. The Kennel Club Charitable Trust has donated more than £4.5 million since its inception to dog welfare charities and to support research into canine diseases.
• Run the UK’s largest dog training programme, the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme and educational initiatives, such as Safe and Sound, which helps children to stay safe around dogs.
• Promote the place of dogs in society – Through campaigns such as Open for Dogs, which aims to improve access for dogs and dog owners.
• Licence clubs and runs competitions for fun dog sports such as agility, which helps to keep both dog and owner healthy.
• Run educational events such as Discover Dogs, which helps people to make responsible and appropriate dog buying choices.
• Established the Young Kennel Club in 1985, which encourages young people to take an interest in caring, training and activities with dogs.
• Run a Dog Health Group, which includes independent vets and scientific advisors, who work with the Kennel Club to improve breed health.

Others Agree

The Kennel Club is supported in its work by a wide range of organisations. Some of these supporters include:

The Royal Veterinary College, the British Veterinary Association, Pets As Therapy, Canine Partners, the Animal Health Trust and the University of Liverpool.

“Pets As Therapy would like to thank the Kennel Club (Charitable Trust) for the financial support they have awarded to the Charity over the years. This support has brought comfort, companionship and therapy to thousands of members of the general public… Pets As Therapy hope our association with the Kennel Club will continue for many years to come and wish to support the good work the Kennel Club are striving to achieve.” Pets as Therapy

“Breed standards and judging criteria are set by the Kennel Club in conjunction with the breed societies and clubs.  These are, quite properly, matters that the Kennel Club have under constant review.  However, many other aspects of the work of the Kennel Club that have received less publicity, but have great bearing on the health of pedigree dogs, include their support for research into pedigree dog diseases and their part in introducing screening for common and inherited diseases.” Royal Veterinary College.

“Kennel Club represents the best interest of all dog owners, both show, pedigree or non-pedigree pets.  At a time when so many unwarranted restrictions and negative media coverage of dogs abound, Dr Mugford believes that the Kennel Club has been a consistent defender of the positive role of dogs in society.” Dr Roger Mugford, the animal psychologist and Managing Director of the Company of Animals. 

The Kennel Club works closely with the veterinary profession and involves many sectors within its decision making process. This includes Past President of the British Veterinary Association, Nick Blayney, and television vet, Marc Abraham who are both Veterinary Advisors to the Kennel Club.

Additionally, the Kennel Club General Committee includes:

• Mr S P Dean BVet.Med MRCVS
• Mrs G F Simpson, BVMS, MRCVS
• Dr R James MRCVS

The Kennel Club Dog Health Group includes a number of scientists/vets:

• Dr Ruth Barbour, BA, MB ChB, FRCGP
• Prof. Mike Herrtage, MA, BVSc, BVR, DVD, DSAM, DECVIM, DECVDI, MRCVS, Dean of Cambridge Veterinary School
• Prof. Sheila Crispin, MA, VetMB, BSc, PhD, DVA, DVOpthal, DipECVO, FRCVS, Past President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Prof. Jeff Sampson, BSc DPhil, KC Senior Scientific Advisor
• Caroline Kisko BSc, KC Secretary
• Diana Brooks-Ward, BSc, KC Health Co-ordinator

Annual Report

The Kennel Club Annual Report contains information on the many different dog activities and services that the Kennel Club has been involved in throughout the past year.

Kennel Club Child Protection Policy

The Kennel Club has a duty of care to safeguard all children involved in its licensed activities from harm.

BSI certification

The Kennel Club is delighted to have been officially recognised for its working processes by the British Standards Institution (BSI)

Kennel Club Senior Executive Staff

Information on the Kennel Club Chairman, Chief Executive and Secretary.

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