Officers & Board Members

Officers

President – Krista Hill

I came to SMKC in January of 2000 with the sweetest pound puppy and my first dog, Fred.  He breezed through obedience and CGC so we moved on to agility and the rest, as they say, is history.  Since then I have served the club in multiple capacities including producing the newsletter, as agility class chair, fundraising chair, agility trial assistant chair, and board member multiple times including the positions of secretary and president. In an effort to expand my knowledge and improve my training methods, I have attended many seminars and camps over the years and continue to do so.  While we will always have a rescue in our home, my involvement with SMKC has ultimately lead me in to the world of pure bred dogs, being the proud owner of Swedish Vallhunds and to involvement with my parent club as a past board member and as a national specialty committee member in 2016 & 2018.  My true passion is agility but I have also been involved in conformation, rally, obedience, FastCAT, herding, barnhunt and, most recently, scent work.  I consider it an honor and a privilege to again serve as SMKC’s secretary.

1st Vice President –Linda Furey

I joined SMKC in 2006 after purchasing my first purebred female Vizsla. This would be the beginning of my education in the world of Conformation to be followed by Obedience, Rally and Agility. My second Vizsla took me on a wonderful journey that expanded my world to include a MACH, qualifying and attending AKC Agility Nationals and qualifying multiple times for AKC Rally Nationals. I’ve been a member of Vizsla Club of America for many years and attended our National Specialties numerous times. Outside of SMKC, I’ve held Board positions, acted as Treasurer, Rally Trial Chair, Agility  Chair and been a member on many Committees. In 2021, I acted as Agility Trial Chair at our VCA National Specialty. Over the years, you could find me volunteering, participating and supporting a variety of SMKC events. I have served as Agility Ribbon Chair, assisted Linda Morris with teaching Rally classes and continue as a member of the Agility Committee.  I share my home in East New Market with my 7 mo old female Vizsla. We’re currently attend classes at SMKC.

Treasurer – Anna Marie D’Onofrio

Secretary –Georgia Yost Perdue

I became a member of SMKC in the 1990s and have a long history of conformation showing and have titled multiple breed champions. I have served on the SMKC Board in numerous positions and am currently serving as the Vice President and member of the Charitable Trust . I am a Breeder of Merit and  co-breeder and co-owner of Sussex Spaniels. I currently serve on the Board of the Sussex Spaniel Club of America and am Treasurer and I have co-chaired National Specialties. Each year you can find me at Meet the Breeds with my Sussex. I am owned by two Sussex Spaniels at home and a Standard Poodle.  My dogs are in conformation, agility, therapy, FastCat, Scent Work and rally. I am a certified CGC instructor and Evaluator, Conformation/Handling Instructor, Fetch Judge, Trick Dog Instructor and ATT Evaluator. 

Each year you can find me working  at our November Cluster as Co-Chair along with helping with show n go’s, teaching conformation/handling classes and other activities of the club. I am the Website Manager and work closely with the Treasurer on finances.I have a Doctorate of Nursing Practice and continue to work full time in Salisbury as a Nurse Practitioner.

AKC Delegate – Karen Cottingham

I joined SMKC in 1987, taking both Obedience and Conformation classes with my first show dogs. As Puppy Kindergarten became a recognized training system across the country, I joined Diane Spalding in teaching the course for SMKC. When AKC encouraged clubs to offer the Canine Good Citizen test, I became one of the club’s CGC Instructors and Evaluators. I have titled five different breeds of dogs from three AKC Groups in Conformation, Obedience, Rally, and Trick Dog. I have bred and co-owned Junior & Senior Hunters. I have been awarded Breeder of the Year of the Sussex Spaniel Club of America. I have served as an SMKC officer and Board Member numerous times over the past three decades, and am now proud to represent SMKC as our AKC Delegate.

Board Members

In Nov. 1997 I judged obedience for the Salisbury MD Kennel Club. I met members there while judging and told them that we had just purchased property on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  We moved several years after that from New Jersey.    We are nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  We like to say that we brought our Chesapeakes “back to their roots”.  Once moving here, I started attending meetings of SMKC and became a member within a year.  They immediately put me to work, teaching obedience and Show Handling. I introduced the sport of Rally to SMKC by bringing in a Seminar on Rally and then teaching the initial classes. 

I have been active in the sport of dogs all my life.  My parents, the late Dan & Janet Horn, established Eastern Waters’ Kennels in 1947. I grew up with Chesapeakes, training, showing and going to dog shows.  I have been approved to judge Chesapeake Bay Retrievers for over 37 years and now judge the Sporting Group, Herding Group, plus 3/4 of the Non-Sporting breeds, all obedience and Rally classes and Best in Show.  I have judged in Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and Columbia (South America), Puerto Rico, Bermuda, and our National Specialty. 

I have judged obedience since 1993 and Rally since it began in 2005.   As a member of the Salisbury MD KC, I have served as a Board member for several terms, co-training director, and have taught classes at all levels of Obedience and Rally non-stop since I became a member. I have chaired Rally trials in the past, and this year will be chairing our obedience trials.  I was awarded the AKC Outstanding  Sportsmanship Award in 2023. I am also a member of the American Chesapeake Club for over 50 years, and currently serve as Judges Education Coordinator to the AKC since 2012.  I was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by my parent club. I am also Life Member of Bayshore Companion Dog Club in New Jersey.

Jill Stephenson

I entered my first dog show in the mid 1980s with no experience or knowledge. My rescue Dalmatian, Casey, showed very well however I did not. After moving to Salisbury in 1995 and losing both of my dogs within two years, I got a chocolate lab puppy and began taking classes with the SMKC at the Civic Center. Since then, I have owned and trained several dogs (mostly labs), and have taken part in Obedience , Rally and Agility classes. My current dog “Teak” competes at the excellent level of Agility.

I retired five years ago after serving 35 years(26 at Salisbury University) as a college swim, coach, instructor, and athletic administrator. Along with training my dogs, I serve as an assistant coach at SU, participate with pets on wheels, serve Secretary of the SMKC Charitable Trust and as the SMKC building manager. In my spare time, I enjoy sailing, swimming, yoga, and training lifeguards. It is an honor to join the Board of Directors and help lead our club.

Barbara Walls

I joined SMKC in March 2004 with my husband, Gary, and our sheltie‘s starting in confirmation and obedience. As we grew in the club, we added Australian Shepherds to our mix, adding Rally, Agility and Canine Freestyle to our fun. Last year we added an Australian cattle dog to our family and Scent Work to the games we play. I have participated in lots of positions over the years in addition to being a longtime instructor in many venues.

Anne Showell

I started my journey with SMKC taking agility, rally, and obedience classes. After retiring in 2016, I became a member and continued to take classes and volunteer.

I have participated and titled in rally, agility, conformation, trick dog, obedience, FastCAT, and most recently scent work.

I have trained multiple Old English Sheepdogs, a border collie, and now a Papillon.

This year I am serving as the trial chair for the upcoming August obedience trials.