The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an annual event which predates the official forming of the AKC, the National Dog Show and the AKC National Championship sponsored by Royal Canin, formerly the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. Unlike most other countries' kennels clubs, the AKC is not part of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
In general, an assistance dog is trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organization, or by their handler, often with the help of a professional trainer.
Pet adoption is the process of taking responsibility for a pet that a previous owner has abandoned or released to a shelter or rescue organization. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters and rescue groups. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardianship model wherein the organization retains some control over the animal's future use or care.
An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable homes for them. Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers, who take the animals into their homes and care for them — including training, playing, handling medical issues, and solving behavior problems — until a suitable permanent home can be found.
The Canaan Dog, also known as the Bedouin Sheepdog and Palestinian Pariah dog, is a breed of pariah dog, which has been in existence in the Middle East for thousands of years. There are 2,000 to 3,000 Canaan dogs across the world, mostly in Europe and North America.
Petco Animal Supplies, Inc., or simply Petco, is an American pet retailer in the United States, with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet products and services, as well as certain types of live animals. Petco sells and holds fish, reptiles, small birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, and mice for adoption. Pet services include grooming and dog training. The company also owns the naming rights to the Petco Park baseball stadium, which is home of the San Diego Padres.
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is a British charitable organisation founded in 1934.
The Seeing Eye, Inc. (TSE) is a guide dog school located in Morristown, New Jersey, in the United States. Founded in 1929, the Seeing Eye is the oldest, and one of the largest, of guide dog schools in the U.S. The Seeing Eye campus in Morristown includes administrative offices, dormitory residence for students, a veterinary care center, and kennels; there is also a breeding station in Chester, NJ. The Seeing Eye, a founding member of the U.S. Council of Guide Dog Schools and a fully accredited member of the International Guide Dog Federation, is a lead researcher in canine genetics, breeding, disease control, and behavior.
Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is a guide dog school located in the United States, with campuses in San Rafael, California, and Boring, Oregon. It was founded in 1942 by Lois Merrihew and Don Donaldson to help veterans who had been blinded in World War II. Guide Dogs for the Blind has about 2000 Guide Dog teams across the United States and Canada.
Canine Companions for Independence is a US-based 501(c)(3) (non-profit) organization that trains and provides assistance dogs. As of 2018, it has placed over 6,000 assistance dogs with recipients at no charge.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is one of eleven accredited schools in the U.S. for training guide dogs — dogs trained to lead the blind and visually impaired. It houses a 10-acre (40,000 m2) headquarters, training center and veterinary clinic in Yorktown Heights, New York, and it also operates a canine development center in Patterson, New York and a training site in White Plains, New York.
Service animals are working animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people. Service animals may also be referred to as assistance animals, assist animals, or helper animals depending on the country and the animal's function.
Helen Woodward Animal Center is located on 12 acres in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The Center was established in 1972 as the San Dieguito Animal Care and Education Center with its primary focus on pet adoption and on-site humane education. It was renamed in honor of its founder, Helen Woodward, in 1987. Since its inception, services have grown to include an equine hospital, small animal hospital, boarding facility, Animal-assisted therapy outreach, therapeutic horseback riding for the disabled and AniMeals food for pets of the homebound. Education services have expanded to off-site presentations and outreaches.
Human–canine bonding is the relationship between dogs and humans. This bond can be traced back at least 15,000 to 30,000 years ago to the Bonn-Oberkassel dog that was found buried with two humans. In the United States, over 48% of households have a pet dog. For centuries, dogs have been labeled as "man's best friend," offering companionship and loyalty to their human counterparts. This is evident in most homes where dogs are domesticated. Children and adults have cordial relationships with all kinds of dogs.
The Puppy Up Foundation, companions against cancer studies the links between human and canine cancers using comparative oncology research. The foundation seeks to raise awareness about canine cancer as well as educate, empower, mobilize and promote investment in comparative oncology research.
Petplan Australia is a pet insurance company underwritten by MS Amlin Syndicate 2001 at Lloyd’s (Amlin). Petplan has separately-operated insurance companies in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America and New Zealand. Petplan is among the largest pet insurance companies in Australia.
