been a Grand Hunt every fall and every spring. With the development of Hunting Retriever Club came a new publication for United Kennel Club, Hunting Retriever Magazine, the first issue of which was published in August 1984. Cur & Feists The UKC Cur & Feist program began in 2000, with the first events being held toward the end of the year. The Cur and Feist breeds are smaller dogs, most often used to hunt squirrel and other small game. Over the two decades of the program’s existence, UKC has developed World Championships for both Cur Squirrel Dog and Feist Squirrel Dog, and holds licensed bench shows. Upland Hunting The first UKC-licensed pointing dog trial was held in April 2004, by the French Brittany Gundog Club (which would later become Club de l’Epagneul Breton of the United States or CEB-US). The event was held in Armour, South Dakota and consisted of a conformation show and two distinct field trials. Since that event, UKC has continued to host pointing dog field trials with clubs across the country. In 2021, UKC announced that it had acquired American Field Publishing Company, including the Field Dog Stud Book, the oldest purebred dog registry in the United States. Elite Shed Dog Series The UKC Elite Shed Dog Series was created in 2017, to provide a family-friendly format for those who enjoy participating in the gathering of shed antlers—or shed hunting. The first UKC Elite Shed Dog National event was held in April 2020 in Whittington, Illinois. All-Breed Sports Programs The UKC All-Breed Sports Department operates ten performance sports, as well as the SPOT (Socialized Pet Obedience Test) program. Agility In Agility, a dog and handler race to complete a specially designed obstacle course involving tunnels, bridges, and jumps. The event is timed to measure speed of completion, and accuracy is also taken into consideration. The first UKC-licensed Agility trial was held in July 1995, after the National Club for Dog Agility transferred the program to United Kennel Club. Conformation Conformation is the official term for a dog show, referring specifically to the external and visible details of a dog’s build and structure. The preferred details are written out in each breed’s standards, which are published and held by each registry. UKC began to license Conformation Dog Shows in the 1920s, with the first annual UKC Bench Show held in May 1926. Dock Jumping In Dock Jumping