The Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America (AKKAOA) was formed in 1988 and incorporated as a Domestic Non Profit Organization by Linda S. Spurlin, (breed developer of the Alaskan Klee Kai) Richard A. Spurlin and Stephen P. Keisor in 1990 under the name Klee Kai of Alaska-Alaskan Chapter. A direct quote from the original incorporation papers say the purpose was," To initiate the initial parent club, as suggested by nationally recognized kennel clubs, so as to promote and improve knowledge of a newly developed breed of dog hereafter known as the 'Klee Kai'. This initial organization will educate and set the standards by which future groups interested in forming similar dog clubs of this breed shall have as a set guide-line for which to base their club's activities."  AKKAOA held their first meeting and picnic in Peyton, CO on July 1990

 Linda Spurlin carefully chose the initial Board of Directors for this new corporation from amongst her trusted friends and associates. With the interest of other people to breed the Klee Kai growing the Board of Directors set about getting down on paper the thoughts, dreams and visions that previously had only needed to be verbal, such as the Breed Standard, and the Rules and Regulations for selecting breeding stock, the Bylaws for the Organization and establishing and maintaining the Registry for the Breed.

With the desire to educate and to continue the careful development of the breed in mind, the Board allowed in the Bylaws for a period of time to be known as the Formative Years, in which all owners of the breed would automatically have free membership in the club, and under the watchful eye of Mrs. Spurlin and the Board of Directors the breed was allowed to be shared with others and cautiously grow. Also during this time the Registry for the breed was transferred from the beginning paper files to more organized computer files.

Klee Kai Breed Standards Revised - Effective April 1, 1993
Klee Kai Breed Standards Revised - Effective January 1, 1994

In November of 1994 the Rocky Mountain Pet Expo in Denver, CO invited the AKK to attend; it was a weekend event featuring exhibitor booths, seminars, demonstrations and tons of toys, products and free samples, as well as the final round of an Amazing Pet Tricks Contest.  The AKK were introduced to the public and the public was educated about this new rare breed.  The AKK were invited and attended once again in 1995.

In January 1995 Linda Spurlin retired as President of the Association and Registrar for the breed. AKKAOA is eternally grateful for the contribution Linda S. Spurlin (the breed developer) has made to the world of dogs and appreciates her continued support and participation in association affairs. Eileen Gregory, the Association Secretary and Linda's Representative in the Continental U.S. took over as Registrar. The AKK Registry, and the Association Office was moved to Colorado. The Association was growing, the breed was growing, the paper work and expense to handle the Registry was growing, so finally dues needed to be charged. With this also came the right of the members to vote on breed affairs. The members voted to change the name of the breed from 'Klee Kai' to "Alaskan Klee Kai" which was felt to be more in keeping with other breeds who list their place of origin first in the breed name. The club name was then changed from 'Klee Kai of Alaska-Alaskan Chapter' to "Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America, Inc." herein referred to as AKKAOA or the Association.

In August 1995, much to the credit of Eileen Gregory, the Association gained full recognition for the breed with the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) upon first application. Alaska's Own Nellie Juan bred by Linda Spurlin and owned by the Gregory's became the first ARBA Champion.

In 1996 AKKAOA gained full recognition for the Alaskan Klee Kai with The Federation of International Canines (FIC), again on first application.

In mid 1996 AKKAOA applied to the United Kennel Club (UKC) for recognition of the Alaskan Klee Kai. The Board of Directors was instructed on how to re-write the breed standards into an acceptable UKC format. Once the re-write was completed the revised standards were sent to the Membership for approval and then to UKC for formal approval.

 In the first quarter of 1997, Dr. Carmen Cetrone Jr. dedicated space on the internet for the Association to use to promote and educate the public on the new breed, the Alaskan Klee Kai.   Dr. Carmen Cetrone started the first AKK WebRing and his WebRing graphics are still being used today.

 On January 1, 1997 the United Kennel Club (America's second largest registry) gave full recognition to the Alaskan Klee Kai breed and took over ownership and responsibility for the breed's growing Registry.  1/1/1997 UKC AKK Breed Standard  According to the contract with UKC, there was to be an initial period of 5 years in which AKKAOA would still be responsible for approving breeding stock and all AKK had to undergo and pass an adult examination to qualify as breeding quality. Only AKK that were born to parent dogs that had undergone examination and were found to be free of disqualifying faults would be registered with UKC. With UKC now maintaining the Registry for the breed AKKAOA concentrated on a book of records that reflected adult quality, health issues, personality traits, size, color, eye color and which dogs had been spayed/neutered.

 Once AKKAOA had gained full recognition for the Alaskan Klee Kai with UKC, Association changes and rewrites were necessary in order for the Association to comply with UKC policies and apply for recognition as the UKC Parent Club for the breed. The Board chose to begin with the difficult task of re-writing the Rules and Regulations first so that members would have the information they needed for registration purposes with UKC. It was a long and difficult task, only to find out later that UKC would not be approving of Rules and Regulations for a club.

At UKC's suggestion the Board of Directors then set about working on the re-write of the Association's Constitution and Bylaws. With numerous phone calls to UKC for guidance they were written and rewritten time and again only to be repeatedly refused with UKC asking for adjustment on one point or another. That would be fixed according to UKC's desires and something else would be found that needed adjustment. It was a frustrating task for everyone involved. In 2000 UKC decided that they would no longer ask that AKK be pre approved as breeding quality in order to register their litters. In July 2000 UKC informed AKKAOA that they could not continue to keep records of any kind on the breed as they felt it was too similar to being a registry. AKKAOA was pointed in the direction of The Center of Genetic Disease Control for possible tracking of health issues in the breed. This meant even more changes to the Constitution and Bylaws and to the club would need to be made, so the Board set about making them. April of 2001 UKC stated that AKKAOA could make a Breed Inspection mandatory for membership, but advised against it. AKKAOA followed that advice and did not make it mandatory though still request reporting of health and temperament issues.

 In late 2001 UKC provided AKKAOA with a generic set of Bylaws to be followed as closely as possible with any deviation needing to be approved. This made everyone's job much easier and in August 2002 AKKAOA gained Provisional Club Status with UKC. The purposes of this club as described in the new Constitution being:
a) to seek recognition as United Kennel Club Alaskan Klee Kai Parent Club;
b) to promote and improve knowledge of the Alaskan Klee Kai (herein referred to as AKK) and dogs in general;
c) to do all possible to bring the natural qualities of the pure-bred Alaskan Klee Kai to perfection through selective breeding;
d) to encourage genetic awareness within the breed by occasionally polling members as to the problems they may have encountered and publishing a list or brochure from the information collected giving clinical signs, methods of diagnosis, age of onset, mode of inheritance and potential treatments and prognosis when these things are known;
e) to aid with every possible means in demonstrating the conspicuous ability of the Alaskan Klee Kai as a companion;
f) to encourage the organization of local Alaskan Klee Kai Clubs in those localities where there are sufficient fanciers of the breed to meet the requirements of The United Kennel Club;
g) to educate members and to urge breeders to adhere to the standard of the breed as approved by The United Kennel Club as a standard of excellence by which Alaskan Klee Kai may be judged;
h) to encourage sportsmanlike competition at all dog shows,

and dog functions;
i) to conduct sanctioned matches and shows under the rules of The United Kennel Club.

Being a UKC Provisional Club meant that AKKAOA now needed to put on a UKC Rules and Regulations Seminar or hold our first show with UKC approval. With the thought that more of our members would benefit, AKKAOA opted to have the UKC Rules and Regulations Seminar at the time of the AKKAOA AKK Reunion Weekend and Annual Membership Meeting in Colorado. With the help of UKC it was arranged for Sandra Drake a UKC Judge and Field Representative to give the Seminar on June 7, 2003. AKKAOA was required to have 20% of the Membership and 75% of the Board of Directors present at the Seminar.

Those requirements were exceeded and the Seminar was a smashing success, evident in the glowing letter of recommendation written by Sandi Drake on behalf of AKKAOA.

2003:

July 23 - UKC approved AKKAOA as a Fully Licensed Conformation

October 31 – AKKAOA held their first UKC Licensed AKK Specialty Show in Lexington, Kentucky.  The Mason-Dixon Club invited AKKAOA to hold our show during their Multi-breed show weekend and they were great to work with.  Be sure to read more by going to this link: http://akkaoa.org/Specialty%20Show%202003.html

2004:

April 2, 3 & 4 – Golden West Group (GWG) hosted AKKAOA’s 1st AKK booth at the American Pet Expo in Southern CA.  They introduced and promoted the AKK and AKKAOA to the general public.

August 6, 7 & 8 – AKKAOA Meeting and Picnic was held in Willow, Alaska at Terry and Jim Wright’s home on Crystal Lake.  One of the focal points of the weekend was a 3-hour “Good Dog – Good Owner” seminar presented by Dr. Claudia Sihler, Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT).  This seminar was approved for one hour of Continuing Education credit for Veterinary Technicians that attended, by the Alaska State Veterinary Board.

October 29 – The second AKKAOA AKK Specialty was held in Lexington, KY.  The Mason-Dixon Club invited AKKAOA back to hold our AKK Specialty during their Multi-breed show weekend.   At this Specialty, we instituted two new awards: The Sportsmanship Award and the Showmanship Award. The Sportsmanship Award is a traveling award, donated by the Mason Dixon Multi Breed Dog Association in memory of Gail Compton. The winner of this award is selected by those exhibiting in the Specialty and it will reside with the winner for one year. After one year, it will be replaced by a plaque, and the name of the winner will be engraved on the award, which will then be awarded to a new winner. We are pleased and proud to announce that the winner of the first Sportsmanship Award was Susan Cain, who was voted on by her peers.  The winner of the Showmanship Award is selected by the Judge from amongst all of the exhibitors in the Specialty. Again, we are pleased and proud to announce that the first Showmanship Award went to Fran Morano.

December – The Health and Medical Research Committee was allotted monies to hire a computer database consultant to set-up our Medical and Health database.

2005:

January – The Health and Medical Research Committee Health Survey was finalized and sent out during February and March.

February 3 - AKKAOA first asked UAKKA about doing a joint event.  They were in the midst of holding their elections.  AKKAOA then asked the newly elected UAKKA President, Barbara Williams and in August she accepted our offer.  Those working on this committee to put a joint event together are; the members for AKKAOA are Linda Solorio and Tammy Martin; for UAKKA the members are Susie Cain and Linda Yates.

March 11 – AKKAOA’s 1st Multi-Breed Show was held in Kiowa, CO, along with an AKK Specialty making this our 3rd AKK Specialty.  The High Plains Kennel Club invited AKKAOA to hold these two shows in conjunction with their Multi-breed dog shows.  Jenna Kallaher of New Mexico was honored with the best Showmanship Award plaque.  Bob Cook of Oregon was honored with the best Sportsmanship Award plaque, which was voted on by his peers.

April – Submitted our presentation packet to UKC to request that AKKAOA become the National Parent Club for the AKK.

April 15, 16 & 17 - GWG hosted AKKAOA’s 2nd AKK booth at the American Pet Expo in Southern CA, where the AKK were introduced and AKKAOA was promoted to the general public.

May 25 - Jeff Rogers’ of Gray Wolf Innovations, LLC is approved to take over the maintenance of the website and become the webmaster.

June 24, 25 & 26 – In association with the Sandy Paws Canine Club, GWG hosted AKKAOA’s Multi-breed show on Friday and an AKK Specialty on Sunday at Pioneer Park, Lucerne Valley, CA. This weekend made this AKKAOA’s 2nd Multi-breed show weekend and their 4th AKK Specialty.  AKKAOA’s Annual Picnic, informal meeting and an Obedience R & R were also held during the weekend.

June 26 - Sunday before their AKK Specialty they started early with Deena Case-Pall, PhD, Psychologist and Animal Behaviorist, who demonstrated considerable insight into the Alaskan Klee Kai breed. She eagerly answered questions during and following her comprehensive discussions about those factors that go into the make-up and personalities of our dogs. She was delightful and willing to stick around as long as anyone had questions for her. We had approximately 29 attendees.

July 20 - UKC sent AKKAOA a list of goals that they would like to see us accomplish before we would be considered as a Provisional Parent Club.

August 4 – AKKAOA received their letter from UKC announcing that we have obtained our Obedience License.

November 4 – We hosted our 3rd Annual AKK Specialty in Kentucky.  The show was moved from Lexington to Simpsonville, KY, making this our 5th AKK Specialty since we started.

2006:

January 1st – we start publishing the Alaskan Klee Kai Newsletter 6 times a year.

February (Mid) - The Health and Medical Research committee distributed approximately 240 DNA swabs to AKK owners to be sent to Dr. Urs Giger at the University of Pennsylvania Vet School who is working on the Factor VII research.

April 21st - 23rd – AKKAOA’s Golden West Group in southern California hosted their third America’s Family Pet Expo in Costa Mesa, CA.  The AKK and AKKAOA were once again introduced and promoted to the public with much enthusiasm.

July 22nd thru 23rd – the Golden West Group hosted a successful weekend of 4 Multi-breed shows in Claremont, CA.

September 2nd – AKKAOA held their annual Reunion Picnic in Summerville, PA.  There was not a quorum, so a short informal meeting was held.

November 4th –Dr. Urs Giger of the University of Pennsylvania Vet School presented a very important seminar on Factor VII and what it means for the Alaskan Klee Kai.  More information can be found posted on the website: http://akkaoa.org/events.html

November 5th – AKKAOA proudly hosted their Fourth Annual Alaskan Klee Kai Specialty in Kentucky (Simpsonville), which makes a total of 6 AKK specialties they have hosted since March 2005.  There was the one Specialty held in Kiowa, CO and the other was at Pioneer Park in Lucerne Valley, CA. At the request of UKC, AKKAOA will hold only one Specialty per year.

2007:

January 1 – UKC approved the closure of the AKK Stud books beginning on this date.  More information can be found posted on the website: http://akkaoa.org/pastannouncements.html

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AKK articles, stories and photos that have been published in the following (some are on this website and some you can find on Linda Spurlin’s website: http://www.alaskankleekai.com/spurlin/

Ø      Northern Mirror - Alaskan Klee Kai

Ø      Alaska Magazine, 1987 – “Tiny Huskies Big Stars on Canine Circuit”

Ø      Ranchland News – Simla, CO

Ø      Anchorage Daily News, July 28, 1993 – “Sled Pulling? Not for these huskies”

Ø      Northern Mirror, July 1993 – “Tiny huskies big stars on canine circuit”

Ø      Alaska, Dec 96/Jan94 – Honey, I Shrunk the Husky

Ø      Pet Dogs Magazine, Oct/Nov 1995– England – “Klee Kai – The Alaskan Husky in Miniature”

Ø      UKC Bloodlines Magazine, Mar/Apr 1998 – The World of the Alaskan Klee Kai

Ø      Dog Fancy Magazine, March 2000 – “Honey I Shrunk the Husky” - Profile

Ø      Dog World Magazine, January 2007 – Alaskan Klee Kai - Profile

Ø      The Claremont Courier (California)

Ø      The Punxsy Spirit (Pennsylvania)

Ø      The Sentinel-News (Shelbyville, KY)

Ø      UKC Bloodlines Magazine, Mar/Apr 1998

Ø      UKC Bloodlines Magazine (articles in several other issues)

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