Placerville is located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, and was the first of thirty mining camps to spring up around Coloma, where gold was discovered by James Marshall in 1848. Our club's name refers to one of Placerville's original place names, "Old Hangtown." Our members come from all walks of life and represent a wide variety of breeds. Many club members are actively involved in AKC
competition events such as conformation, obedience, hunting tests, rally, and agility trials, spending their weekends at events throughout the USA. Other members keep their faithful pooches closer to home and belong to the club to learn more about dogs and to share in the camaraderie among our members. We hold two AKC All-Breed, Obedience and Rally Dog Shows each year during the last weekend in May (Memorial Day). These are held in conjunction with The Kennel Club of the California Sierra, making it a 3-day show known as the Hangtown Sierra Cluster. We teach Obedience and Conformation classes throughout the Spring and Summer months (outdoors). We participate in many community activities, including visits to local retirement homes with our dogs breed and obedience demonstrations at local events. We also hold annual Rattlesnake Avoidance Clinics, which teach your dog to avoid a deadly rattlesnake bite. We hold an annual AKC Sanctioned Match each year.
