History

York Canine Association is one of the oldest canine associations in the country. It was formed on 20th November 1891, however the committee were not elected until 23rd December 1891 so the association may be said to date from this day.

The first AGM was held at the Adelphi Hotel in York on Wednesday 11th January 1893 and during the year 24 committee meetings had been held! At that point in time the association had 172 members and it appears that the main objectives of the association were to take measures to prevent muzzling orders being unnecessarily enforced in the case of rabies, to assist in the recovery of stolen dogs, to assist or undertake the prosecution in cases of unlawful detention, to prevent fraud or questionable dealings in dogs and lastly, to promote and encourage the breeding of high class dogs by holding periodical shows.

The first AGM was held at the Adelphi Hotel in York on Wednesday 11th January 1893 and during the year 24 committee meetings had been held!

Two shows were held during the inaugural year –

21st July 1892. Classification was for one breed, namely rough, smooth and puppy Fox Terriers, suggestions the founder members were all good old terrier men. Entry fee was 1/- per dog with 1st prize of a collar and chain, 2nd prize a chain and 3rd prize a collar.

Thursday 28th September 1892 (members only) held in the Settling Room, Corn Exchange for non sporting dogs. Separate classes were for St. Bernards and Collies. The judge was a Mr. Hellewell from Sheffield for a fee of 2 guineas and again prizes were collars and chains. Two ring stewards were appointed, 52 dogs entered and a veterinary surgeon examined each dog prior to benching.

During the first AGM it was noted that the the Honorary Secretary, Thomas Turner would go to London and interview a Mr. Charles Cruft, Esq. as to the details of the next show in 1893. The show would be on 6/7th June 1893 and held under Kennel Club Rules with Mr. Charles Cruft as Show Manager. At that time the Patron was confirmed to be HRH The Duke of York, Prince George (who later became King George V).

On Tuesday 5th February 1895 the third AGM took place at the White Swan Hotel, Pavement, York and it was noted that the membership had risen to 186 in the second year and now in the 3rd year stood at 211. In addition it was mentioned that one of the chief objectives was the recovery of lost dogs and that if a member lost a dog a notice was given that if it was not returned means would be taken to discover and prosecute the finder. In the year under review the association had 81 applications from members who had lost dogs and the association was successful in finding 76, with the remainder concluded to have been stolen by professional dog stealers. Praise for good work by the association was given due to the part it had played in the recovery of lost dogs and it’s work in connection with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which had been instrumental in the treatment of dumb animals. The minutes of the meeting also mention that the association hoped to be able to hold shows monthly from March to December for the members as they believed that friendly rivalry generated would improve the class of dogs.

Past and present members of York Canine Association are all proud of it’s interesting and historic past connections to the canine show world in it’s infancy and we all understand and value the importance of carrying it forward.

Although some of the objectives have changed since the association was formed it still remains to promote and encourage the purity of breeds of dogs by holding shows, match meetings and ringcraft training classes and endeavour to protect their interests as well as encourage responsible breeding by members.