AKC Purebred Preservation Bank: Saving Dog Breeds from Extinction

AKC Board member and PPB Chairman Dr. Charlie Garvin joins host Laura Reeves to explain how the AKC Purebred Preservation Bank is using frozen semen donations to protect low-entry breeds from genetic collapse and extinction.

More than half of AKC-recognized breeds are now considered low-entry, and the number of breeds registering 10 or fewer litters per year doubled between 2022 and 2024. Host Laura Reeves sits down with Dr. Charlie Garvin—AKC Board of Directors member and chairman of the AKC Purebred Preservation Bank (PPB)—to unpack what that means for the future of purebred dogs and what breeders can do about it today.

Dr. Garvin traces the PPB’s origins to the Otterhound Club’s pioneering reproductive bank, established in 2017, and explains how the AKC stepped in to create a scalable structure any parent club or breeder could use. Now a standalone 501(c)3 affiliate, the PPB is building a long-term safety net for breeds facing dwindling numbers and dangerously narrow genetic diversity.

The conversation gets real fast. Laura and Charlie tackle the elephant in the room—what happens to frozen semen when its owner passes away? Spoiler: in most cases, it gets thrown out. The PPB offers a solution, allowing breeders to donate stored semen now or via bequest, with the PPB assuming storage costs and ensuring the material is preserved under rigorous standards.

Dr. Garvin also addresses the “rival breeder” objection head-on: the PPB isn’t competing with active breeders. Its mission is 25, 50, even 100 years out—when today’s rivalries are ancient history and a breed may need to be reconstituted from whatever genetic material survives.

Parent clubs play a critical role too, and Charlie issues a direct call to action: submit your breed-specific parameters for both donor dogs and potential breeding bitches now, while your club is still active and your philosophy can guide future decisions—even if the club itself no longer exists.

To learn more or start the donation process, visit akcppb.org and connect with PPB Program Manager Susan Myers.