UKC UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

102-Year-Old United Kennel Club Tradition Continues

News Release - November 15, 2000. Kalamazoo, MI. Mrs. Connie G. Miller, former U.K.C. CEO and widow of Fred T. Miller, announced today that the ownership of the United Kennel Club has been transferred from the Trust of Fred T. Miller to U.K.C. President, Wayne R. Cavanaugh. Mr. Cavanaugh joined the U.K.C. in August, 1999 as VP/General Manager and has served as President since the passing of Mr. Miller in March, 2000.

"As you know, the U.K.C. was not just a business for Fred. It was his love and his life for 27 years," said Mrs. Miller. "Fred selected Wayne to help us run the U.K.C. when Fred's health began to decline. Fred was determined to continue the tradition that has made the U.K.C. one of the largest dog registries it the world. The sale to Wayne is what Fred wanted. I am pleased that we were able to carry out his wishes and to keep U.K.C. moving forward in the sport of purebred dogs as it has for over 102 years."

"My family and I are both thrilled and honored to have this opportunity," said Mr. Cavanaugh. "It is a great responsibility to nurture the 102-year-old U.K.C. tradition, to oversee the staff that has been so loyal to the U.K.C. philosophy, and to protect the rights of those who choose to register with us and compete in our 10,000 annual events. Fred had put together a great plan and a great staff long before I got here. Together, the staff and I have been working diligently on many new ideas for the sport, the dogs, our customers, and the memory of Fred Miller. You will see some of these ideas unfold over the next year. For anyone with questions about our direction, I would like to make one thing crystal clear; every change, every new program, every new step will be centered around the "Total Dog" Philosophy that Chauncey Bennett began and Fred Miller believed in so strongly. U.K.C. dogs have been known the world over as hardy dogs with instinct and ability, dogs that look and act the part. We plan to keep it that way."

The United Kennel Club was founded in 1898 by Chauncey Zachariah Bennett as an alternative to what he believed to be the AKC's emphasis on conformation-only dogs owned by "the big city idle rich." Mr. Bennett, his daughter Frances, and her husband Dr. E.G. Fuhrman ran the registry for 75 years, from 1898 to 1973, then sold it to Fred Miller. Mr. Miller owned the U.K.C. and served as its President until his death in March of this year.

Mr. Cavanaugh is a third-generation dog fancier who has appeared on behalf of dogs on every major television network in both America and the United Kingdom. He is the co-host of the Animal Planet National Dog Championship television series, and of Crufts, the world's largest dog show, from Birmingham, England for the British Broadcasting Corporation. He has worked for AT&T, served as a VP of Marketing for a Wall Street investment firm, is a former Vice President of the American Kennel Club, and has served on many dog-related Boards and Foundations including the Canine Health Foundation.

Mr. Cavanaugh has bred champion English Pointers, English Setters, and Beagles. He judges breeds from the sporting and hound group. A citizen of both America and Ireland, Mr. Cavanaugh resides in southwest Michigan with his wife and two children and continues to breed and exhibit English Pointers.

The United Kennel Club is the second-oldest and second-largest all-breed dog registry in America and is the largest all-breed performance-based registry in the world, registering over 250,000 dogs annually from all 50 states and 18 foreign countries - more than 60 percent of its 10,000 annually-licensed events are tests of hunting ability, training, and instinct. The U.K.C. publishes three magazines, Bloodlines, Coonhound Bloodlines, and Hunting Retriever. The United Kennel Club prides itself on its family-oriented, friendly, educational events for the owner-breeder-handler.

For more information, contact: United Kennel Club, 100 E. Kilgore Rd., Kalamazoo, MI 49002-5584; or call 616-343-9020, or log on to the U.K.C. web site at: www.ukcdogs.com

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