HISTORY

The Toledo Kennel Club, Inc. has been in existence since 1878, at which time members of the Club owned Gordon Setters. Unfortunately, no records remain from that era. The present club was formed at a meeting of local dog fanciers in the Newsboy's Building on February 3, 1921. George Sinclair was elected temporary Chairman. In attendance at the organizational meeting were: Dr. John Keller, Dr. George Jones, J. C. Phipps, Mr. Wallick, W. C. Blanchong, Marvin Kelley, Charles Quetschke, editor of The Toledo Blade, R. J. Pardee, George Greehalgh, John Gilpon, Fred Derge, Mrs. H. B. Stein and Mrs. William Vogel.

The Club was incorporated in October of 1924 under the laws of the state of Ohio as a non-profit organization. Subsequently, The Toledo Kennel Club became a member club of the American Kennel Club on February 13, 1945. The current delegate to the American Kennel Club is Ms. Joyce Wilson.

In 1922, TKC sponsored its first all-breed dog show and has held shows ever since with the exception of the years 1931 and 1945. The first shows were very different from today's, as showing was done in the late afternoon or at night and went on for two or three evenings with a total entry of 282 dogs. During the early years, dog shows were benched and held at the old Coliseum at the corner of Ashland and Bancroft Streets. People dressed up, often showing dogs wearing tuxedos and evening dress. Later, the Civic Auditorium and then the Sports Arena served as show sites until the entries grew large enough to require more space. Dogs were present on the premises all day. There were many breeds of dogs, which were never seen by the public in those days, as they were rare in this area. The early shows averaged at most 60 AKC recognized breeds, although people did come from Europe to show dogs here.

When dog obedience training was introduced in the United States, the Toledo Kennel Club was one of the first clubs in the U.S. to offer classes. In 1938, the Toledo Kennel Club's members eagerly adopted the idea and began to offer training classes to the public. As more and more people came to adopt the idea of obedience training, members of TKC decided to find a building of their own for classes and meetings The first TKC clubhouse was on the corner of Airport Highway and Thad Street and opened in the fall of 1958. That clubhouse served the club well until the widening of Airport highway took away the club's parking lot necessitating another move. In 1978, club members looked for a site to build a new clubhouse and finally found a suitable area in Holland. The present clubhouse at 1161 Clarion Avenue was completed and opened for classes in February of 1980.

At present the club puts on two all-breed dog shows with obedience trials each year in late May or early June. Today's shows are held at the Lucas County Recreation Center and average 1600 dogs with approximately 130 breeds represented. The Club decided to have two dog shows per year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall, beginning in 1972. In October of 1997, TKC hosted its 25th consecutive Fall Dog Show and Obedience Trial and in the spring of 1998 celebrated its 75th anniversary show and 100th dog show. Beginning on June 1, 2002, both All-Breed Shows are back-to-back, on the same weekend with the May/June dates.

Beginning in 1995, the Club has also held separate Saturday and Sunday Obedience Trials on one weekend each year in February. The site of this Trial is the Toledo Kennel Club building in Holland, Ohio. Because the size of the building permits only two 40' by 50' rings, the number of entries in Novice, Open, and Utility classes is limited. Recent AKC rule changes now permit the addition of non-regular classes. Since 2005, Rally also has been approved under AKC rules as a titled event and is scheduled on the Friday preceding the February Obedience Trials. Rally Trials also are held in conjunction with the All-Breed Shows.

The mission of the Toledo Kennel Club Inc. is to promote purebred dogs and inform the general public about all aspects of dog sports and responsible ownership. A Breeders' Showcase and other educational programs are offered each year and are open to the public. As part of their mission to promote responsible dog ownership, TKC has offered Obedience classes to the general public since 1938. Conformation classes are also offered on Thursday evenings from September through June.
The Club also offers classes in Agility, Rally Obedience, and a class for puppies. Classes in Obedience, Agility, and Rally are offered at both beginning and advanced levels according to need.