WE ARE CLOSED TODAY
To our Members and friends, happy summer!
What an exciting few months it’s been, and it feels like the best is still ahead.
We’re currently basking in the beauty of Honoring the Point, an extraordinary exhibition of sporting dog portraits from the collection of Gwynn McDevitt and the National Sporting Library & Museum. If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, come marvel at these exquisite scenes, you’ll leave refreshed and inspired.
And we’ve been out and about too! Even a surprise rainstorm couldn’t dampen our spirits at the Greenwich and Longshore/Southport Kennel Club shows, where our “sunset cocktail party” quickly became a memorable “torrential downpour celebration.” Our community’s energy was in no way dampened, and we had a fabulous time.
Here at the Museum, we’ve officially launched our new Furry Fridays, where your pup is welcome to visit every Friday, and enjoy some much-needed AC and cool floors while you enjoy our amazing collection, all summer long. Plus, Bark After Dark is in full swing, our after-hours party series for dogs and their humans, with themed nights, great tunes, and a breezy, laid-back vibe. (And don’t forget — Members get in free every Friday. If you’re not one yet, there’s never been a better time to join!)
And last Sunday was one for the books: we celebrated Pride with our first-ever Drag Me to the Museum, a fabulously fun morning filled with brunch bites, big laughs, and a doggy drag runway that brought out everyone’s most creative flair. Dogs and humans alike turned up in style, and the entire Museum shimmered with joy and color.
We still have a busy Summer ahead of us! We’ll soon be off to Tunbridge, VT, for the Green Mountain Classic, and then up to Wine Country in Romulus, NY. This fall, we’ll be welcoming dog-themed New Yorker covers in September, followed by a historic exhibition celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Westminster Kennel Club at year’s end. It will feature rare photos, original artwork, and one-of-a-kind treasures, and we’d love to have you involved if you’d like to support these projects.
We’re also so close to acquiring Arthur Wardle’s 1903 masterpiece Bulldogs of the Twentieth Century. When we do, we’ll host a special unveiling — and donors of $1,000 or more will receive permanent recognition alongside this iconic painting. This is your last chance to help us make this spectacular piece part of our collection forever!
Whether you’ve been by recently or plan to visit soon, thank you for keeping the Museum vibrant, joyful, and full of wagging tails. See you, and your pups, this summer! 🐾
By Alan Fausel
2025 marks the 30th consecutive year I have been an appraiser on PBS’s longtime favorite, Antiques Roadshow. It has, indeed, been a long and winding road. Of the 400+ appraisers who have cycled through the run of the show, I am proud to say I am one of a small group of about a dozen appraisers who have participated since the first season aired in 1996.
This year, I traveled to Savannah, GA, and St. Louis, MO, to tape episodes which will air in 2026. Savannah was especially rewarding as it really brought the dogs out. As an appraiser, we are allowed a couple of VIP passes to give out to “friends and family.” I immediately called MOD Board member Ann Cook, as she and her husband, George, were at their stables/kennels in nearby Aiken, SC. We met the day before the event and enjoyed a lovely dinner, where they informed me that they were bringing a couple of objects handed down through their family. Things were pretty hectic at the venue, the Georgia State Railroad Museum, so we did not run into each other at all that day. Only after the dust had settled did I find out that they had been filmed. It really is remarkable since only a few dozen guests and their objects are chosen out of several thousand. We are not allowed to reveal details of what was taped, so you will have to tune in next season for the surprise. Additionally, I can tell you that I was also filmed appraising a dog painting in Savannah, so stay tuned to find out the breed and artist.
Two weeks later found me in St. Louis for another session of the show. There I was reunited with old friends Drew and John Stull at Grant’s Farm, a fabulous estate owned by the Busch family and now open to the public. I met the Stulls back in 2008 in Dallas when we taped a painting Drew had inherited. We kept in contact over the years, and I helped arrange the eventual sale of the painting to a museum in 2019. The whole story will be featured in a “Fabulous Finds” segment next year.
Though I am through for this year, appraisers are still traveling about the country producing more content for the coming season, which begins airing in January 2026.
Antiques Roadshow is a production of WGBH and can be seen nationally on most PBS stations on Monday evenings at 8/7c pm. For more details on past and future episodes of Antiques Roadshow, please visit the website.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/schedule
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow
We have just about reached our goal in our fundraising appeal for the acquisition of Arthur Wardle’s 1903 seminal work Bulldogs of the Twentieth Century. In our original request, we stated the following:
The AKC Museum of the Dog is currently hosting an exceptional painting on loan: Bulldogs of the Twentieth Century by the renowned British artist Arthur Wardle (1864–1949). Completed in 1903, this masterful oil on canvas captures the essence and enduring strength of the Bulldog, featuring champions of the era such as Ch. Pressgang, Ch. Prince Albert, and Broadlea Squire. The work also sports a sterling provenance, having once been in Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge’s personal collection. This painting stands as a cornerstone of canine art and breed history. For a painting of such profound significance to the Bulldog breed, there is no more fitting or meaningful home than the AKC Museum of the Dog, where it can be preserved, celebrated, and shared with the world.
The Museum has negotiated a special rate of $60,000 with the gallery, and we are seeking an additional $10,000 to provide for its first decade of stewardship, including storage, maintenance, and preservation, bringing the total campaign goal to $70,000. Thanks to a generous donor, any gift, no matter the size, will be matched up to $30,000.
We are just a few thousand shy of the purchase price and would be ecstatic if we could raise the additional $10,000 to add to our collections fund for care and maintenance.
To keep you up to date, we would like to thank the following clubs and individuals for their participation to get us this far. First, there is Gayle Bontecou, who offered the original $30,000 as a challenge fund. Then comes the Bulldog Club of America and the West Central Oklahoma Kennel Club. Additionally, we are grateful to AKC Museum of the Dog Board Members Ellen Charles and Bill Nicholson and individuals Bob and Link Newcomb, Cindy Stansell, Edward Harris, Jeff Ryman, Robin Stowell, Jean Heatherington, Deb Lesslie and the Bulldog Club of Philadelphia.
We’re absolutely thrilled to share that our suite of programs for The Irish Breeds exhibition was a resounding hit! St. Pawtrick’s Day brought out the festive spirit with dog-friendly beer samples and a wildly fun scavenger hunt that had guests and their pups sniffing out (and discovering!) all the incredible artworks on display.
Our Breed Spotlight shone brightly on the Irish Setter, and we welcomed over 90 eager attendees who couldn’t wait to learn more about this gorgeous, spirited breed. The energy was electric, and we loved seeing so many new faces!
May’s evening programming was nothing short of magical! We were overjoyed to host the dynamic duo—authors and illustrators Jason Chatfield and Scott Dooley—as they launched their hilarious new book, “You’re Not a Real Dog Owner Until…“ The crowd was delighted, and the laughter was contagious! The icing on the cake? Patrons got to take home a one-of-a-kind keepsake—their portraits sketched right into their copies of the book!
We’re delighted with the early success of our new Reactive Dog Hours! Every Saturday morning, for 45 minutes before the museum opens, pups who appreciate a little extra space can explore the AKC MOD galleries in a calm, distraction-free setting. It’s been wonderful to see so many families take advantage of this special time—bookings are filling up nicely through the summer.
Learn more and inquire about late summer and fall reservations.
We’re thrilled to announce even more opportunities for you and your furry friends to visit us:
Join us for unforgettable experiences and make memories with your four-legged family members! We can’t wait to see you and your pups at the AKC MOD!
