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Gay Baker was whelped in 1973, during the time efforts were being made to
reclaim the AKC Beagle as a hunting dog. This was also during the time the
Watergate affair was making news. Frank named him Gay Baker after
Senator Howard Baker. Gay Baker is the famous one! Frank said that Baker
was "... an absolute jump dog. He knew where to find rabbits, and he had an
uncanny knack of producing a rabbit in short order." Also, Frank indicated
that Baker was a top notch "pack dog and he had the quality of gameness
that he had always bred for, because he would stick right in there and run
just as long as he was left down, no matter how long that might be." Gay
Baker became a tremendous running hound. He ran up front and you could
pick him up any time in a hard fast run. Few males and no bitch ever
finished a race with him if the running ran all day or all night. Hunters came
from far and near to pit packs with him. Perhaps he is the most well known
Gay hound of all. One thing Mr. Reese always insisted on in his hounds as
excellent conformation as well as excellent running qualities.
Gay Baker had the ability to reproduce his good qualities in his offspring a
high percentage of the time. Frank Reese advertised Gay Baker at stud for a
time, with an ad of such found dated early 1980. Baker was advertised as
being 13-1/8" tall and the stud fee was $100.00. Reese confided in a friend
that he hated the hassle of having a stud dog and never did advertise his
phone number in Baker's ad, but he said it didn't do any good because the
general beagling public called him at all hours regarding Baker anyway.
Gay Cindy had failed on a couple of crosses and more or less in disgust
was bred to Gay Baker, thinking the offspring would be no good anyway.
From this cross came Gay Flag and Gay Flash and others of note. Gay
Cindy went on to produce eight litters by Gay Baker and when these hounds
hit the pack trials (SPO), they put Gay Baker on the map. Gay Baker hounds
have gone out to compete favorably from Canada to the Deep South, in large
pack and small pack option; on hare, cottontail, and swampers". Many
hounds carry Gay Baker in their pedigree. Gay Baker made his mark on gun
dog beagling and many hunters declare Gay Baker as the greatest hound
ever hunted with. Many, many hunting hounds and Small Pack Option
hounds, in addition to the Gay hounds, also trace back to Gay Baker today.
He was covered up with bitches from his first stud advertisement, with
bitches coming a thousand miles from both North and South. It was a tough
decision to offer a hound with no trial record after so many years of
breeding only to field and bench champions. One time he had eight bitches
waiting, twice he had six waiting. Other times they came almost daily. One
man drove 300 miles and ran him two days and bred a bitch and tried to get
Frank to price him. When Frank arrived home from church the following
Sunday, the man was back, waiting with three bitches. After the great rush
on Baker came, in order to get some relief from public pressure he leased
Baker for a year to Don Riley (Country Road Beagles) in Virginia. Breeders
were furious for letting Baker go to Virginia as Riley would not take shipped
bitches. Gay Baker was also offered at stud by Country Road Beagles of
Heathsville, Virginia later in 1980 for a short time. This may have given Baker
a little added exposure and produced some hounds of note in the state of
Virginia and the East. This was only a year before Gay Baker died in 1981, at
the age of 8, so his career at stud was cut short by a rather early death. Gay
Baker died from an injury from a minor accident. Baker probably bred more
bitches than any hound ever, with no show or field win. He came at the right
time and exploded the theory that a stud needs to be in a certain area or
have titles to stand (successfully).
Frank never ran Gay Baker at trials as the modern brace was upon him and
he had not yet entered the pack trials. However, he was braced with a small
pack winner and the results set the future course. With Frank's improved
health he tried for a comeback at the brace trials, using top rated sires, but
the "all red pedigrees" - all field champions in the pedigree were a complete
failure. Regarding this "red pedigree" fad of the 50s and 60s, Reese said:
"For a long time I bred for all red pedigree. Nothing hurt me as much as that
idea." Frank said it took more than a title for him to use a sire. A title meant
very little to Frank, thus he never printed titles in pedigrees.
Frank didn't have any aspirations to own a field champion, he just bred
hounds for his own pleasure, for private hunts, and an occasional field trial
to test their merits against other hounds. In fact, he said that he really didn't
want to own a field champion because of his health and he could not take
the weather and long hours. Also, that it was too risky to run a field
champion among deer and along highways as he had always done.
Another time he said: "My bitches have been used on at least 50 field
champions. Many went the hard way — by rail. My worst time though was
when I used 10 or 12 bitches on top rated Walkie-Talkie advertised studs. I
never got one good one from this bad experience." Frank Reese was human
and he made mistakes. However, he learned from each failure and he didn't
do it over again.
During a phone conversation he was asked what he would do differently if
he had it to do over again. He responded: "Oh, a lot! Law me, an awful lot.
I've made a lot of mistakes, and I couldn't do a whole lot of things because
of my health. I wouldn't say that I've learned what to do though, you'd better
say that I've learned what not to do. Stay away from outcrosses. They are
dangerous. You've got to stay in the same family (once you've found the
family that suits you)."
In summary, Frank Reese was a "pioneer" producer of rabbit hunting
Beagles. He started long before the brace hound movement slowed their
Beagles down. Since he rarely advertised, few outside of the Carolinas knew
about him until Gay Baker came along. Then, when he advertised Baker the
word began to spread.
Gay hounds are generally known to be lean, eager hunters, with absolutely
no quit in them. They are only reflecting the courage and stamina of their
breeder, Frank Reese. He is a man who didn't let years of illness stop him.
Instead, with the help of modern medicine, a lot of faith, and sheer dogged
perseverance, he threw off a disabling disease and went on to live life to the
very fullest. In so doing, he produced scores of fine rabbit hunting Beagles
that a lot of people have enjoyed for countless hours. These hounds
consisted of a "outside" blood that was carefully "blended" in with the Gay
blood. The first was the Bedlam "formal pack" blood. The second was the
"brace" blood through Deal's Betty. And the third was the Dingus MacRae
blood through Fd. Ch. Cane Country Jennie. Make no mistake about it
though, these are still Gay hounds and the running ability of the Gay
hounds is still predominant. Frank kept the Gay "family" intact but he used
mild outcrosses very judiciously to keep from close inbreeding. Gay
Beagles have been developed over decades by careful breeding. Frank
Reese did more than his share for the Beagle and the sport of hunting.
Frank Reese passed away in 1995, at the age of 89, but he will always be
remembered.
Frank Reese 1906 - 1995
Gay Baker 1973 - 1981
reclaim the AKC Beagle as a hunting dog. This was also during the time the
Watergate affair was making news. Frank named him Gay Baker after
Senator Howard Baker. Gay Baker is the famous one! Frank said that Baker
was "... an absolute jump dog. He knew where to find rabbits, and he had an
uncanny knack of producing a rabbit in short order." Also, Frank indicated
that Baker was a top notch "pack dog and he had the quality of gameness
that he had always bred for, because he would stick right in there and run
just as long as he was left down, no matter how long that might be." Gay
Baker became a tremendous running hound. He ran up front and you could
pick him up any time in a hard fast run. Few males and no bitch ever
finished a race with him if the running ran all day or all night. Hunters came
from far and near to pit packs with him. Perhaps he is the most well known
Gay hound of all. One thing Mr. Reese always insisted on in his hounds as
excellent conformation as well as excellent running qualities.
Gay Baker had the ability to reproduce his good qualities in his offspring a
high percentage of the time. Frank Reese advertised Gay Baker at stud for a
time, with an ad of such found dated early 1980. Baker was advertised as
being 13-1/8" tall and the stud fee was $100.00. Reese confided in a friend
that he hated the hassle of having a stud dog and never did advertise his
phone number in Baker's ad, but he said it didn't do any good because the
general beagling public called him at all hours regarding Baker anyway.
Gay Cindy had failed on a couple of crosses and more or less in disgust
was bred to Gay Baker, thinking the offspring would be no good anyway.
From this cross came Gay Flag and Gay Flash and others of note. Gay
Cindy went on to produce eight litters by Gay Baker and when these hounds
hit the pack trials (SPO), they put Gay Baker on the map. Gay Baker hounds
have gone out to compete favorably from Canada to the Deep South, in large
pack and small pack option; on hare, cottontail, and swampers". Many
hounds carry Gay Baker in their pedigree. Gay Baker made his mark on gun
dog beagling and many hunters declare Gay Baker as the greatest hound
ever hunted with. Many, many hunting hounds and Small Pack Option
hounds, in addition to the Gay hounds, also trace back to Gay Baker today.
He was covered up with bitches from his first stud advertisement, with
bitches coming a thousand miles from both North and South. It was a tough
decision to offer a hound with no trial record after so many years of
breeding only to field and bench champions. One time he had eight bitches
waiting, twice he had six waiting. Other times they came almost daily. One
man drove 300 miles and ran him two days and bred a bitch and tried to get
Frank to price him. When Frank arrived home from church the following
Sunday, the man was back, waiting with three bitches. After the great rush
on Baker came, in order to get some relief from public pressure he leased
Baker for a year to Don Riley (Country Road Beagles) in Virginia. Breeders
were furious for letting Baker go to Virginia as Riley would not take shipped
bitches. Gay Baker was also offered at stud by Country Road Beagles of
Heathsville, Virginia later in 1980 for a short time. This may have given Baker
a little added exposure and produced some hounds of note in the state of
Virginia and the East. This was only a year before Gay Baker died in 1981, at
the age of 8, so his career at stud was cut short by a rather early death. Gay
Baker died from an injury from a minor accident. Baker probably bred more
bitches than any hound ever, with no show or field win. He came at the right
time and exploded the theory that a stud needs to be in a certain area or
have titles to stand (successfully).
Frank never ran Gay Baker at trials as the modern brace was upon him and
he had not yet entered the pack trials. However, he was braced with a small
pack winner and the results set the future course. With Frank's improved
health he tried for a comeback at the brace trials, using top rated sires, but
the "all red pedigrees" - all field champions in the pedigree were a complete
failure. Regarding this "red pedigree" fad of the 50s and 60s, Reese said:
"For a long time I bred for all red pedigree. Nothing hurt me as much as that
idea." Frank said it took more than a title for him to use a sire. A title meant
very little to Frank, thus he never printed titles in pedigrees.
Frank didn't have any aspirations to own a field champion, he just bred
hounds for his own pleasure, for private hunts, and an occasional field trial
to test their merits against other hounds. In fact, he said that he really didn't
want to own a field champion because of his health and he could not take
the weather and long hours. Also, that it was too risky to run a field
champion among deer and along highways as he had always done.
Another time he said: "My bitches have been used on at least 50 field
champions. Many went the hard way — by rail. My worst time though was
when I used 10 or 12 bitches on top rated Walkie-Talkie advertised studs. I
never got one good one from this bad experience." Frank Reese was human
and he made mistakes. However, he learned from each failure and he didn't
do it over again.
During a phone conversation he was asked what he would do differently if
he had it to do over again. He responded: "Oh, a lot! Law me, an awful lot.
I've made a lot of mistakes, and I couldn't do a whole lot of things because
of my health. I wouldn't say that I've learned what to do though, you'd better
say that I've learned what not to do. Stay away from outcrosses. They are
dangerous. You've got to stay in the same family (once you've found the
family that suits you)."
In summary, Frank Reese was a "pioneer" producer of rabbit hunting
Beagles. He started long before the brace hound movement slowed their
Beagles down. Since he rarely advertised, few outside of the Carolinas knew
about him until Gay Baker came along. Then, when he advertised Baker the
word began to spread.
Gay hounds are generally known to be lean, eager hunters, with absolutely
no quit in them. They are only reflecting the courage and stamina of their
breeder, Frank Reese. He is a man who didn't let years of illness stop him.
Instead, with the help of modern medicine, a lot of faith, and sheer dogged
perseverance, he threw off a disabling disease and went on to live life to the
very fullest. In so doing, he produced scores of fine rabbit hunting Beagles
that a lot of people have enjoyed for countless hours. These hounds
consisted of a "outside" blood that was carefully "blended" in with the Gay
blood. The first was the Bedlam "formal pack" blood. The second was the
"brace" blood through Deal's Betty. And the third was the Dingus MacRae
blood through Fd. Ch. Cane Country Jennie. Make no mistake about it
though, these are still Gay hounds and the running ability of the Gay
hounds is still predominant. Frank kept the Gay "family" intact but he used
mild outcrosses very judiciously to keep from close inbreeding. Gay
Beagles have been developed over decades by careful breeding. Frank
Reese did more than his share for the Beagle and the sport of hunting.
Frank Reese passed away in 1995, at the age of 89, but he will always be
remembered.
Frank Reese 1906 - 1995
Gay Baker 1973 - 1981
READ ON DOWN ABOUT A LOVED MAN AND HIS
LOVE FOR HIS OWN BREED OF DOGS.
LOVE FOR HIS OWN BREED OF DOGS.
The Gay Hound Beginnings
FRANK REESE
THE MAN WHO STARTED IT ALL
FRANK REESE
THE MAN WHO STARTED IT ALL
Frank Reese with Gay Baker
AKC REGISTERED
The Gay Hound Beginnings
The Gay Hound Beginnings
GAY B -BAKER
DOC'S MINI PINNI
BLOODLINE DATING BACK TO 1938
THE GAY HOUNDS
THE GAY HOUNDS
Line-bred Beagles with very
little out cross. Only
out-crossing to a Dingus
Mcrea hound .
little out cross. Only
out-crossing to a Dingus
Mcrea hound .
FLAG IS FROM THE GAY HOUND
BLOODLINE
ABOVE BAKER AND PINNI ARE SIRE
AND DAME TO FLAG .DOCUMENTS
SHOW 6 GENERATIONS OF THE
BLOODLINE .
BLOODLINE
ABOVE BAKER AND PINNI ARE SIRE
AND DAME TO FLAG .DOCUMENTS
SHOW 6 GENERATIONS OF THE
BLOODLINE .
"Jesus Christ God's son Savior"
"A quitter. I hate that. It is the worst fault of all. If a hound is game, he'll
stick in there no matter what. A babbler is almost as bad, and a
confirmed backtracker. I suppose I could tolerate some other lesser faults,
but those three are the worst. There's no place in my kennel for a
quitter especially "------ Frank Reese
stick in there no matter what. A babbler is almost as bad, and a
confirmed backtracker. I suppose I could tolerate some other lesser faults,
but those three are the worst. There's no place in my kennel for a
quitter especially "------ Frank Reese
Watch us run
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