Get a crash course in dogs at AKC’s ‘Meet the Breeds’

SAN DIEGO — 

Have you been dreaming of a Doberman or debating adopting a dachshund? Pondering the particular personalities of a pug or perhaps a poodle? Do you want to know the differences between an American cocker spaniel and an English cocker spaniel?

If so, consider unleashing yourself inside the recently reopened San Diego Convention Center next Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 14-15, for the American Kennel Club’s “Meet the Breeds” event.

The education-based weekend show is expected to draw hundreds of different breeds of dogs from across Southern California to the downtown venue, 111 W. Harbor Drive. This is the seven-city tour’s only West Coast stop.

Individual booths set up inside the convention center will have information on each breed’s country of origin, that particular dog line’s historical purpose and function, and their attributes as a family pet.

Organizers from the not-for-profit AKC say that the event promotes responsible pet ownership as well as allows people insight into which breeds may be right for them. And while animals at the event will not be available for adoption, visitors will be able to meet, pet and play with the canines on site.

“This event can help people make an educated decision about the kind of dog they want,” said Brandi Hunter Munden of the AKC. “If you’re looking at a husky mix online, you can come and learn about the husky traits, about how they blow (shed) their coats. If you’re thinking about a dachshund, you will learn about how they like to dig holes.

“Once you learn about the breeds, how big they get, how much exercise they need, if you know what traits they have and the care they will need throughout their life, you can make a better decision about what dog is best for you. And you get to pet cute dogs all day long, too.”

The event will include demonstrations of dog sports such as flyball, relays and rally; police detection dogs; interactive spaces; a place for humans to try an agility course; and photo opportunities galore.

The AKC, in its 136th year, has held “Meet the Breeds” gatherings in New York City for 11 years but this year is taking the event to cities across the United States, kicking off its first national tour in San Diego.

Why start in San Diego?

“You have an amazing dog-loving population,” Hunter Munden said. “San Diego is super dog-friendly, with dogs surfing, dog parks and Petco Park.”

Amber Vallejo, president of the Bulldog Club of Greater San Diego County, will bring some “good representatives of the breed” to the event, although a planned “Kissing Booth” will not be held because of COVID-19 health protocols. Vallejo said bulldog fans can instead opt to “Shake the Paw” at the event.

Vallejo said her group works to educate people about bulldogs and to dispel the notion that it is not the healthiest breed. She said that people should make the distinction between commercial breeders and those like her who breed dogs as a hobby, “to keep the breed’s healthy line going.” People should always visit the site where their dogs are bred, she added.

“To not properly breed a bulldog is a disservice to the dog,” Vallejo said. “We are preservation breeders and we believe there is a standard that is around that was developed, and we breed to keep that standard bred bulldog going. Hobby breeders typically breed for health, not profit, and because we enjoy the breed and enjoy dogs in general.”

She said the true nature of AKC-backed clubs is “education of proper breed standards,” and that the AKC specializes in conformation (showing dogs), agility and obedience of the dogs it registers.

Steve Dale, a certified animal behavior specialist and radio show host, said that he thinks “it’s really important to understand what you’re getting when you get a dog.”

Dale said he supports those hobby breeders “who work very hard to work to make the temperament of a dog as good as can be and minimize health risks” and added that “a place to never go to get a dog is at a pet store, because no responsible breeder will ever, ever, ever, ever sell at a pet store.”

However, Dale, the Humane Society of the United States and others have criticized the AKC in the past, saying the group does not take a stand against irresponsible breeders — such as those involved in what are referred to as “puppy mills,” with animals living in poor conditions and kept for mass breeding.

Only four states, including California, have current laws on the books that ban the sale at pet stores of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits. In California, only those animals that come from a rescue organization or shelter can be sold at a pet store. The other states are Maine, Maryland and Washington. Illinois is poised to follow suit, Dale said.

He suggested that people seek out rescue organizations where every breed is available.

Hunter Munden said that while the AKC is “really about education,” the group is proud that it has a “huge network” of 501c-3 rescue organizations it works with. She said that every club in its registry has a rescue component to it.

“We don’t support any form of irresponsible breeding whatsoever, and to say we do is a long-running myth that is actually not true,” she said. “We have a compliance division that does inspections. We have inspectors traveling, going out 300 days a year. If we get any wind of legal action or animal cruelty, we fine those breeders.”

“Meet the Breeds” runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days. Tickets start at $27 with early access and VIP packages available. No pet dogs will be allowed. Only service animals are permitted at the convention center, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Event organizers will encourage social distancing and recommending masks for two-legged visitors, with sanitizing stations set up throughout.

For more information, visit akc.org/meetthebreeds.