• KENNEL:

  Kings Creek

• AKC:

  All Breeds

Michele established Kings Creek Kennels, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, in 1952. The facility gained a reputation for high-quality Beagles and German Shepherd Dogs. She was also one of the busiest and successful professional handlers of her generation. Mrs. Billings trained, conditioned, and handled all breeds until retiring from handling in 1970. She founded the German Shepherd Dog Club of Atlanta and served as its first president from 1955 to 1959. She began judging in 1972 and is now one of eleven female all-breed judges in the country. She has officiated at major shows all over the world, including Best in Show at Westminster in 1988 and 2005 and the Sporting Group at the first AKCEukanuba National Championship in 2001. She judges approximately ten national specialties a year. She was recipient of the Gaines FIDO award for "Woman of the Year" in 1983 and won Kennel Review award for "Judge of the Year" in 1986. Has judged at major shows all over world and at Westminster in 1988. She was inducted into the New York Sports Museum Hall in 1993 and the Nature's Recipe (formerly Quaker Oats) Hall of Fame in 1998. She is esteemed by colleagues for her energetic dedication to the sport, and for her deep and abiding love of purebred dogs and said to put 110 percent of herself into everything she does, including dogs.