Happy 50th Anniversary to ECHO!
UKC Is Pleased To Wish ECHO a Happy 50th Anniversary!
May 18, 2016
ECHO, founded in 1966, was UKC’s first obedience club. ECHO has grown to provide training and competition opportunities in multiple events since then. At UKC PREMIER in June, ECHO, as they have in the past, will be hosting Agility trials. To learn more about ECHO, you’re invited to attend their Club Open House this weekend, Saturday, May 21 (location and details on the ECHO website); and we also hope to see all of you at PREMIER in Kalamazoo, June 16-19!
Originally published in the UKC Centennial book (“United Kennel Club, 1898-1997, The First 100 Years”), printed in 1997, an article titled ECHO Club, Inc - UKC’s First Obedience Club (PDF) appeared in Chapter 7 and details the club’s early years and involvement in UKC events.
The following is a short club bio submitted by ECHO.
“We were originally the Elkhart County Humane Obedience Club (ECHO) because this club began in Elkhart County. We are now known just by our acronym, ECHO. We have been in existence for over 50 years. We have been at our present location (457 Post Road, Buchanan, MI) since December, 2000. We are primarily a dog obedience/dog agility training club. However, many of our members are involved in all different kinds of dog activities such as pet therapy, tracking, herding, drafting, water rescue, search and rescue, nosework and conformation. We are a wide and varied group, but we find common ground in our love of dogs and in the desire to train them. At the present time ECHO is licensed to hold United Kennel Club (UKC) trials in obedience, rally, agility, conformation and in the fall our first nosework trial. All members are encouraged to enter shows as well as help with their operation. It is a great way to learn firsthand how trials are run as well as seeing some wonderful dogs.”
Here’s to 50 more!
A Kalamazoo, Michigan-based company founded in 1898, United Kennel Club is the largest all-breed performance-dog registry in the world, registering dogs from all 50 states and 25 foreign countries. Celebrating the unique Total Dog philosophy, UKC events highlight the instincts and heritage of dogs that look and perform equally well, as more than 60 percent of its annually licensed events are tests of hunting ability, training, and instinct. United Kennel Club prides itself on its family-oriented, friendly, educational events, welcoming both purebred dogs and dogs of unknown ancestry.