Ray Shultis, Breeder of Famed Gera Bitches of the Fifties, Is Deceased
Download this page in PDF formatOn June 5, 1974, one of Dachshund’s most famous breeders, Ray Shultis, passed away. He and his wife, Gene, who survives, operated the Gera Kennels, perhaps best known throughout the breed for their top-producing bitches. He also leaves a sister who resides in Hawaii.
Ray Shultis showing Arlinda of Gera who just won BIM at the DCC Futurity in 1950
In the early days of their marriage, Ray was a musician. You can still catch a glimpse of him in the old movies on TV occasionally, playing in the orchestra.After they moved to California from Texas, Ray went into electronics.
Mrs. Shultis, who has lost most of her sight due to glaucoma, plans to move to an apartment in Fountain Valley, CA, next to her sister.
From the early forties, when they progressed from their first pet bitch of Bergmanor breeding to the show world via Black Jack v Bergman, Ray and Gene belonged to the Dachshund Club of California, in which Ray held a number of offices over the years. Although he did not apply for a judge’s license, he was in demand to provide over puppy matches and futurities.
CH Agilita of Gera, litter sister to Allegro, winning an All Breed BIS with Jerry Rigden on the lead
At one time, in the 1950’s, the Shultis Kennel held as many as forty or fifty Dachshunds, and they sold top-winning dogs all over the country. In those days, it was common practice among the breeders in California to trade dogs which would benefit each other’s breeding plans. Ray always said, when queried about selling a topnotch dog, “We believe in letting other people show our dogs and make our reputation.”.
Although they were inactive over the past decade, Gera’s contributions to the Dachshund Breed continue to be of considerable influence through the dogs sold to others as the backbone of a breeding program.
Gene Shultis on the couch with all her Special bitches
Probably it is for their elegant, stylish bitches that they are best remembered. Who can forget the 20th Anniversary Issue of the American Dachshund of Gene sitting on the couch surrounded by Lisa, Lillibet, Aria, CH Annette, CH Show Girl and CH Octavia? You can still spot this bitch line in a few of out present-day dogs if you have the eye. Several of today’s breeders are trying to recapture the Gera type again before it is lost entirely.
Among the best-known Gera girls was CH Rebecca, dam of CH Eden who was owned by George Plummer, CH Eve. basic brood bitch for the Valhari Kennels of the Harry Malloys, CH Agilita, owned by S.P. Clickner, CH Electra, Can CH Elena and (the male) CH Allegro, who J.C.Walters campaigned to top-winning Dachshund one year.
CH Black Jack v Bergmanor
It was the CH Black Jack v Bergmanor granddaughter, Lana of Gera, who was the dam of the prolific sire of Champions, CH Falcon of Heying-Teckel (Sire of 76 Champions).
CH Flair of Gera
CH Annette was the dam of the famous “F” litter, which consisted of CH Fleet, who was sold to Janet Wayock on the East Coast and was her top stud dog, CH Flair who was purchased by Polly Fleming and ended his career at the Tinas Coma kennel of the Norm Wallaces, CH Forest and CH Faris who belonged to Dr. Nystrom and was shown by Leon Warren who susequently used him often with hiss LeLou bitches.Faventia, the only bitch in the litter, was leased by Mrs Wayock who only got one litter from her, I believe, but that produced CH Timbar’s Victory Wise, dam of my first champion, CH Timbar’s Sweetheart on Parade.
CH Barbara of Gera
Mrs. Wayock also owned CH Barbara of Gera and she was the foundation bitch of Timbar, producing well in every litter. She is behind the Dunkeldorf, Sundachs and Museland lines as well as my own.
CH Janice of Gera
CH Janice went to Thelma Moffett who used her to great advantage, for she is behind the current crop of Moffett Champions.
CH Saber of Gera
And then there was CH Saber who was used extensively by Woodie Dorward before Marcia Wheeler purchased him and produced the winning Willo-Mar dogs such as Lucky Star, King of Hearts, King of Spades. etc.
In Canada, Ela, Bart and Zachary give a lift to the Canadian Smooths through the Pam-Lin and Heidenheim Kennels.
Lisa, who was Lana’s litter sister, carried Longhaired genes and, bred to CH Badger Hill Nobby, also a carrier, produced CH Calypso who inherited these recessive genes and became the sire of the most recessive longhairs to date when bred to Ingrid of Gera, a Nobby-Aria daughter. These were CH Red Locket Stevedore who sired CH Covara’s Tabasco and set the Gunns up in business, CH Cochise who is behind Sanford Roberts’ big winner, CH Robdachs Esprit and of a bitch CH Conchita of Gera. Conchita, bred to CH DeSangpur Perfy, produced CHs Aztec Comanche who resided in Colorado with Thelma Beeler and Apache. We have Aztec who belonged tothe Wallaces most of his life, as the sire of our foundation bitch in Longhairs, Sweethaven Suzi Chenille L.
CH Allegro of Gera, Number One Hound, 1952
So it becomes evident, upon examination of the representative lists of the Gera producers, how influential the breeding program of Ray and Gene Shultis has been. Their contribution to the Breed will continue as long as these dogs are found in the best pedigrees of the Smooth and Longhaired show dogs of America.
By Barbara Nichols
Published in the August 1974 issue of The American Dachshund