 | |
| Abbreviation | KC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 4 April 1873 |
| Type | Kennel club |
| Headquarters | London, W1 |
| Coordinates | 51°30′24″N 0°08′41″W / 51.5068°N 0.1448°W |
Region served | United Kingdom |
Official language | English |
| Affiliations | The Kennel Club Charitable Trust |
| Website | thekennelclub |
The Royal Kennel Club (KC) is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also operates the national register of pedigree dogs in the United Kingdom and acts as a lobby group on issues involving dogs in the UK. To celebrate its 150th anniversary on 5 April 2023, King Charles III confirmed the club with a 'royal' prefix.
The Kennel Club has four principal physical locations. Its headquarters are on Clarges Street in Mayfair, London, incorporating a private members' club (with bar, lounge, and dining facilities), meeting and conference rooms, art gallery, library, picture library, and a residential apartment for the use of the Chairman. A second site at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, houses the administrative offices, and charitable trust headquarters. The third site is Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, where the Kennel Club Building consists of a restaurant, an educational centre, and showground facilities. The fourth location is near Hexham, Northumberland, and is named the Emblehope and Burngrange Estate. It is the KC's centre of excellence for working dogs, and consists of 7,550 acres of assorted terrains including farmland (with a working farm), moorland, and woodland. A gamekeeper is employed, enabling gun dogs to engage in shooting parties, whilst the farm has a population of sheep, enabling sheepdog breeds to be trained and demonstrated.
The Kennel Club registration system divides dogs into seven breed groups. The Kennel Club Groups are: Hound group, Working group, Terrier group, Gundog group, Pastoral group, Utility group and Toy group.[1] As of 2021[update], The Kennel Club recognised 222 breeds of dog.[2]
The Kennel Club licenses dog shows throughout the UK, but the only dog show it actually runs is Crufts. The show has been held since 1928 and attracts competitors from all over the world. It is held every March at the NEC, Birmingham, and includes the less formal Scruffts show for crossbreed and mixed-breed dogs. The Kennel Club also holds the Discover Dogs event in London every autumn.
The Kennel Club is a non-member partner with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.[3]
- ^ Stathers, Kath (17 March 2017). "How breed origin and characteristics can help explain dog behaviour". The Telegraph. Location. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "KC Breed Standards". The Kennel Club.
- ^ "Members & Partners". www.fci.be. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.