The annual AKC Breeder of the Year award honors exceptional breeders who have made an impact on their breed and dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament, and quality of purebred dogs.
On December 14 at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, Elizabeth and Daniel Karshner were selected as winners of the 2019 AKC Breeder of the Year award for their Little Pond Bulldogs.
“We are proud to honor Elizabeth and Daniel Karshner with the 2019 AKC Breeder of the Year award,” said AKC President and CEO Dennis B. Sprung. “The Little Pond prefix has been associated with top quality Bulldogs in the United States and their influence on the breed will be seen for years to come.”
As the 2019 AKC Breeder of the Year recipients, Elizabeth and Daniel Karshner will be honored with a commission from a canine portraitist, memorializing a prominent dog from their breeding program. Their names will be inscribed on a perpetual trophy, which will be displayed beside the portrait at the AKC headquarters in New York City.
About Little Pond Bulldogs
Little Pond Bulldogs is home to Bulldog Club of America (BCA) national-specialty Best of Breed, Best in Show, and specialty-winning Bulldogs. Since 1977, Elizabeth and Daniel Karshner have concentrated their efforts on breeding correct conformation, married with health, temperament, and soundness. They are the proud breeders of 100 champions to date. Their sires have produced 290 champions, including many specialty winners. Ch. Little Ponds Chief holds the Top Sire record, with 152 champions.
The Karshners have owner-handled their dogs to over 160 Best in Specialty wins. They are AKC Breeders of Merit and BCA members. Elizabeth has served multiple terms on the BCA Board of Governors. She is an AKC-approved judge who has officiated at the BCA national, as well as many specialties abroad. She will judge Bulldogs at the World Bulldog Federation in conjunction with the 2020 World Dog Show.
The Karshners are BCA Hall of Fame breeders, and many of their bred-by dogs and bitches are BCA Hall of Fame producers. One of the greatest rewards for the Karshners is seeing Bulldogs they’ve bred complete their championships, owned and handled by newcomers in the breed.
Breeder of the Year Group Winners
Besides the overall Breeder of the Year title, the AKC honors one exceptional breeder from each of the seven groups annually. All seven honorees were awarded medallions for their achievements during the show on December 14th, 2019. This year’s winners 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 and Richard Santo, Paxon Kerry Blue Terriers
- Toy Group: Jeff Bazell and Jeff Kestner, St. Johns Brussels Griffons
- Non-Sporting Group: Elizabeth and Daniel Karshner, Little Pond Bulldogs
- Herding Group: Patricia Princehouse, La Brise Pyrenean Shepherds
The inaugural posthumous AKC Breeder of the Year was awarded to Sunny Shay of Grandeur Afghan Hounds. Sunny Shay was one of the most highly-regarded breeder-owner-handlers, producing some of the breed’s most influential dogs.
Watch AKC National Championship Action
The 2019 AKC National Championships presented by Royal Canin take place on December 14-15, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. Tune in to AKC.TV to watch live, and see Conformation competition, plus the Agility Invitational, Obedience Classic, Juniors Classic, NADD/AKC Dock Diving National Championship, and much more.