Don Stringer

Don Stringer's TEN OAK KENNELS were one of the premier AKC registered packs that dominated the shows in the Illinois and Indiana area in the late forties and fifties. One of his most famous hounds was Ch. Ten Oaks Country Gentleman, a.k.a. Zeke. Mr. Stringer was a founding member of the National Black and Tan Club and was in attendance at the first meeting held February 15, 1947 in Anderson, IN. He was also instrumental, along with fellow pioneer breeders William Cosner and Orville Dunham in developing the first AKC standard by which the breed is judged today. An early promoter of the breed, Stringer wrote several articles for various dog publications and at one time wrote the Back and Tan column for FULL CRY magazine.