Page 230 - ShowSight - November 2019

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AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB BREEDERS OF THE YEAR 2019
Congratulations to the following hard-working, dedi- cated breeders for international recognition courtesy AKC. We wish all breeders everywhere great success in the years to come.
The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to recognize breeding programs from the Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups as 2019 AKC Breeder of the Year group honorees.
“The breeders honored with this award have made important contributions to the sport and future of purebred dogs,” said Den- nis Sprung, AKC President and CEO. “They are truly commit- ted to excellence, consistency, breed standard and type, and dogs bearing the honorees’ kennel names are a testament to their fine breeding programs.”
The 2019 AKC Breeder of the Year award will be presented during the show at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin on Saturday evening, December 14, 2019.
A canine portraitist will be commissioned to commemorate a prominent dog from the Breeder of the Year’s kennel, and their name will be added to the perpetual trophy. All group recipients will receive a medallion in recognition of their achievements.
THE GROUP HONOREES ARE:
Sporting Group:
Lisa Weiss,
Lobuff Labrador Retrievers
Hound Group:
Andrea “Andy” and Jack McIlwaine, Aberdeen Otterhounds
Working Group:
Renee and Jim Pope,
Geistvoll Standard Schnauzers
Terrier Group:
Aileen & Richard Santo, Paxon Kerry Blue Terriers
Toy Group:
Jeff Bazell and Jeff Kestner, St. Johns Brussels Griffon
Non-Sporting Group:
Elizabeth and Daniel Karshner, Little Ponds Bulldogs
Herding Group:
Patricia Princehouse,
La Brise Pyrenean Shepherds
1. How do you feel about the current quality of your breed? Your Group?
2. Changes you’ve seen in your time involved with your breed?
3. Any particular challenges you fact in our current economic climate?
4. Do you use a handler or prefer to show yourself? Why?
5. How many dogs do you normally maintain?
6. When do you pick a show prospect? What’s the most important attribute in your choice? Did you ever make a mistake (like selling a pet pup that turned out to be spectacular!)?
7. Do you have trouble placing pets? Show prospects? What means do you use to advertise available pups?
8. Who was your most impactful Mentor? What was the most valuable piece of advice you ever received?
9. What advice would you give the newcomer?
10. Lastly, for a bit of fun: What’s the funniest thing that you experienced/heard about that happened at a dog show?
11. And please add anything you’d like to share with us. The future of the sport needs all the help it can get, and you’ve managed to make it to the top through hard work and dedica- tion. We thank you for that.
LISA WEISS
Weiss began breed- ing and exhibiting in the 1960s. Lobuff’s first litter by Ch. Gun- slinger’s Tawny Boy, a Ch. Lewisfield Gun- slinger son out of Ch. Spenrock’s Cognac (a Ch. Spenrock’s Ban- ner WC daughter), produced Lobuff ’s first homebred cham- pion, Ch. Lobuff’s Dandy Lion, in 1971. All three dogs won
many Bests of Breed and, Weiss says, “accompanied us on many family dog-show adventures up and down the East Coast.” Cognac produced two important dogs for the Weiss breeding program, Ch. Lobuff Seafaring Banner (Banner) and Ch. Lobuff’s Tequila Sun- rise (Kiki).
Most of today’s Lobuff dogs go back to Cognac through either Kiki or Banner, including top-winning and -producing Ch. Lobuff’s Bare Necessities (Baloo), Ch. Lobuff’s Turtle Dove, and her daughter Ch. Lobuff Hollyridge Puffin, the top-winning Lab- rador female in the breed’s American history. All three dogs were
228 • ShowSight Magazine, noveMber 2019