"Over the years many people have asked me how I got started in beagles. In the late
1940's, while still in grammar school, I would go fox hunting with my dad. I loved hearing the hounds running
the line. My dad had some of the best fox hounds in our area at the time. I hunted several years with him
on Friday nights. Hunting had definitely gotten in my blood.
We had a good friend and neighbor Mr. Theodore Greene. He had beagles and I started going rabbit hunting
with him. I was hooked! Mr. Greene had AKC registered beagles and I was amazed how hard his little hounds
worked after their game. Mr. Greene and I had been hunting together for some time when he informed me that
he knew a man with a pair of beagles for sale. He was asking five dollars each or ten dollars for the pair.
I talked my mother into carrying me to look at the beagles. We drove into the mans yard and around the
corner of the house came a beautiful pair of puppies. I said to myself, "this can't possibly be the pups
for sale." They were, and I talked mother into getting them for me. They were only eight months old. The
gentleman said he wasn't sure if they were running or not and he had also lost the papers on them.
We bought the pair and I could hardly wait to get to my good friend Mr. Greene. We turned my new pups
in with some of his older dogs. They fell right in and started running! I was the most excited twelve year
old kid anyone had ever seen.
Mr. Greene was one of the very best at training beagles. He was like a grand father to me, so naturally
I tried to pattern myself after him. He taught me a lot.
I named my new beagles Buddy, a male and Queen a female. I lost Queen to an accident but Buddy was still
there and was one of the best I ever owned.
My next pair of pups were out of a female owned by Mr. Greene. He breed her to Field Champion Richardson
Chief Leader which was out of Grays Linesman. They were both males and made great gun dogs. There
were not many field trials back then.
My first beagles were purchased in 1949 and I've owned beagles ever since. One might say it would be interesting
to walk a mile in my shoes, it is, because boots were made for walking. To enjoy hunting to it's fullest
you've gotta be ready to walk."
