The tenth anniversary of AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Days was a resounding success! A record number of participants helped us celebrate at local events around the country, at our Flagship event in Raleigh and on social media.

RDO Day events were held in every state, for a total of 650 around the country. Thank you to the AKC clubs that continue to support this educational program every year. Many clubs also achieved impressive media coverage in their local papers and on TV, including the Heartland Dog Club of Florida and the Klamath Dog Fanciers. The Cape Cod Kennel Club even got the community involved by contacting their local selectmen, who declared the weekend the club held its event as "Responsible Dog Ownership Weekend in Falmouth, Massachusetts."

Finally, Ann Stucky from the Northeastern Indiana Kennel Club sums up the feedback we've received from many clubs — "It was our sixth year for this event and our biggest yet. We had over 35 participating dog groups and had more than 750 people attend! Almost 100 dogs were microchipped. A beautiful day for a wonderful community event!"

The AKC Flagship event was the most successful ever. Sixty-three dogs took the Canine Good Citizen^® test and hundreds of dogs went through the My Dog Can Do That! Agility and AKC Rally^® attraction and the "mini" My Dog Can Do That! in the kids' area. Nearly 4,000 locals attended with their dogs. Thanks to AKC Canine Partners Program Manager Penny Leigh and her committee for a great job coordinating the event this year.

We also celebrated Virtual RDO Days on Facebook and Twitter. Visitors who signed the AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Pet Promise could pick up a cover photo or badge for their Facebook page.

After receiving thousands of likes and comments, we're still reading through all of the "Acts of Responsible Dog Ownership" that visitors shared with us. Some of our favorites included "I updated all my dogs' chips with AKC CAR!," and "I'm teaching a puppy obedience class tonight, helping others to become responsible dog owners." Make sure you've liked us on Facebook to take part next year.

To learn more about AKC RDO Days or to get an early jump on the 2013 program, visit www.akc.org/rdod.

Sincerely,

Dennis B. Sprung

President and CEO