Each year, The American Kennel Club recognizes and celebrates an outstanding purebred dog breeder with the Breeder of the Year Award. The award honors those breeders who have dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament and quality of purebred dogs. At a special presentation held during the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship show, a breeder, or pair of breeders, is recognized in each of the 7 Groups. At the conclusion of the presentation, one of the 7 Group recipients is chosen as the Breeder of the Year.

We would like to celebrate and congratulate the following Doberman Pinscher breeders on their prestigious AKC Breeder of the Year awards. Without dedicated breeders we would not have Dobermans in our lives.

Year		Breeder	Award
2014		Gwen DeMilta & Carissa DeMilta Shimpeno, Alisaton Dobermans	AKC Working and Breeder of the Year
2010		Michelle Santana, Foxfire Dobermans	AKC Working Group Breeder of the Year
2003		Mary Rodgers, Marienburg Dobermans	AKC Working and Breeder of the Year

2014 Gwen DeMilta & Carissa DeMilta Shimpeno, Alisaton Dobermans

Joann Satalino, Gwen’s mother and Carissa’s grandmother, purchased the family’s first Doberman in 1968 and their first litter was bred in 1972. Gwen showed a dog from this litter to Winners Bitch and Best of Winners from the Bred-by-Exhibitor class at the Doberman Pinscher Club of America’s 1973 National Specialty.

To date, 166 champions carry the Alisaton name. Alisaton Dobermans has bred numerous generations of Register of Merit (ROM) dogs that have launched many breeding programs and are behind some of today’s top producers. Alisaton dogs have won all-breed and specialty Bests in Show, Doberman Pinscher Club of America (DPCA) National Specialties, Top 20 in Conformation and Obedience, numerous DPCA Winners Dog and Winners Bitch awards, Grand Prize Futurities and a Westminster Kennel Club Group First. The only Triple Champion Working Dog and the only Champion MACH male Doberman carry the Alisaton name. The breeding program itself has been honored with several DPCA Breeder of the Year awards, as well as Kennel Review and Dogs in Review Top Producing Working Dam awards.

Gwen and Carissa, both AKC Breeder of Merit program participants, proudly continue the Alisaton breeding program that was started by Joann over 40 years ago. They have dedicated their lives to their passion, the Doberman Pinscher, and breed for sound minds and bodies as well as top competitors in conformation, obedience and agility.

2010 Michelle Santana, Foxfire Dobermans

Michele Santana, of Foxfire Doberman Pinschers, is the 2010 Working Group recipient. Producing mentally and structurally sound Dobermans is Michelle Santana’s passion. The Doberman Pinscher Club of America (DPCA) recognized Michelle’s breeding program with their Register of Merit “Breeder of Excellence,” acknowledging 16 Foxfire-bred ROMs. She has also bred countless WACs, 110 champions, and 56 performance-titled dogs.

Michelle is breeder-owner-handler of seven Foxfire generations. Highlights of her career include Best of Breed at the 1998 DPCA National with Veteran BIS/BISS Ch Foxfire’s Devils N Demons; seven Foxfire “specials” to DPCA Top Twenty status for a total of 16 years; multi-BIS/25 BISS Ch Foxfire’s All That Jazz (Jade) to number-one Doberman, and Top Twenty winner status in 2005. Jade is also the AKC’s top-producing dam for 2008 and 2009. In 2008 BIS/BISS Ch. Foxfire’s Love Monster was ranked the AKC’s number-one male Doberman, winning the DPCA Top Twenty and AKC/Eukanuba National Championship BBE Working Group First. In 2009 Ch. Foxfire All Star was ranked the AKC’s top-producing sire and lead dog of Foxfire’s Best in Show trio at the Inaugural Eukanuba Breeder’s Stakes. Michelle was chairwoman of the DPCA Exhibitor Education committee for five years and is the author of many articles.

2003 Mary Rodgers, Marienburg Dobermans

Mary was denied a pet as a child but has been making up for it since 1963 when she purchased a Doberman that went on to break the breed’s Best-in Show record and become the top Working dog. Over the years Marienburg has produced over 100 champions, including the Number One Dog of 1978, the Number One Working Dog of 2002, and a two-year Number One winner who alone sired over 85 American champions. A testament to Mary’s success as a breeder is her seven Best of Breed wins at the Doberman Pinscher Club of America’s national with four different dogs.