The Kennel Club of India (KCI) is a registry of Purebred Dogs in India. Beyond maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including Annual Dog Shows and Speciality Shows. The Kennel Club of India is a member of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale

Fédération Cynologique Internationale

Fédération Cynologique Internationale is an international federation of kennel clubs based in Thuin, Belgium. The English language translation, World Canine Organisation, is not often used.Its goals are described in Article 2 of their regulations:...

 (FCI).

The Kennel Club of India is also one of the few kennel clubs to be members of the International Organization for Standardization

International Organization for Standardization

The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...

 (ISO).

History

There were several established Kennel Clubs all over India during the British Colonialization of India (1857–1947). This included Kennel Clubs in Hyderabad, Ootacamund

Ootacamund

Ootacamund , is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills...

, Mysore, Calcutta to name a few. These Clubs followed procedures followed in the Kennel Club

Kennel club

A kennel club is an organization for canine affairs that concerns itself with the breeding, showing and promotion of more than one breed of dog...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

It was much after Independence that the idea for a centrallized structure for all these Kennel Clubs across the country was conceived. The Kennel Club of India was established in 1978.

Today

The Kennel Club of India is the leading authority on registration on purebreds and maintains the only recognized registry. It issues Pedigrees for purebreds and litters. It hosts annual shows across the country and awards championships to various breeds of dogs.

The present chairman of the KCI is Shri S.Pathy who is a well known founder of Dobermann lines in India in the 1980s. Mr. C.V.Sudarsan- a recognized expert on Whippets is the Secretary of the Organization.

Registration

The Kennel Club of India registers litters of puppies born in India whose Sire and Dam have both been registered with the Kennel Club of India (listed as Bred in India). The KCI also registers puppies/dogs which have been imported from other countries. Finally the KCI also registers puppies/dogs which are purebred but whose parents do not carry any papers. These dogs are registered as purebreds with Unknown Pedigree.

Pedigree Papers (Certificates) are issued by the KCI and is continuously appended as the dog keeps winning championships or keeps changing owners.

The most common registered breeds with the KCI include: Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...

s, Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...

s, German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherd Dog

The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...

s, Dachshund

Dachshund

The dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits...

s, Dalmatian

Dalmatian (dog)

The Dalmatian is a breed of dog whose roots are often said to trace back to Dalmatia, a region of Croatia where the first illustrations of the dog have been found. The Dalmatian is noted for its unique black- or brown-spotted coat and was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days...

s, Doberman Pinchers and Pug

Pug

The pug is a "toy" breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo , referring to the pug's personality and...

s.

Dog shows

Speciality and General Dog Shows are conducted by the Kennel Club of India all over the country. These shows are generally held from December to May of every year. The show follows procedures and guidelines complying with regulations of the FCI

FCI

FCI is a three-letter abbreviation that can refer to:* Facility Condition Index, a benchmark to compare the relative condition of a group of facilities* Factors Chain International, a global network of factoring companies* Federal Correctional Institution...

.

Dogs are issued Challenge Certificates and Championship Certificates. Dogs are awarded points (depending on their breed and temparment) in every dog show and at the end of the year- the dog receiving the most show points receives the Dog of the Year award.

The other awards include:
Best in Class

Best in Class

Best in Class is the title given to the dog who has been judged the best representative specimen of its particular class at a conformation show held by the Kennel Club of that country.-Classes:Dogs and Bitches are separately grouped into different classes...

, Best of Breed

Best of Breed

Best of Breed is the title given to the dog who has been judged the best representative specimen of its breed at a conformation show.Dogs compete in a hierarchical fashion at each show, where winners at lower levels are gradually combined to narrow the winners until the final round, where Best in...

, Best in Group, Best in Show

Best in Show

Best in Show may refer to:* Best in Show , a 2000 film* Best in Show , a 2005 album by Grinspoon* The Best in Show award or the Best in Show competition in conformation dog shows** Best in Show winners of Crufts...

The KCI also has awards for breeders of the year and also a special award for Bred in India dogs (to encourage breeders to develop good bloodlines in India directly).

Accredition of breeders

To develop excellent bloodlines and to prevent unscrupulous breeders who breed in Puppy Mills, the KCI has initiated an Accredited Breeders Scheme. Over 700 Breeders are listed under this scheme and have proved to be extremely reliable.

Specialty Dog Shows

In addition to General Dog Shows, the KCI also organizes Specialty Dog Shows (meant for particular breeds only). This include Dog Shows for separate breeds. Many Breeds in India have their own breed club which participate in these events. These clubs include:

• German Shepherd Dog (GSD) Club of India
• Great Dane Club of India
• Indian Sieger Show

The Indian Kennel Gazette

In addition to the shows, the KCI also publishes a monthly magazine - the Indian Kennel Gazette for all its members only (Not for sale commercially).