By Heidi Dahms Foster
Dewey-Humboldt and the surrounding community lost a long-time dog lover and trainer when Jeri Holton lost her hard-fought battle with cancer on November 12.
Holton and her husband Ray Farber partnered for many years at the couple’s Farbenholt Kennels in Dewey. They raised and trained German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, and offered a wide range of dog training classes.
Born and raised in Vermont, Holton’s father raised Coonhounds and Beagles. She became interested in herding because of the family’s collies that helped with the sheep and cattle on their small dairy farm.
She also successfully showed horses, earning top awards at the national level. But was most interested in the dogs, and started showing Doberman Pinschers where, during the 70s, she had great success in the conformation ring and in obedience trials. She later switched breeds from Dobermans to German Shepherds.
She began working in Schutzhund, a German dog sport that tests a dog’s tracking, obedience, and protection skills, with Argus, a shepherd she was able to import from Germany. With Argus, Holton earned an excellent rating in Schutzhund work, which included tracking, obedience and protection disciplines. The pair scored a 99.5 out of 100 in one tracking test.
By 1981, Holton was managing a 100-run kennel in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She was an instructor at the school for dog trainers, accredited by the local community college, in which students learned all aspects of the training business. It was here that she and Farber met.
The two moved to Arizona in 1994, where Farber’s parents lived part time in the Prescott Valley area. They bought property in Dewey and created their kennel and training area.
Together, Jeri and Ray raised and trained German Shepherds Belgian Malinois, fostered and rescued a variety of dogs, and focused on obedience training for the general public. Holton was an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and a temperament evaluator, aiming for stable, well-rounded, happy dogs that can function in public places. She advocated for positive training methods and creating a close relationship between dog and owner.
One of Holton’s proudest accomplishments was her more than 25 years of being a 4-H leader in the area. In partnership with Molly Wisecarver of Mayer, she nurtured generations of kids who excelled in dog sports.
In 2020, four of her 4-H members, Elllyn Peterson of Dewey, Patricia Disert of Prescott, Addie Kennedy of Dewey and Lilia Johnson of Dewey, won the top four championships at the Arizona 4-H State Dog Show. All were part of the Lonesome Valley Wranglers 4-H club.
During a memorial on November 22, community members including friends, former 4-H members, dog training students and more spoke of Jeri’s strong faith in Jesus Christ, the difference and example she made in her 4-H students’ lives, both in dog sports and life in general, the dog training.
She helped many people overcome behavior problems and build relationship with their dogs. Her husband Ray spoke of the love the two shared and their long partnership in dogs.
All agreed that Jeri was a force to be reckoned with, and someone who will be sorely missed in the community.
