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SCA 2025 Judges List

Karen McFarlane

Breed

Bob and I will celebrate our 62nd wedding anniversary this year. We have one son, Rob, who is married and has our three beautiful grandchildren, Samantha, Emmett and Charlie. In an earlier lifetime, I was an elementary school teacher. We are still living out in the country with one donkey, one dog and a pond full of fish. (Always hoping a stray cat will wonder up to our front door!) Always Chasing Rainbows, I am approved by the American Kennel Club to judge the Working, Non-Sporting, Toy and Terrier Groups. Judging has given me the opportunity to judge in China (four times), England, Spain, Indonesia, Russia, New Zealand and Australia (2 times). One of my biggest thrills was judging the 2019 Samoyed of the Year in Australia. I have been honored to judge for the Samoyed Club of America National Specialty on three other occasions. Being involved with our beloved Samoyed breed since 1973, I have had many experiences breeding and showing Samoyeds including owning and handling my own Samoyed, Ch. Frostyacres Golly Ms Molly, for her two Best in Shows, and breeding many other champions , Specialty winners, and producing two beautiful stud dogs appearing in many pedigrees - Ch Frostyacres Tanks to Rexann and Ch Polar Mist Here Comes Trouble. Bob and I chaired the 2004 & 2008 National Specialties. We also hosted the Top 20 events in 2004, 2008, 2018 and 2024. Organizing and decorating for these events (plus the National Banquets at the 2013 National). Of course, with oodles of help from our friends and a couple of special friends! Did I mention SHOES? I was involved with Education for the Samoyed, forming the SCA Judges Education Committee, and serving as the SCA Director of Education . I was Chairman for the AKC Breed Video Committee and worked closely with Faye Strauss on the Samoyed CD Rom. I loved sharing my knowledge and experience with new exhibitors and judges. I served ten years as Futurity Chairman for the Samoyed Club of America Forty years of judging has been a great experience, giving me the opportunity to meet so many people throughout the years who share my love for the Samoyed breed and learning about so many other wonderful breeds…….. It’s a difficult chapter to close. It is such a honor to be invited to judge the Samoyed Club of America National Specialty this year. Enjoy this year’s “Field of Dreams”.

Cindy Stansell

Dogs

Cindy first began exhibiting Siberian Huskies in conformation and obedience in the early 1980’s, and shortly afterwards added American Eskimo Dogs and Finnish Spitz. Since her 2005 marriage, she has also bred Bulldogs and French Bulldogs. Cindy is approved to judge all-breed juniors, the Working, Non-Sporting and Herding Groups and a handful of breeds in the Toy and Hound Groups. Besides judging in the United States, she has enjoyed judging in Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Italy, France, Sweden, China, Japan, South Korea, The Philippines, and New Zealand. She founded one of the first statewide legislative coalitions for the benefit of purebred dogs and has appeared on television shows, testified in court cases, and has spoken at governmental and legislative hearings on behalf of purebred dogs. She currently serves on the Delegate Dog Show Rules Committee. The Stansells currently share their lives with three Bulldogs, three Siberian Huskies, and an Anatolian Shepherd Dog.

Kathy Ronald

Bitches

Kathy received her first Samoyed as a college graduation present from her husband, John, whose family has had Samoyeds since the 1930s. She has been showing Sams for more than 53 years under the kennel name Seadog Samoyeds. Together, they showed and bred many champion BIS and BISS Samoyeds and Best in Show Tibetan Terriers, and are official American Kennel Club Breeders of Merit. With her husband, Kathy campaigned the top owner-handled Samoyed in US breed history, 13 BIS, 8 BISS Am, Can, Bah CH Polar Mist Dr. Pepper, ROM bred and coowned by Lynette Blue. They also owned the #1 Samoyed all-breeds in 2002, CH Polar Mist My Blue Heaven with 5 BIS, 2 BISS and 100 Group Placements, and GCHB Seadog’s Smuggler’s Cove, HCT with 9 BISS under 8 different breeder judges, and a National BOS. . Kathy and John’s Sams produced 9 Best in Show winning get, the top winning Samoyed in Canada, Grand Futurity Winner, Grand Sweepstakes Winner, and Best of Opposite and multiple Awards of Merit Sams at the Samoyed Club of America National Specialties. Their Australian import, GCHB Kalaska’Southern Cross at Seadog, HCT,CA,BCAT, TKN, CGC, was #1 NOHS owner handled Sam bitch in 2019. Sams of their breedings also have won multiple Specialties, and achieved Grand Champion, obedience, agility, herding, CGC, TKN, therapy dog and WSX titles. Kathy is an approved AKC judge for the Nordic breeds: Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds, Siberian Huskies, Norwegian Elkhounds, and the entire Non Sporting Group. She also judges 8 Herding breeds and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Toy Poodles, Misc and FSS breeds, and Best in Show. In 2009, Kathy judged an important Specialty for the Samoyed Club of Slovakia, in conjunction with the World Samoyed Meeting and World Dog Show. She was thrilled to judge 210 Samoyeds at the Victoria Specialty at the World Samoyed Meeting in Melbourne, Australia in 2015. She has also judged in Canada, Spain, China and Italy. Kathy thanks the SCA membership for giving her the opportunity to once again judge our wonderful breed at this year’s National Specialty. bio

Elfie Shea

Futurity

My husband, Jim, and I purchased our first Samoyed in 1978 and we were hooked from there on. I am a member of the Samoyed Club of America (of course), the Samoyed Association of Minneapolis-St. Paul (SAMS) and a lifetime member of the all-breed Land O'Lakes Kennel Club. I have held numerous officer and Board positions for SAMS. Jim and I have shown and finished multiple American and Canadian champions, Best in Shows, Best in Specialty Shows, group winners and group placers. We have owned and produced multiple American and Canadian obedience, agility and rally titles, Canine Good Citizen titles, Herding Instinct Certificates, Lure Coursing and Fast Cat titles and Therapy Dogs. Highlights of our lives with Samoyeds are multiple All-Breed Best in Shows Father and Son Winners (GCH CH Elfenbein Sun Dancer ROMC and GCHS CH Elfenbein Hudson Hornet CGC) and the wonderful friends we have met over the many years.

Donna Cummings

Sweeps

I grew up the daughter of a rancher and a farmer, so, my love of animals started very young. My sister and I would dress our little dog, Buddy, in doll clothes and push him around in our little doll stroller. I grew up with a strong understanding of animal training and loved training the family dogs and working with the calves and young horses. I met my first Samoyed when I was 12 or 13 years old and working at my uncle’s gas station and restaurant. His name was Bear, of course, and he belonged to a boy that worked at the gas station. I knew from then on that this was the breed for me. I bought my first show puppy when my youngest son was finishing high school and heading to college. He started off winning his first match and taking the points at his first show and I was hooked for life. The friendships made in the dog world have been a big part of my life. I joined the Samoyed Club of America in 1999 and currently also belong to the Rio Grande Kennel Club and the Denver Samoyed Club. I am a scientist and work for Quest Diagnostics, and I am a certified animal behaviorist. My job skills have helped me with my unending interest in dogs and my interest in breeding healthy dogs with great temperaments. I am the SCARF liaison for glaucoma and have worked with a glaucoma specialist to understand this disease in Samoyeds. We have produced some very nice dogs over the years, working group placers and winners, BISS winners, BPIS winners, champions, grand champions, bronze grand champions, ranked owner handler dogs, OH BISS, OH RBIS, and weight pull winners. At one time we even managed to have the title for Youngest Samoyed to complete a championship. It was and is a joy to own and compete with these dogs. We continue to compete in many of these venues. This is an exceptional breed of dogs! I am honored to be invited to judge the sweepstake classes. It is a great highlight to be allowed to stand in the ring with all the wonderful puppies, great working dogs, and the amazing veterans! bio

Sherri Swabb

4-6 Puppy, Juniors, PeeWee

Sherri Wilmoth Swabb Sarron Belgian Sheepdogs I started in purebred dogs in 1985 and obtained my first Belgian Sheepdog in 1986, he was a re-home named Chambord de Loup Noir, “Logan”. In 1994, I acquired my foundation bitch, her name was SumerWynd Conversation Piece – “Rumor.” Rumor was a sound dog, in mind and body, and provided a good start for my breeding program. Rumor took Best in Puppy Sweeps at the 1995 BSCA National and easily finished her championship. Since my first litter in 1997, Sarron Belgian Sheepdogs has produced over seventy titled Belgians in multiple venues. Sarron dogs have garnered Hall of Fame and Registry of Merit recognitions, National Best in Specialty Show in the USA and Canada, Reserve Best in Shows in the USA, multiple group wins and placements, multiple Owner Handled Best in Shows, several High in Trials in Obedience, Rally, Agility and Scentwork, as well as earned many titles – on both ends of their names. I am a long-standing member of the Belgian Sheepdog Club of America (since 2003) and an AKC Delegate for Dayton Dog Training Club. I am active in both all-breed and performance training clubs in my local area. I have been an AKC licensed judge for all the Belgian breeds and All-Breed Juniors since April 2023 and I am completing the judging requirements for other herding and working breeds currently. Outside of dogs, I am the Director of Marketing for the Americas for Yaskawa, Motoman Robotics – a global industrial robot manufacturer. My husband, Mike, and I currently share our home with 7 Belgians – ranging in age from 12 years down to 3 months. I enjoy training and showing our dogs in conformation, obedience, rally and scentwork. It is a privilege and an honor to judge the 2025 Samoyed Club of America Junior Showmanship and 4-6 Beginner Puppy classes. Thank you! Sherri Wilmoth Swabb

Anita Eisthen

Obedience/Rally

bio

Dr. Roger O'Sullivan

Agility

bio
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