The Kennel
Architecture
Plans for the American colonial-style kennel were drawn up in June 1952. The kennel features four 7ft square interior pens that are each connected to an 8ft x 14ft exterior runway, which is a concrete pad surrounded by fencing. A small 14in x 24in door at the back of the pen let the dog move freely from inside to outside and back. The floors slope to the center, where cast-iron floor drains allow for easy cleanup, and several freeze-proof faucets are placed throughout the kennel.
Horses
Fuller Sr. acquired Jim, his favorite horse, in 1920 and was frequently seen riding him around LaGrange and the surrounding area.
Fuller Jr. had horses to help with his efforts to establish a breeding herd of Hereford cattle. In a 1946 letter to a friend, Alice described an incident in which he was trying to ride one of these “western” horses. Suddenly, it reared up and hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious in the saddle. The horse then started to buck until he was thrown 15 feet away, landing on his back. He was unconscious for about thirty minutes and his cousin, Dr. Enoch Callaway, feared that Fuller Jr.’s back might be broken. Luckily, he made it through the incident with only three broken ribs and was back on his feet and horseback riding again in no time.
The last two horses Fuller Jr. and Alice owned were Midnight and Pride, and they lived in the pasture next to the stable not far from the house. Dr. Bob Copeland recounted that Mr. Callaway so loved Pride that as the horse got older he would make sure it was taken into the stable every single night.
In the 1930s, the Callaways owned a miniature pony named Willie that pulled Fuller III and Ida around the property in a small carriage.
Dogs
We know from Fuller Jr.’s baby book that his first pet was a dog named Rascal, but the breed is unknown.
Fuller Jr. had a small pit bull named Spot that, according to family stories, didn’t like Alice because she wouldn’t let it sleep in their bed. Her new husband told her that, in order to win the dog over, she should take it to the drug store and buy it some ice cream, which she did. After that, he was okay with her until the children came and she started paying more attention to them than to him. It is also rumored that Fuller Jr. once took Spot to the movies. When the movie was over, someone asked if the pooch enjoyed the
movie, to which Fuller, known for his humor, replied: “Spot liked the book better.”
In December 1935, Fuller Jr. gave Alice an English sheepdog as a Christmas gift. Officially named Sir
Gladstone Bangs, his affectionate nickname was “Glads” and he was ultimately the winner of several blue ribbons from American Kennel Club competitions. They loved him so much they even had a portrait of Glads! A companion of Glad’s, a Great Dane named Foots, was known for wandering around the grounds with Alice.
Fuller Jr. had a white German shepherd named Rex that he adored. After white Rex passed, he adopted another shepherd, a former war dog that he also called Rex. This Rex was his constant companion, even at the office, and possibly saved his life once. They were riding in an open-air Jeep and passed by the gate to the property when they saw a man with a gun. Rex quickly pinned down the man’s gun hand, saving Fuller Jr. from potential harm.
Sibling Weimaraners dubbed Fritz and Freda, and eventually a beagle named Belle, also found a home at Hills & Dales. The kennel was constructed in 1952 to house all of the outside dogs plus Belle’s offspring, all of which had names that started with ‘B’.
Ida had a Fox Terrier named Daisy May and a cat named Trouble. Her friend Bill Price, remembers that Ida once organized a dog show for all of her friends that was held under the trees on Ferrell Drive. Everyone in the neighborhood was encouraged to bring their dogs and prizes were given out to each participant. She created awards for everything imaginable – fuzziest dog, prettiest dog, biggest dog, smallest dog, etc.
Cats
The first cat to come on the scene was Sheba, a Siamese who achieved some notoriety within the family due to mischief. From their accounts, Alice spent four years diligently working on intricately detailed needlework pieces for a set of armchairs in the formal dining room—the same chairs the cat liked to lounge in for afternoon naps. Unfortunately, Sheba also used this opportunity to scratch at the bottom panel on one of the chairs, pulling out its beautiful embroidery. One can only imagine how upset Alice was when she had to hire someone to mend it for her since, by then, she was having a hard time seeing the small stiches. Sheba didn’t like children much and would run and hide on Sundays.
Members of the estate’s horticulture staff rescued and adopted two little kittens that they named
Heidi and Buxus. Heidi was always shy and reclusive but Buxus grew (and grew) into a very sociable cat, so much so that he became our garden mascot of sorts upon our opening to the public in 2004. In May 2014, Buxus suddenly disappeared. He was not given to wandering very far from the garden and was not ill when he went missing, so staff doubted that he would ever return. Heidi crossed the rainbow bridge in March 2021. Mickleberry the cat, named after Sarah Ferrell’s father, can be seen wandering around the greenhouse.
Cattle
In the early 1940s, Fuller Jr. and Frank Pope began to build a prize Hereford herd in order to enhance the livestock industry in Troup County and the state of Georgia in general.
Royal Rupert 122nd was Fuller Jr. and Frank Pope’s first big-name bull. Believed to be the highest-priced bull owned by a Georgia breeder by 1945. Rupert was purchased at an auction in Sulphur, Oklahoma, for $15,000.
In 1952, Hills & Dales held their first Reduction Sale. Ely R. Callaway named a 19-man committee, called the 10-Gallon Hat Club, whose purpose was to promote attendance to the sale and to obtain local prospective purchasers to keep 100 head of cattle in Troup County.
In 1946, Fuller Jr. attended a cattle auction in Ft. Worth, Texas, where representatives from 36 states and 4 foreign countries were also present. Real Silver Domino 44th, a 2,000lb prized Whiteface Hereford, was the obvious draw of the action, as “44’s” fame had spread. As the bidding started slowly and cautiously until Fuller Jr. interrupted the auctioneer, asking for the highest price ever paid for a bull. As the auctioneer gave the answer of $51,000, Fuller Jr. quickly bid $52,000, which caused a confusion large enough that the auctioneer brought the auction to a premature close. After the auction, a couple asked Fuller Jr. if his wife liked cattle, too. Fuller Jr. then decided that he should be able to explain his purchase to Alice. He figured out that between the calves and heifers associated with “44,” his total value comes out to $248,935, much higher than the small price he paid for the bull. “44” became the new king of Hills & Dales, reigning over the 179-Hereford herd.
…and Bears? Oh My!
A story exists about Fuller Jr. and Mr. Arthur “Skin” Edge taking a trip to Atlanta in 1929, where they saw a small dancing black bear. Reportedly, they purchased the bear and brought it home in the back of their roadster. The bear cub then lived in the basement of Hills and Dales for a short while until it became unruly. Fuller then wisely gave it to Florence Hand, Alice’s mother, to go in her outdoor menagerie in Pelham, GA. A newspaper reported on the story, in which they state that Fuller and Skin named the bear “Irene.”
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