–Award Presented at AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin –

New York, NY — Helyne E. Medeiros was presented with the 2017 AKC Breeder of the Year award for her Seasyde Pointers at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin on Saturday, December 16, 2017.  The annual award honors those breeders who have made an impact on their breed and dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament and quality of purebred dogs.

“We are proud to honor Helyne Medeiros with the 2017 AKC Breeder of the Year award,” said Dennis B. Sprung, AKC President and CEO. “The Seasyde prefix has been associated with top quality Pointers in the United States and her influence on the breed will be seen for years to come.”

One honoree is chosen from each of the seven groups: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding. From those seven, one Group winner is selected as “AKC Breeder of the Year” during the AKC National Championship, which was held this year in Orlando, Fla. December 16th and 17th.  Presentation highlights are available on www.akc.org.

As the 2017 AKC Breeder of the Year recipient, Helyne Medeiros will be honored with a commission from a canine portraitist to memorialize a prominent dog from his/her kennel and his/her names will be inscribed on a perpetual trophy, both of which will be displayed at the AKC headquarters in New York City.

About Seasyde Pointers

Since getting involved in the sport of purebred dogs as a child, AKC Breeder of Merit Helyne Medeiros has excelled in many roles: breeder, exhibitor, mentor, educator, award-winning groomer, dog photographer, and all-breed show chairperson. Medeiros has bred and/or owned and handled some of the sport’s all-time top-winning and top-producing Pointers, with many champions, Westminster winners, multiple Best in Show winners, and the top-winning Pointer in breed history. In 2008, her Ch. Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry was Best in Show at the AKC National Championship and the National Dog Show.

Medeiros has had multiple National Specialty Bests of Breed, and she owner-handled the first Pointer to win both the American and Canadian Nationals. Dogs of her breeding have achieved at the sport’s highest levels in the United Kingdom, Europe, and South Africa.

Medeiros has had several Senior and Master Hunter titlists, along with the American Pointer Club’s award for top-producing sires and dams for several years. She has served the Cape Cod Kennel Club as an officer, director, and AKC Delegate, and was the club’s Good Sportsmanship Award winner for 2005–2006.

Medeiros has given seminars on grooming, conditioning show dogs, and raising and evaluating puppies, and has enjoyed volunteering with 4-H to help young people learn how to train and care for dogs. She has served her parent club as a director and is the Pointer columnist for the AKC Gazette.

All seven Group honorees were presented with medallions during the show on December 16, 2017.  Group winners included:

  • Sporting Group: Helyne E. Medeiros, Seasyde Pointers
  • Hound Group: Marie Cotton, Spring Valley Rhodesian Ridgebacks
  • Working Group: Zoila (Tina) and Dr. William Truesdale, Hi-Tech Boxers
  • Terrier Group: Karen Fitzpatrick, Meadowlake Border Terriers
  • Toy Group: Lou Ann King, Loteki Papillons
  • Non-Sporting Group: James Dalton, Fabelhaft French Bulldogs
  • Herding Group: Steve Leyerly and Bill Shelton, Coventry Pembroke Welsh Corgis

For more information on all of the AKC Breeder of the Year Group honorees, click here.