When Fair Play Isn’t Fair: How Clubs Are Left Unprotected By The AKC’s Disciplinary System

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198 – The Annual, 2025-26

By Theresa Schroeder

Going to court is something most people dread – for very good reasons. For most participants in the world of field trials and hunt tests, the American Kennel Club’s disciplinary system represents fairness, structure, and integrity. It’s what keeps our sport credible. We believe that when misconduct occurs, there’s a clear process to protect both people and dogs – one that ensures accountability and safety.

But what happens when that belief is tested? What happens when a club follows every procedure exactly as written – gathers evidence, holds hearings, cooperates with the AKC – and yet finds the outcome doesn’t align with the AKC’s own published guidelines?

This is not a story about one person or one club. It’s about what can happen to any club that takes its responsibility seriously and expects the same in return. It’s about how inconsistencies, delays, and selective enforcement can turn what should be a model of sportsmanship into a source of fear and frustration.

The Event That Sparked Questions

Click here to read the complete article
198 – The Annual, 2025-26

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Posted by AnthonyA on Dec 31 2025. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.