History

The Seacrest kennel was founded in the early sixties by my mother Audrey Stephenson. Although I loved the dogs, as they were part of the family, I did not have any serious interest in the showing side.

My childhood was spent mostly competing with my horses, with success in varied aspects such as Pony Club, Show Jumping, Eventing, and in the Show Ring. In fact my first Champion was Seacrest Raquesh, a ¾ bred Arab/Welsh colt that was a first foal from my Reserve Champion mare Gardham Celeste.

Pony Club days
1st Champion
Successfull Eventer

My mother could not campaign dogs the way I am fortunate enough to do. As my father’s job took him all over the world and he would be away for months at a time, she was left to run the household, with the help of my Nan who lived with us. With a menagerie which included horses, dogs, cats, ducks and chickens it was impossible for her to show at national level. I think this situation actually suited her as she was not a good traveller and she much preferred the breeding side, happy to sell puppies for others to win with.

She bred her first Champion Ch Seacrest Drummage of Mindenwood in 1968.

Nan
Ch Seacrest Drummage of Mindenwood

Mum kept Boxers and King Charles Spaniels until the oil crisis of the early seventies caused a change of career for my father, and the dog game had to take a back seat for several years whilst my parents built up their new career in the pub/hotel industry. In 1977, when my parents bought a hotel in the Yorkshire Dales, mum bought her first Rottweiler, this time with full backing from my father who loved the breed.

Mum and Charlies
Zorba the Rottie who thought he was a Boxer

As we had moved to an area famous for horse racing it seemed obvious that’s where my future lay. I spent 6 brilliant years working in a flat racing yard and loved the life. I worked for trainer Chris Thornton. The biggest winner for the yard at that time was Guy Reed’s grey colt, Shotgun, who, ridden by the great Lester Piggott, was 4th in the 1981 Derby won by the ill fated Shergar. I also met my husband John through racing as he worked at Neville Crump’s National Hunt yard in Middleham.

Yorkshire Oaks winner
Leading up Lester

A permanent back injury, resulting from a bad fall, ended my life in racing and it was then that fate played its hand when I received a Boxer bitch as a belated wedding present from a friend of my mothers. Having competed all my life it seemed natural to show her and that as they say was that!

I wanted the Seacrest affix on her name, but mum was not willing to let me have it until I had proved myself, so I spent the next couple of years showing my bitch in mum’s name so she could be Andeline Scarlet Pimpernel at Seacrest. During that time I decided that these were not the bloodlines I wanted to found my kennel on. I discussed things with mum, and she said we would attend the next Championship show together. She armed herself with a catalogue and I had to tell her what dogs I liked and why. This test had two results; the first was as everything I really liked was either by Ch Tyegarth Famous Grouse or his sire Ch Gremlin Summer Storm. That show decided the bloodlines I wanted to base my kennel on, and secondly I was offered a separate interest in the Seacrest affix, mum obviously approved!

First Boxer
Foundation bitch

I had presumed the re-forming of the Seacrest Boxers would be a family thing, but my parents had their future firmly planned in Rottweilers, although mum was there in the background for several years doing what she loved best, whelping and looking after puppies, allowing me to travel to most of the shows.

International Champion Warlock
Dad with Zar at 10 weeks

It was a blow when some years later they took semi-retirement, bought a boarding kennels and moved to Nerja on Spain’s Costa del Sol. The Seacrest Boxers continued to grow successfully, and Seacrest Rottweilers were also successful, with mum making up an International Champion before her untimely death in 1995.