Rep. Jason Elliott Honored by the American Kennel Club as South Carolina Legislator of the Year

Jason Elliott

 

For their Christmas Celebration and Annual Awards Ceremonies, Greenville Kennel Club members gathered at their city’s historic private Poinsett Club. On behalf of the American Kennel Club, I was delighted to present South Carolina State Representative Jason Elliott with the AKC Legislator of the Year Award.

Patty Van Sicklen, Regional Manager of Government Relations for the American Kennel Club, sent the following remarks:

The American Kennel Club proudly and gratefully honors Representative Jason Elliott as Legislator of the Year. We thank him for his advocacy on behalf of dogs and responsible owners. We thank him for his gracious assistance that enabled the Greenville Kennel Club to continue its more than 80 years of events and service to the community. AKC also thanks the Greenville Kennel Club members for recommending Representative Elliott for this honor. By working together, we can preserve and protect our purebred dogs and advance the well-being of all dogs.

Longtime GKC member and former President, AKC judge Robert L. Vandiver was joined by President Jeanette Stribling to present a check to Dr. Rob Presley for his KILO-9 organization.

When Matt Lovelace and Dr. Rob Presley’s paths crossed in 2015, they bonded over their mutual passion for K9 safety. The men came from two seemingly unrelated backgrounds: one, a military veteran turned Deputy Sheriff and K9 handler; the other, a veterinarian.

Together, they founded KILO-9. Matt and Rob recognized a tremendous need for K9 handlers to learn life-saving skills to treat K9 officers in the line of duty. Existing training taught handlers the basics of working with their K9 partner: how to deploy the dog, the importance of recall, and even basic first aid. This simply wasn’t enough, so Matt and Rob put their skill sets together and began designing and implementing high-intensity, realistic tactical training to teach critical skills to K9 handlers; and in 2017, the KILO-9 Foundation was born as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

KILO-9 provides relevant and realistic K9 training to law enforcement officers by hosting medical training and tactical workshops with law enforcement agencies across the country. Their state-of-the-art training uses equipment and teaches K9 handling principles that simply have not been available before in law enforcement. Their training teaches three primary principles for maximizing K9 officer survivability: injury prevention, medical intervention, and remaining calm (kilo9.org). Honorary Greenville Kennel Club Membership Certificates were bestowed upon Rep. Elliott and Dr. Presley. Officers of the Greenville County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit and their wives were also honored guests of the club.

AKC delegate Gloria Askins presented AKC Sportsmanship prestigious gold medallions to Kari Hill and LouAnn McGahey. Gloria was surprised when President Stribling announced Askins was selected by club members as “Member of the Year.” Club Treasurer Ken Spiegel was celebrated for his dedication and decades of contributions to the club.

 

Congratulations to Rep. Jason Elliott, Dr. Rob Presley and KILO-9, Kari Hill, LouAnn McGahey, AKC Delegate Gloria Askins, and Ken Spiegel!

Quality is not accidental. Longevity and accomplishments are to be enthusiastically applauded! Those rewarded by their peers in our sport are well deserving!

In the new year, let us surround ourselves with positive, accomplished, forward-thinking friends like these 2022 honorees. May each of you make an impact on the sport! Best wishes to you for a blessed and joyful 2023!

 

ads
  • At the age of four, Linda's love for TV's Lassie prompted her parents, Roy and Hazel Ayers to surprise her with a Collie. Her first times entering the confirmation ring began at age six. From showing her Conrad Collies in juniors, to judging, to becoming a part of an immediate family of three AKC judges, her life has evolved around the sport of purebred dogs. As a young professional just out of the University of Georgia, Linda served on the Executive Staffs of two Georgia Governors. She moved from serving at the State Capitol to assisting the Chairman of the Hyatt Hotel Corporation. As chairman and founder of a family owned Manufacturing Corporation and real estate holding company, Linda has overseen operations, acquisitions, and dispositions of considerable business holdings for over four decades. Her diverse companies have manufactured packaged goods for many household products you likely used in your homes, interior components for the automotive industry you enjoy in your cars, and industrial chemical products used in the electric utility industry. She partnered in commercial acquisitions in Washington, D.C. on a 250 million dollar level. Linda has developed significant properties delivering hundreds of home sites in Greenville, South Carolina in conjunction with NVR/Ryan Homes in addition to apartments, an IMAX theater, commercial tracts and much more. She is the proud mother of one son, Edward P. (Todd) Turner,III of Columbia, South Carolina. After retiring from many years as District Director of the Collie Club of America, Linda served for fourteen years as AKC Delegate for the Greenville Kennel Club. She is currently President of the Carolinas Judges Study Group, a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Collie Club of Georgia where she was their very first Junior Member, a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Greenville Kennel Club, and a Quarter Century Member of the Collie Club of America. Her Christian faith is exhibited in her belief that, “Time is the most important gift you can share to make someone happy or to make a difference.” Mentoring athletes from professional to high school levels has been a huge passion and blessing in Linda's life. At any given time you may find her in a locker room, on the playing field, or on the court inspiring winners. To quote her, "I would rather go to a ballgame than a ball." Linda has been on board since the inception of ShowSight

  • Show Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

comment *

  • name *

  • email *

  • website *

You May Also Like

Asia Duhamel sitting on a bench with her Service Dog, German Shepherd known as "Lotus."

AKC Humane Fund ACE Award Winner – Service Dog: Lotus – Asia Duhamel

Interview with Asia Duhamel, handler of a service dog known as "Lotus," the 2022 ...

Entries Now Open for AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin

Entries are now open for the 2020 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin, ...

AKC Best in Show 2020

Watching the 2020 AKC National Championships

Watching the AKC National Championships due to our COVID-19 protocols and enhanced safety measures ...

AKC Pet Disaster Relief Rolls Out Help For Pets In Ocean County, New Jersey

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ —  AKC Reunite, the largest non-profit pet identification and recovery service ...

Your Cart

No Item Found
Subtotal $0.00
Shipping $0.00
Tax $0.00
Total $0.00
0