September 27, 2006

Mr. Dennis B. Sprung, President
American Kennel Club
260 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Dear Mr. Sprung:

I am writing to express the unequivocal opposition of the Board of Directors of the Irish Wolfhound Club of America to the contract with Petland. Our by-laws in Section 2(b) state "to guard against commercial exploitation of Irish Wolfhounds," and we take this charge seriously.

It is not in the best interests of Irish Wolfhounds or any other breed of purebred dogs for the AKC to be party to, support, or encourage the sale and full registration of dogs sold through pet stores. This action contradicts long held AKC positions such as recommendations to buyers to see both sire and dam of a litter and to work with a breeder who will match a puppy to its prospective owner. It negates recommendations to breeders not to sell dogs to second party retailers, to socialize puppies during their formative months in order to participate confidently in life as canine good citizens, and to write purchase contracts that specify appropriate care of the dog for its lifetime. It encourages the spontaneous purchase of living creatures, without consideration of the responsibilities of such a purchase.

Further, this relationship strongly undermines the value of AKC conformation titles as indications of worthiness of breeding stock. It even contradicts the AKC position on PAWS legislation which has been represented to us as an attempt to control or curtail the production of litter lots for resale.

It is time we ended our preoccupation with registration. Our mission and vision go far beyond registrations. Looking at AKC strictly as a business is no longer a constructive approach and weakens the credibility of the American Kennel Club as an organization worthy of our allegiance in the effort to promote responsible breeding and placement practices. Attempting to solve financial problems by abandoning one's ideals is unworthy.

We urge the Board of Directors to rescind this contract. Rescinding the contract will demonstrate the willingness of the Board to work with the delegates and parent clubs to arrive at solutions to the potential financial problems of the AKC without abandoning the ideals we all cherish, as "We are the dog's champion."

Very truly yours,

Eugenia C Hunter, Delegate

ECH:pjp

cc: Mr. Ronald H. Menaker, Chairman of the Board

At the September Delegates Meeting AKC reported that we had reached an agreement with Petland in order to facilitate the registration of dogs that are already AKC registrable.

AKC's Board of Directors and management believed that this agreement would have helped to further the mission of the AKC. Promoting responsible dog ownership to new puppy owners, implementing our care and conditions policies, and exposing more dog owners to AKC educational programs and services would have had even greater reach.

In the past few weeks we have received many comments about this agreement, both positive and negative. We have listened to the concerns and because this issue has become so divisive, we believe it is in the best interest of our sport and the American Kennel Club not to go forward with this initiative.

Ron Menaker, Chairman of the Board
Dennis B. Sprung, President and CEO