This rule book of the canine world indicates 164 breeds of pure-bred dogs in which each breed's essential features are described. It sets the standard for each breed within the six groups of dog - gundogs, hounds, terriers, utility, toy and working dogs. The book describes the founding of the Kennel Club in 1873, the first organisation of its kind in the world to legislate in canine matters. One of its earliest tasks was the compilation of a stud book which also contained the record of rules relating to shows. In 1987, 7000 shows were held in the UK of which 500 were championships. In 1880, the Kennel Club introduced a system of "universal registration". With the enormous growth in ownership of pure-bred dogs over the years, the number of dogs registered with the Kennel Club today has swelled to about 180,000 a year, and the present computerised record deals with two million dogs.