160 Breeds of Dog. 41 Breeds of Cat. 2 Days. One Place to Meet Them All

Meet the Breeds at Jacob Javits Center on October 17-18, 2009: Event of the
Century for Dog & Cat Lovers

NEW YORK, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Kennel Club(R) (AKC)
and the Cat Fanciers' Association(R) (CFA) invite every doggie devotee and
feline fan from the tri-state area and beyond to attend Meet the Breeds
presented by Pet Partners, Inc. at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on
October 17-18, 2009. Meet the Breeds is the world's largest showcase of cats
and dogs and offers the public the rare opportunity to meet nearly 200 breeds
and interact with dogs, cats, puppies and kittens.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091005/DC87204)

Tickets at a special pre-event price ($10 for adults and $6 for kids) are
available now at www.meetthebreeds.com. Each ticket offers access to:

-- Nearly 160 dog and 41 cat breeds, each in its own designated booth,
decorated to reflect the heritage of the breed and its characteristics
and unique attributes as a pet.
-- Top experts in every pet-related field including breeding, training,
grooming, nutrition and first-aid.
-- Over 85 vendors selling everything a dog, cat or the person who loves
them could need or want, including faux fur-lined designer dog beds
and
pendants made from your pets' own nose print.
-- Five rings with simultaneous demonstrations and activities including
law
enforcement K9s, agility, obedience, dog and cat breed showcases and
"Cat Idol."
-- A display of artwork by 150 local students, grades 1-12, who entered
the
Meet the Breeds Student Art Contest.
-- Games and give-aways at the PetPartners booth including free collar
tag
engraving, a Wii pet agility game, kids' coloring area, a balloon
artist
and the opportunity to turn your tot into a dog or cat with the
wonderful face painting skills of Bella Faccia Painting by Diane.

-- Decide the winners by voting for the "Best Dog Booth in Show" and the
"Best Cat Booth in Show" competitions on Saturday. The winning booths
will be announced on Sunday and receive $500 each from WebVet.com.

With Meet the Breeds running just one weekend, the AKC and CFA will be sending
their four-footed friends out en masse across the city throughout the prior
week to ensure that no one misses out on news about the event. On Monday,
October 12, Italian dog breeds and will march in the 65th Annual Columbus Day
Parade down Fifth Avenue; on Wednesday, October 14( )at a Press Preview at the
Affinia Hotel, street teams wearing hand-made dog and cat masks will be
unleashed to greet pedestrians and commuters and handout free photo-frame
magnets; and on Thursday, October 15 the AKC and CFA -- and a varied
contingent of dogs and cats -- will ring the NASDAQ closing bell in Times
Square.

The AKC and CFA will also announce the winner of the Pet Preference Poll on
www.meetthebreeds.com on Wednesday the 14th. For the past two months the
organizations have asked "Are you a dog or cat person?" in order to determine
whether dogs or cats are leaders of the pack when it comes to pet lovers.

Don't miss any of the fun! Get your tickets now at www.meetthebreeds.com.
Proud sponsors of Meet the Breeds include Invisible Fence(R) Brand, ADT
Security Services, Dog.com and Petmate. Visit our sponsor page for more
information.

The American Kennel Club (AKC), proudly celebrates its 125th Anniversary in
2009. Since 1884 the not-for-profit organization has maintained the largest
registry of purebred dogs in the world, and today its rules govern more than
20,000 canine competitions each year. Along with its nearly 5,000 licensed and
member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the
purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being,
works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog
ownership. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine
Health Foundation, AKC Companion Animal Recovery and the AKC Museum of the
Dog. For more information, visit www.akc.org.

The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc. (CFA) was founded in 1906 as a non-profit
association of member clubs and is the world's largest registry of pedigreed
cats. CFA's mission is to preserve and promote the pedigreed breeds of cats
and to enhance the well-being of ALL cats. CFA promotes education, responsible
cat ownership and proper care to the owners of millions of cats worldwide. CFA
and its affiliate clubs work nationally with local shelters, at a grassroots
level, to help humanely reduce homeless and feral cat populations, and to
encourage voluntary neuter/spay of pet cats. To learn more about the Cat
Fanciers' Association, the pedigreed breeds of cats, or to find the nearest
CFA cat show, visit their web site at www.cfa.org

PetPartners, Inc. is a leading pet health insurance provider, trusted by both
the AKC and CFA to provide superior protection under the AKC Pet Healthcare
Plan (www.akcphp.com) and the CFA Pet Healthcare Plan (www.cfaphp.com) for dog
and cat lovers in all 50 states. PetPartners' plans are underwritten by Markel
Insurance Company, 4600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060, rated A "Excellent" by
A.M. Best Company.

SOURCE American Kennel Club

Daisy Okas of the American Kennel Club, +1-212-696-8343; or Peter Collins of
the Cat Fanciers' Association, +1-908-499-1200