Welcome!

Picture yourself in the lush mountains of Asheville, North Carolina … Keesie companion at your side … mountain trails … artist community … waterfalls … Southern cookin’ … friends from all over. Maybe this is your first visit, maybe you are returning … the Expo Center … the zipline … the Biltmore House. Picture this at Crowne Plaza Resort, the KCA National Specialty, May 4-11, 2025.

ASHEVILLE UPDATE The 2025 National Steering Committee is committed to keeping the 2025 National in Asheville, NC. Even though travel may be somewhat more difficult, and parts of the city will not have completely recovered from Hurricane Helene, Asheville is a city which thrives from its tourism. We believe the best way to support Asheville is to keep our 2025 National as planned. Crowne Plaza Resort, which is relatively undamaged, will provide our housing and exhibition needs. Rising Star in Oak Ridge, our agility site, is having trials today. The Asheville Regional Airport is open and operating. Crowne Plaza will offer reasonably priced breakfast and lunch sandwiches and salads available from the Expo Center kitchen, along with its full- service restaurant and room service. Not all of Asheville's restaurants and attractions were severely damaged by the storm. The city’s downtown sits higher than lower lying, flooded areas like Biltmore Village and the River Arts District. For easy access to the city, Crowne Plaza transportation vans will be available to transport people and dogs to open areas of Asheville. And we will endeavor to bring food trucks and other Asheville fare to the hotel itself, as options open. You will be provided with the most updated info from Explore Asheville and its tourism website exploreasheville.com. A successful National primarily depends upon a good site with a well- orchestrated week of events. The situation in Asheville is unsettled right now and it is right to be concerned. Our Steering Committee will continue to monitor the conditions and work with Asheville representatives to ensure that the 2025 Keeshond National experience is a positive one. We are confident that Crowne Plaza Resort is not compromised and that we have a great week planned. If you would like to donate to Asheville now to help with recovery efforts, we suggest redcross.org or mannafoodbank.org Facebook pages of interest include Visit Asheville, Asheville Fire Department and Beloved Asheville.