From the Colony of New Jersey under the rule of His Royal Majesty, King George III of England, there is a report in The London Times dated 1775 by the Royal Governor of the Colony of New Jersey about dogs and dog activities in the northern part of His Majesties colony. Dogs have been observed ranging far a field, running about scaring the dairy cows and chasing stagecoaches traveling on His Majesties Turnpike between Philadelphia and New York City.

A mere 132 years later, the revolutionary descendants of the owners of those unruly canines, did on August 15, 1907 host an AKC championship dog show in Hackensack, New Jersey under the banner of the North Jersey Kennel Club. Some dog show ribbons, a medallion and the marked catalogs are evidence of the fun had by those sporting people of northern New Jersey. Like many dog clubs the North Jersey Kennel Club now lies buried in the fertile soil of the Garden State. However, the children and grandchildren who enjoyed those dog shows and the sport of purebred dogs could not be denied. The two Bergen County Kennel Clubs, the Hackensack Kennel Club, the Orange Kennel Club, the East Orange Kennel Club, the Englewood Kennel Club and other dog clubs arose and departed as they sought to fill the void for an all-breed dog club in the northern New Jersey area.

It was early in 1937 that a group of northern New Jersey dog owners decided to start a new dog club to 'talk about dogs', to hold a Championship dog show and show the New Jersey public what purebred dogs were all about. The nation was shaking off the effects of the great depression of 1929, the brand new George Washington Bridge had been finished in 1931 and northern New Jersey farmers were trading in their reliable horses for these new automobile-trucks to cart their farm produce to the hungry millions of people in New York City across the new George Washington bridge.

Organizing meetings were held, and in July 1937 six women and six men signed the club's incorporation papers and filed it in the Bergen County clerks office in the city of Hackensack, New Jersey. The Kennel Club of Northern New Jersey (KCNNJ) was organized with the help of dogdom's stalwart friend, Mrs. Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge and her good friend Mrs. Madeline Baiter. With those ladies as financial backers, the KCNNJ held a Championship dog show in 1938 and in 1940 the club was voted in as an AKC member dog club. In 1973 when the New Jersey Federation of Dog Clubs was organized by the legendary lawyer, Ralph Del Deo, the KCNNJ joined and has been an active member of the New Jersey Federation of Dog Clubs ever since.

The KCNNJ has a long history of hosting outstanding championship dog shows in northern New Jersey on the first Sunday in March. For many years it was the first Sunday, then the last Sunday, and now the first Sunday once again, as the rules of the AKC show dates shift, sway and change. For several decades the club was fortunate to hold its annual championship point show in the Teaneck National Guard armory in Teaneck. In 1973 the show was held in the Paterson NJ National Guard armory. When the new Meadowlands Sports Complex opened, the club was able to move to this new larger, enclosed site which the exhibitors loved to attend and exhibit in as well as the 10,000 spectators that we attracted to that site. Alas, politicians and their political appointees arbitrarily cancelled our annual dog show date - with no warning, causing the club to sustain a serious financial loss due to contract commitments to dog show judges and the dog show superintendent. The club was forced to seek new show quarters, utilizing the first Sunday in March show date and found the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, NJ. During the years of 1942 to 1945, while World War Two raged, out of patriotic duty the club stopped holding its annual championship point show, but still continued to hold match dog shows and provide dog training classes to the public, donating the proceeds to the war effort.

The KCNNJ has never been the biggest dog show in New Jersey, but it has always been considered a prestige dog show. The largest dog show honor was earned by Mrs. Dodge's Morris&Essex kennel club in 1938 with 4,300 dog entries. This was later surpassed by the Trenton Kennel Club's attracting over 4,800 dogs for a one-day dog show in the 1970s.

For several decades the Boston Terrier Club of America held its national specialty dog show as part of the Boston Terrier classes of the club. The KCNNJ dog show catalogs for decades reflect the specialty entries and breed advertising of the Boston Terrier fanciers. For many years Bulldog fanciers were active in the management and operation of the club, resulting in good healthy Bulldog entries at the annual point show.

The Club has been ever mindful of its responsibility to the public, both in service and education. In the fall, in celebration of National Dog Week the KCNNJ hosts a "Dog Day in the Park", a fun-filled picnic day for the entire family and their dogs featuring dog obedience and dog agility demonstrations, tattoo clinics, and an AKC Canine Good Citizen test. When the new AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day was created we included its observance along with our Dog Day In A New Jersey Park festivities.

The KCNNJ welcomes new members and provides the same good advice and friendship that today's members received when they first joined decades ago. Mrs. Muriel Ronay has been an active KC member since 1955 attending monthly meeting and working for the KCNNJ at the annual Championship show and other KCNNJ activities. Other 'youngsters' with a mere 30 or 40 years of active KCNNJ membership join Muriel as active volunteers. In contrast to some other dog clubs across the Hudson River, the KCNNJ has always extended the hand of welcome to women, with several ladies serving as club officials over the years. The late Best-In-Show dog show judge Cyril Bernfeld often told his story of how as a single man and professional dog handler he was turned down for club membership in the 1950s because the then members of the club believed that as a single man he wasn't stable enough. Taking the advice to heart Cyril proposed to his intended, Isabel. Happily married a year later both Cyril and Isabel were welcomed into the club where they prospered for the next 40 years. Cyril going on to serve as the KCNNJ delegate to the AKC for 35 years and becoming a Best-In-Show dog show judge. Isabel sat at his side as the Bulldog Club of America AKC delegate.

Today our monthly club meetings are open to all people interested in dogs; single, pledged, married, living together or whatever. It is the dogs best interest at heart that counts. Our meetings include educational programs featuring veterinary information, search and rescue dog demos, therapy dogs and breed rescue. The club has donated protection vests to the Bergen County K-9 police corps, dog books to libraries and monetary gifts to charitable institutions for animal welfare, and animal disaster relief.

The KCNNJ membership includes experienced dog show ring stewards, field trial judges, breed conformation judges, Best-In-Show dog show judges, dog breeders who advised Noah, junior showmanship graduates, breed rescue transporters and volunteers, and the world's greatest pooper-scooper. Our club members have shown dogs and judged dogs all around the world, and they have the ribbons to prove it. We welcome new members, people just starting out as we did once upon a time. Our members are the friendliest group of people you would ever want to meet and walk your dog with.

The KCNNJ believes in educating the public regarding responsible dog ownership and dog care. We make annual donations to non-profit dog-oriented groups in our area. Our Public Education Chairperson is available for doing presentations in elementary schools or to any interested organizations throughout the northern New Jersey area. We sponsor and support events such as low-cost spay and neuter clinics, AKC canine good citizen tests, and microchipping clinics.

Our KCNNJ members have Yorkshire Terriers, French and English Bulldogs, Black Russian Terriers, Alaskan Malamutes, Norwegian Elkhounds, GSD, Vizslas, Bichon Frises, Papillons, Pugs, GSP, Newfoundlands, Great Pyrenees, Labrador Retrievers, Standard Schnauzers, Lhasa Apsos, Chinese Shar-Peis, Great Danes, Airedale Terriers, Keeshonds, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Pekinese, St. Bernards, Collies, Maltese, ESS, Afghan Hounds, West Highland White Terriers, Poodles, Shih Tzu, Doberman Pinchers, Dachshunds, Boston Terriers, Weimaraners, Australian Terriers, Border Terriers, Pomeranians, Borzois, Boxers, Samoyeds, Cocker Spaniels, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Akitas and even an Otterhound. There are people with 20 or more years experience in purebred dogs who have never even seen an Otterhound in person. The KCNNJ had three Otterhounds at a recent annual championship dog show. We show the world the kind of people and dogs that we are - men, women and dogs with the right stuff.

Authored by Historian Louis Fallon, March 2004.