Getting To Know Us – Herman and Judy Felton

by Anna Katherine Nicholas, From the archives of The Canine Chronicle, December, 1991

Editor’s Note: Herman and Judy Felton were lifelong fanciers and popular, respected judges through the late-1990s. Their story is reminiscent of so many who made the sport of purebred dogs so popular during their time.

 Getting To Know Us is especially happy to write about long-time friends and fellow fanciers Mr. and Mrs. Herman L. Felton, owners of the Mandith Kennels in Marietta, Georgia, where more than 50 famous champions have been housed during the Felton’s years of activity in the world of purebred dogs.

Herman and Judy are true dog lovers of ALL canines. Not just the purebreds, nor the show winners. But also, of the less fortunate for whom their concern has been evidenced by their long devotion to humane work and to the Atlanta, Georgia, Humane Society for which they both have worked energetically over a very long period of time.

Herman and Judy eventually cut back on their roles as exhibitors with the increase of their involvement with judging. Presently Herman is approved for five Variety Groups, Best in Show, and various breeds in the remaining Groups, so is very close to the status of All Breed Judge. Judy specializes in all Sporting Dogs, all Hounds, Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes and German Shepherds, plus Best in Show. For as long as I’ve known them, both Herman and Judy have maintained a full and busy judging calendar. They are knowledgeable people, well liked and respected, and popular with their judging peers and with exhibitors.

 It was back in 1935 when they purchased their first Doberman, which led to lasting devotion to that breed. I believe that this dog was from Francis F.H. Fleitmann’s famous kennel.

The champions who have lived at Mandith Kennels have been by no means limited to Dobermans. Breeds sharing the Feltons’ particular affection and interest (although I do believe that it is Dobes who head the list) have seen some spectacular Afghan Hounds, as well as Great Danes, Briards, Dachshunds, and West Highland White Terriers. Two of the more memorable Afghans have been Ch. Dahnwood’s Gabriel, winner of an imposing number of Best in Show and Hound Group awards during the mid-to-late 1960s; and one of this writer’s Afghan favorites, Ch. Mandith Pericles, who continued to keep the quality of Mandith Afghans in the public eye after that time.

The very spectacular West Highland White Terrier, Ch. Whitebrier Jalisker, was another Mandith dog to hit the “big time” when he earned a niche in Westie history by becoming an early (1967-68 period) Best in Show winner for that breed in the United States.

Six of the Mandith champions were Best in Show winners; and at least several were constantly seen as winners of their Variety Groups.

Among the especially exciting show accomplishments of Mandith dogs was one of the Afghans (Gabriel) when he won the Quaker Oats Award; and the Westie (Jalisker’s) having been “runner up” in 1968.

The majority of Mandith dogs were handled by Michele Leathers Billings; then following her retirement from handling to become a judge, they were shown by Houston Clark who also eventually became a judge. Pericles, when first I saw him, had been sold to Michael Wolf for whom Tommy Glassford was then handling. Pericles changed ownership again and after that was handled to many good wins by Jane Kamp Forsyth prior to her retirement from handling to become a judge.

BIS goes to German Shepherd Dog, Ch. Lakeside’s Gilligan’s Island in 1971. This GSD made an influential contribution as he was one of the first GSD’s to be recognized by All Breed and Specialty judges alike.

Since they became judges, the Feltons have officiated in all regions and at all the leading dog shows in the United States. Also, far and wide around the world. Herman and Judy were the first Americans to judge the Singapore and the Kuala Lumpur and Penang (Malaysia) shows (1979). Herman was the first American judge to do Best in Show at the two-day Goldfields Kennel Club Show in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1973. Some Herman’s favorite assignments have been the several times that he has judged the Doberman Pinscher Club of America and the Afghan Hound Club of America National Specialties. In fact, both Herman and Judy particularly enjoy judging Specialty shows, both Regional and National. No question about it, one’s selection to officiate at a Specialty always is regarded as a compliment by an expert judge. The challenge is exciting and such competition a joy to work with.

Numerous “special assignments” in matters pertaining to our dog show world have been on Herman Felton’s agenda through the years. One of the most interesting was his Chairmanship of the American Kennel Club Committee “to Review and Make Recommendations Regarding The Alignment Of Breeds Into Groups.” One of the results of this assignment was involved with the division of the Working Group into two Groups, Working and Herding which we presently have, and the division of the former Working breeds between them. (Lynette and Stanley Saltzman pushed hard for this change.)

In addition, Herman has lobbied for female members to the AKC Delegate body for some time. [Remember, this was 1991] From the beginning, all members of the AKC Delegate Body (and, as a result, all members of the Board of Directors) had to be male. When a change in the by-laws to allow female delegates was proposed and finally came up for a vote, Herman took the floor during the debate and argued strongly for its passage. He contended that there existed a “moral obligation” to recognize and acknowledge the vital role of women in purebred dog activities and to give them equal representation in the direction of AKC affairs.

This was reported by Walter Fletcher in the New York Times the following day.

Despite this, the motion was overwhelmingly defeated. However, when this matter came up for a vote again, six months later, it was passed with a substantial majority.

There also have been some excellent seminars on Dog Show Judging conducted by Herman here in the United States and abroad.

One of the dog Fancy’s better writers, Herman’s talents in this regard plus his knowledge on the subject brought him the job of authoring the chapters on the Working Group and on the Herding Group for inclusion in the American Kennel Club “A.K.C.’s World Of the Purebred Dog.”

As a columnist, Herman has written a monthly column on Afghan Hounds and later a monthly column on Dobermans for the A.K.C. Gazette, and he has written for Popular Dogs, Kennel Review, and Doberman Quarterly among other publications.

A past President of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America, the Atlanta Kennel Club, the Combined Specialty Clubs, and the Tara Afghan Hound Club, Herman also has served for many years as a Delegate to the American Kennel Club. Presently he is a member or past member of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America, the Great Dane Club of America, the Afghan Hound Club of America, and the West Highland White Terrier Club of America.

A State Chairman of the Morris Animal Foundation, Herman Felton has completed two terms as President of the Atlanta Humane Society and is serving as a State Chairman for the Morris Animal Foundation. Also, he is on the Board of Directors of the American Dog Owners Association.

It was in 1953 that Herman became owner and CEO of Getz Pest Control, Inc., an Atlanta based multi-state pest control and sanitation consultation organization which ranks high among the top five in its field. In 1988, he sold Getz to a Fortune 500 company.

Herman has been a Registered Professional Engineer, a Diplomate and Life Member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers; a Fellow of the American Public Health Association; a Fellow of the Royal Society of Health; a member of the Scientific Research Society of America (RESA); and a member of the Society of American Military Engineers.

On loan from the Public Health Department, Herman served as Sanitary Engineer and Deputy Chief of the Health Department at the New York World’s Fair in 1939-40 with responsibility to ensure that the water, food, and general environment was kept safe, healthful, and uncontaminated. Some pioneering public health procedures were utilized at that time, and there was not a single known case of illness of disease attributable to attendance at the fair!!!

On March 1, 1942, Herman Felton, as an Officer in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, was transferred, along with three other officers, from Washington, DC, to Atlanta, Georgia to establish the headquarters of the Malaria Control in War Areas (MCWA) Command which was responsible for controlling outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, (malaria, denque fever, typhus fever, Weil’s Disease, filarisis, etc.) in combat and civilian areas of North Africa, Europe, the Pacific War Zones, and the United States.

As the activities and responsibilities of MCWA increased, expansion and a new name took place–the latter the Communicable Disease Center–which has become world famous as the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The Center remains in Atlanta where it began.

Straight Egyptian Arabian Horses have become business and a hobby now with the Feltons, the result of an involvement with them dating back to the Spring of 1984. Both Judy and Herman enjoy them to the utmost, and take pride in their accomplishments.

The current Arabian herd consists of approximately 30 Straight Egyptian Arabians. They have met with considerable success at the various horse shows in which they have competed. Herman has now become a Life Member of the Pyramid Society–an International Association devoted to the promotion and welfare of Straight Egyptian Arabians.

A 300-acre breeding and training horse farm called “Talaria” that is owned by the Feltons is located in Newnan, Georgia. Among the individuals in which the Herman and Judy take particular pride is the Arabian, Ramses Beshara, winner of the prestigious Filly Fantasia at the Egyptian Event in Lexington, Kentucky in 1987. Another Felton entry, Ramses Camelia, repeated this win in 1988. Talaria-bred horses have garnered many additional important wins since then.

Herman and Judy will have been married sixty years in May 1994. They are both busy and involved with their various activities and almost constantly on the go! Judy, a graduate of the Art Students League in New York, was one of the founders of the Atlanta Arts Festival which attracts more than a million people each year. Meeting them at a dog show, or elsewhere, is always a delight!

The Felton home was a featured article titled A Private World For Pleasurable Living in the August, 1967 issue of the magazine Southern Living. The home contains, among many other antiques and objects d’art, an impressive collection of dog art and artifacts, which ranges from Chinese bronzes of the Ming period and porcelains of the Kang H’si period, to a modern figurine of a Westie made of paper and a Boxer made of leather.

In closing, I do want to say a special word about Judy’s tremendous dedication to Dobermans, of which she has rescued no less than 700 dogs over the years! Judy is the head of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America’s COPE/RESCUE Program, COPE standing for Committee On Population Explosion, a committee that was established during the population explosion in the breed during the 1970s, and is a National Rescue Committee for Dobermans. Judy wrote an excellent booklet entitled The Beginner’s Doberman Pinscher which has been widely acclaimed.

In addition to her work with Dobermans, Judy is also a hard worker for the various Atlanta metropolitan area Humane Societies. In fact, ANY dog who needs help receives assistance and care through the efforts of this wonderful lady.

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