Dennis Sprung, Chairman of the AKC, writes in the current (November) “To the Core” email:
“AKC registrations are down significantly from the peaks we experienced during COVID.
“Individual Dog Registrations are minus 14% from last year and litters are down 17%.
“In fact, 2024 Litter Registrations have now fallen below the levels we experienced in 2018.”
So what are the actual numbers?
Mr. Sprung does not say, but a 14 percent decline in registrations from last year would put 2024 registrations at around 690,000.
How does that compare to the past?
AKC registrations this year are about 45 percent of what they were in 1992 (1.53 million).
When you factor in the 34 percent US population growth between 1992 and 2022 (257 million to 346 million), we find the relative decline in AKC registrations in the last 30 years is actually about 66 percent.
To put it another way, if AKC registrations had flat-lined in 1992, and kept pace with US population growth, they would be well over 2 million a year, not 690,000.
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