The American Kennel Club (AKC), along with conservation groups and sportsmen’s and women’s organizations, celebrated Louisiana’s outdoor heritage at a state Sportsmen’s Caucus luncheon on May 4, 2021, in Baton Rouge.  Patty Van Sicklen, Southeastern Regional Manager of Government Relations, represented AKC at the event. 

Caucus leaders and event speakers discussed conservation funding provided by sportsmen and women and the importance of working together on behalf of outdoor sports participants, hunters, anglers, and related industries.  The event was hosted by the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, a bipartisan group of state legislators who work to protect and advance sporting traditions in the state.

“It was a privilege to meet legislators who understand that field trial participants, hunters, and houndsmen have such a positive impact on state and local economies and on conservation programs in Louisiana,” Van Sicklen said.  

AKC encourages and strongly supports the interaction and mutual enjoyment of owners and dogs in sporting activities such as hunting and field trials; in working circumstances such as herding, tracking, and pulling; and in competition events such as dog shows, obedience trials, agility trials, and other performance events and tests. The AKC advocates that dogs should be properly cared for, humanely trained, and not pushed beyond reasonable limits for which they were bred.

For information on canine policy issues, visit www.akcgr.org.