Betty Harison is Dedicated To Fun of the Sport and Love of Beagles
By Trena Street, BraceBeagling Author
March 29, 2004

When you talk to Betty Harrison it doesn’t take long to realize she’s from the South, a native Mississippian. With a quick and hearty laugh, she has a great ‘story’ about most everything and like so many of us ‘GRITS’ (Girls Raised In The South), our dialect is a bit like slow-dripping molasses tinged with the sweet scent of magnolias.

The accent is just one of many memorable things about Betty Harrison!

Not only is she a multi-award winner for the businesses she has worked with, she has also served as President and Director of National Affairs for the National Association of Purchasing Management, a California headquartered industry with thousands of members nationwide. “ I worked in sales, then purchasing for Ellington Electronics in Jackson, Ms. For 19 years. When it was contest time, the fellas would say, what’s the point, we know who’s gonna win! I’d tell them ‘if you’re too stupid to get on the phone and ask customers to ask for you cause there’s a contest going on, then I’ll just keep winning! They were mighty glad when I moved from sales to purchasing.”

For the past 13 years, Betty has worked in Sales and as Purchasing Agent for Industrial Control Solutions in Jackson, Ms. But what she is most proud of is her beagles. The seven rat terriers she and husband Jimmy have are important to her, but it’s beagles she loves. “I think it’s in my genes. I’ve always loved beagles,” she said. Betty’s dad was Harry R. ‘Moon’ Mullins, who won the 1938 Golden Gloves heavyweight boxing title at Madison Square Garden, but was probably just as proud of his first beagle that he got in 1942. “Daddy traveled a lot and I always took care of the dogs. I’d feed, clean up the kennels. Momma said cleaning those kennels should have cured anybody, but it made it worse for me. I just love puppies and love those dogs.”

The Harrison’s lived in Bolton, MS for 24 years before moving to the 100-acre place in nearby Edwards, 14 miles from Jackson, six years ago. ‘Home’ is now a wonderful ‘dog trot’styled house that sits high atop a Mississippi hill. Appropriately named as a ‘dog-trot’ home because the main rooms are on either side of a long hallway, that when originally dubbed ‘dog-trot’ was left open so the dogs could “trot through and lay up in the shade”, with a porch on the front and back. “The modern way to do this style home is to put doors on either end and that’s what we did”. Betty, Jimmy and their son, Mike have a great front-porch view of the kennels and running ground, which is also home to Singing River Beagle Club. During the Singing River trial, held the first week in February, the Harrison home becomes the clubhouse. The trial is a real family-affair. Everyone there becomes part of Betty’s extended family for the weekend. “Mike is a third generation beagler. He and I are really the ones who love beagling. We enjoy farming rabbits and working the dogs. Jimmy’s not much for running the dogs, he’d rather build the kennels and he’s good at it, too.” Daughter Kathy and her family live just up the hill from Betty, Jimmy and Mike. “I like having everyone nearby. It’s fun to have the grand kids, Amanda and Joey here, but sometimes I say, ‘Look, kids, it’s time for you to go back to your house!’

The whole family gets involved during the trial serving up good southern-styled meals and the best banana pudding you ever tasted homemade by Kathy.

In the past few years, because of health problems, Betty hasn’t raised many puppies, but hopes “I have some in the cooker right now!” Two years ago, a foot problem was diagnosed as melanoma, a malignant tumor. “The doctor cut it out,” it was a big growth, and very deep. It was level four cancer, which is terminal and is not treatable with chemotherapy. “Either the Doctor got it all out” Betty said,”or the big can of tomato juice I drink every day is working. It has not metastasized. I get a cat scan every six months, and so far it’s not shown up again.” In spite of health problems, including diabetes, Betty keeps going strong, beagling, and working. “My diabetes is under control now, “ she said. “It’s amazing, when you do what the doctor says and mind him. I was on two insulin shots a day, now I just take oral medication. It’s amazing!”

Betty and Jimmy also enjoy another ‘part of the family’…the six rat terriers that share their home, Hercules, Spud, Dotty, Daisy, Monica, Lola and Cobby . “Ben Spears had some rat terriers and I saw them. Then I bought a pair from Pete Bankston for Jimmy for his birthday. Jimmy was going to make all this money selling rat terrier puppies. But he doesn’t sell them. I said, Jimmy, what if I kept all the beagle puppies, we’d be in a mess! But he just can’t part with them,” she said with a laugh.

As is true with so many beaglers, Betty really enjoys the people involved in this sport. “I’ve met so many people through the dogs that I would have never gotten to know. Our paths crossed because of the beagles. That’s the common thread with all of us.”

When asked if there is anything she would change about the beagling sport of today, Betty pointed out the need to ‘remember we do it for the dogs.’ “It’s not us people out there smelling. It’s the dogs, the love of these beagles. It’s funny, I’m known for running males, but I’ve only finished females. Backwoods Molly was one, and Walking Dixie Lee, only needs two points to finish. Two points, that’s all! Why, when I was beagling with my Daddy, he had lots of field champions. I always thought it was easy. It’s not. It’s as hard to get a good one as it is to finish one!”

After finishing high school in Jackson, MS, Betty attended Mississippi State College for Women. “I didn’t like it there. So I left and got a job working in publicity and promotions for Channel 12, a TV station in Jackson. I really liked it. Sometimes when the guests didn’t show up for talk shows, they’d say, come on Betty, you’re gonna be on TV. And I’d sit and talk to them on TV. They always said I could talk to anybody about anything”.

Oh, and there’s one other thing to remember about this proud, dedicated Southern lady beagler. She was probably the first, if not the only and not to mention second-generation lady beagler to serve as President of a Beagle Club in the South. Betty not only serves as secretary for Singing River, she has been field trial secretary for Free State and just a few years ago, was President of Pearl River (Jackson MS) Beagle Club.

Betty Harrison loves beagling. No doubt about it. “Beaglers are good people and there’s not a lot of Beaglers left anymore. Good people, they’re good people. Beagling is fun. Any bickering needs to stop. We all need to try to be more understanding and let it be fun like it should be. That’s what I want people to always remember,” Betty said. “I hope folks always think that I’m a good sport and when they come to our trial, I want them to leave saying, ‘I had a good time’. Cause I always enjoy them being here and I have a good time,too!”