YOSEMITE KENNEL CLUB

The Yosemite Kennel Club was founded in 1969 in Merced, California. 

The founding members of the club included Lyle and Phydelma Gillette, Mike and Renee Hall and Garland and Karen Moore.

The Gillettes were long-time breeders of borzois and were instrumental in starting the sport of lure coursing, which ultimately led to the development of the AKC Lure Coursing program. The Halls bred and showed bulldogs, and the Moores raised winning beagles.

The club started with fun matches and moved to hosting A and B matches for a few years so that they could hold a sanctioned show. The first show was held in the early 1980s and the club became part of the Turkey Circuit of shows in November.

In 1996, the shows were changed from one day in November to two days in April. 

From 2014-2025, the club partnered with Contra Costa Kennel Club in putting on Woofstock.

In 2025, YKC started the "Explore Yosemite" shows each May in Sonora California!