History
The NEWNAN KENNEL CLUB was established in 1976 by a concerned group of dog enthusiasts residing in the Newnan/Coweta area. The primary reason for the Clubs inception was, and continues to be, the advancement of all breeds of pure-bred dogs, particularly at the local level.
In addition to regular meetings, the Club held fun matches, obedience classes, and programs. A Constitution & By-laws was adopted, and the Club was incorporated. In 1979, the AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB approved the NEWNAN KENNEL CLUB for SANCTIONED B-OB status. This meant that the Club could hold events under AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB Rules and Regulations, for Breed and Obedience competition. Two B-OB matches were held per year. In 1982, the Club was approved to hold A-OA Sanctioned Matches. After (2) qualifying A-0A Matches, the Club became eligible to hold licensed Dog Shows and Obedience Trials. Following 10 consecutive years of AKC Shows and Trials, our Club became a member Club of AKC. The American Kennel Club is a "Club of Clubs". There are no individual members.
The Newnan Kennel Club's first Dog Show and Obedience Trial was held September 29, 1984, at the Newnan High School. This was the only time the High School was used as other, larger show sites became a necessity. During the early days of our Club, we held our shows in various locations near Newnan. This included Henderson's Auction Barn, the Renaissance Festival Grounds, Powers Crossroads Country Fair parking grounds and the Coweta County Fairgrounds. As the concept of "Clusters of Dog Shows" became the "norm", our Shows have moved out of the Coweta County area. In 2021 our Shows were cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. In 2022 & 2023, our Shows were held in Perry at the GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL FAIRGROUNDS AND AGRI-CENTER as part of the Honeysuckle Cluster with the Columbus Kennel Club of Georgia. In 2024, we will return to Newnan with three "back-to-back" shows on October 18, 19, and 20th, 2024. The shows will be held at the Coweta County Fairgrounds. We will continue to hold our Spring Match and Fast Cat events at the Coweta County Fairgrounds each March.
We currently have about 50 members. Everyone is active in some way or another. Some members are breeders, others are conformation and companion events enthusiasts. Many of our members participate because of their love for dogs! They enjoy the socialization and work diligently on all Club events.
