Our Airedale Connection:

Stories from Those Who Know Them Well

Joyce Miller

[This article is based on stories written by Airedale lovers from three Airedale lists: ADTshowbreeders, ADTnutrition, and TrainingAiredales. There was no way to include all the stories, but they are so good, that each of them is available in full on a blog titled Our Airedale Connection at http://airedalesinourlives.blogspot.com/]

Animals make us feel good, the experts say, and our Airedales make us feel very good. Much has been written about our relationship with animals and how they make our whole lives whole. But we also make their whole lives whole. Allen and Linda Anderson, in Angel Animals, say that when people and pets live in interdependence and harmony, all life is enriched: the animals make us feel good, and science has shown that they are good for our health. Many authors suggest that the quality of our lives and health is closely linked to our other-than-human relationships.

In an article titled Why We Need Animals in Our Lives, Wendy S. Myers cites some interesting statistics about our human-animal bond: Dog and cat people, according to a study in Australia, make fewer doctor visits and take fewer medicines than those who don‘t have pets. The lives of seniors, according to Companion Animals & Us: Exploring the Relationship Between People & Pets, are enhanced by a bond with animals. There have also been studies showing that we share similar brains and molecules of emotions as our pets. And there have been studies imaging the brains of fully awake, unrestrained dogs in an attempt to under-stand their relationship with us from their point of view. According to all these studies, our connection is so close that we save each other in times of illness and stress just by our and their presence. Allen Schoen, DVM, says: “The kindred love we share with animals can regenerate the healing potential of all of us.”

I had my first experience with how deep our connection with dogs was when I was six years old: I was petrified to walk to school because of some bullies who lived on our street. Our dog, Blackie, a dog of unknown origins, took it upon himself to walk me to school, to hang around and then walk me home at the end of the day. During the day, any time I looked out a window, no matter from what side of the building, Blackie was there looking up at me. Octan, my first Airedale, knew things that happened at a distance. Once when I was boarding a train in Washington to come home to Boston, he got very excited at the exact time the train left the station. Another time, he alerted me when my then husband was held up while leaving a research library late at night.

When I asked list members for examples of how Airedales had known things and how Airedales are connected to them, I was flooded with responses that illustrate how tightly connected we are.

Airedales are protective and they let their owners know this: Mary wrote about how her Airedale, Nell, was gifted with incredibly good sense: On a trip to a favorite park one day, they had to stop for gas; the Airedale jumped out obviously thinking they were at the park. She looked up and down the road and got back in the car, as though she was telling Mary that she had made a mistake. Susan wrote that she had trained Phoenix to “watch ‗em.”

Hiking in the woods, if they meet another hiker, Phoenix sits on her left side and “watches ‗em” until they pass and are no threat! Lin writes that her Airedale, Wilson, recognizes people that might be up to no good. One day when an older man in a trench coat approached, Wilson started growling and didn‘t stop until the man was out of sight.

In another story, Deb wrote about a puppy she gave to her sister‘s family. After lots of phone calls about bad puppy stories in the first year, she received a call from her sister telling her how the Airedale, Abby, before going to bed every night checks the whole house, doors, and the children‘s rooms. Her sister then said: “Six months ago, I was ready to give her back. Now, if she got hurt or sick, we‘d sell the house to save her.” They protect us; and they protect each other. Mary L. tells about her Airedale, Nellie, who was out watching her 10 puppies playing. Suddenly Mary‘s husband heard a man screaming. Rushing out, he found a garbage truck driver with one of Nellie‘s puppies. Nellie had the man by his pants! Mary‘s husband told him to just gently put the puppy down. He did and Nellie let go of him and tended to her pup.

Airedales will protect their people from wild animals. Margaret wrote about an Airedale, Suzy, that she had some 30 years ago. They lived on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, 15 miles from their nearest neighbor. One night, Margaret was coming home from feeding fish when Suzy, who was ahead of her, started running around the cabin, making a lot of noise. When she came back, she had two large punctures: it turned out that there was a mother bear who was living with her cubs in the woods in back of the house. The next day, the bear moved her family to another location further away!

And they know things before we do: Lin writes, her Airedale, Alice, always alerts the family 20 minutes before an earthquake by going ―berserk and demanding to go outside. One day, however, Alice saved their home: she kept running back and forth from the sewing room to the kitchen. Lin finally went to the sewing room and opened the door. She immediately smelled smoke and discovered that her sewing chair had been pushed up against the knee lever of her sewing machine, making the ma-chine run and causing the problem. Paula discovered that her Airedale, Brodie, knew about a danger that happened a mile away. Brodie was jumping on the door, his hair standing on end, his teeth bared, and growling and snapping. There was no one outside their home, but she later learned that at that exact time, the police were chasing a break-in suspect a mile away! Paula writes: We are still asking ourselves how did Brodie know?

They‘re quick and talented: Elaine‘s Sunshade didn‘t like to stay tied to a post while Elaine went into a shop to get a cup of coffee. Three times, she found Sunshade sitting naked next to her harness and leash which were still tied to the post!

We are just as important to our Airedales‘ comfort and peace as they are to us. Nancy writes about Hannah who came to her at two years old. She was afraid of everything, had obviously never been in a house, wouldn‘t eat, and wasn‘t house broken. On her first night with them, Nancy decided to sleep on the floor with Hannah. She laid down, then Hannah laid down. ”She nestled into the curve of my body,” Nancy says, “as close as she could get. When we awoke in the morning, I knew that Hannah had fallen in love with me and adopted me. We adore each other. “

Airedales are well known for snitching food, and they will grab anything at a dinner party from a Lindt chocolate to a large ball of cheese. In the case of the cheese, the owner was telling guests about feeding her Airedales a raw diet: one guest asked her if they ate cheese: when she said yes, he said, “I don‘t think it‘s enough, as he just went outside with that beautiful cheese ball.”

They also comfort and protect us when we are alone or sick. Exuberant dogs who love to jump on people calm down and kiss a lady in a wheelchair. A very active Airedale goes into a hospital room and gently puts her head on the hand of someone who cannot move; another who really dislikes people hugging her lets a weeping guest hug her for two whole minutes. Jessica who has trained her Airedale to help her hear writes that her Airedale “is the reason I can sleep at night.”

Another person wants to watch a special show about dogs on TV and she fears that her dog will bark incessantly as she usually does at dogs on TV; instead, the dog puts her chin on the TV table and quietly watches the whole show.

Always, they know what they want, and they often figure out how to get it. A rescue dog goes from home to home because of bad behaviors until she ends up back with the original rescuer, and with her body language obviously says to the rescuer: “Well, I‘m home.” All the bad behaviors suddenly disappeared and never showed up again as she lives out her long life with the person she wanted. An Airedale at Maureen‘s who isn‘t fond of children learns to enjoy children from a grandson who sits down on the ground with the dog, gently and patiently patting and stroking her until she lays her head in his lap and closes her eyes: a new bond is created.

Our Airedales know how to stroke our love and make us smile. Jackie writes about getting her first Airedale: They wanted a female but when Jackie picked up a very full puppy, the little guy “put his paws around my neck and held me as to say ‘take me with you. I‘m the dog for you’. . . . I‘ll never forget how he picked me with the best hug I‘ve ever had in my life.” Of course, he went home with them. Another person tells about the time he was walking his Airedale in a park one evening. The man stopped to look around and the Airedale jumped up on him, putting his paws on his shoulder, and kissed his nose with his tongue. The man told me: “He told me he loved me and I said, ‘I love you too.’”

They love us, and they increase our capacity to love. We are connected to them as much as they are connected to us. Robyn sums all the stories up: “Believe me, Lassie has nothing on Aire-dales! They‘re all experts . . . we are very connected to our Airedales in more ways than we may realize. And just as they try their best to entertain us, they also want to communicate with us, care for us, and teach us how strong our bond can be.”

Our Airedale Connection:

Stories from Those Who Know Them Well

Joyce Miller

[This article is based on stories written by Airedale lovers from three Airedale lists: ADTshowbreeders, ADTnutrition, and TrainingAiredales. There was no way to include all the stories, but they are so good, that each of them is available in full on a blog titled Our Airedale Connection at http://airedalesinourlives.blogspot.com/]

Animals make us feel good, the experts say, and our Airedales make us feel very good. Much has been written about our relationship with animals and how they make our whole lives whole. But we also make their whole lives whole. Allen and Linda Anderson, in Angel Animals, say that when people and pets live in interdependence and harmony, all life is enriched: the animals make us feel good, and science has shown that they are good for our health. Many authors suggest that the quality of our lives and health is closely linked to our other-than-human relationships.

In an article titled Why We Need Animals in Our Lives, Wendy S. Myers cites some interesting statistics about our human-animal bond: Dog and cat people, according to a study in Australia, make fewer doctor visits and take fewer medicines than those who don‘t have pets. The lives of seniors, according to Companion Animals & Us: Exploring the Relationship Between People & Pets, are enhanced by a bond with animals. There have also been studies showing that we share similar brains and molecules of emotions as our pets. And there have been studies imaging the brains of fully awake, unrestrained dogs in an attempt to under-stand their relationship with us from their point of view. According to all these studies, our connection is so close that we save each other in times of illness and stress just by our and their presence. Allen Schoen, DVM, says: “The kindred love we share with animals can regenerate the healing potential of all of us.”

I had my first experience with how deep our connection with dogs was when I was six years old: I was petrified to walk to school because of some bullies who lived on our street. Our dog, Blackie, a dog of unknown origins, took it upon himself to walk me to school, to hang around and then walk me home at the end of the day. During the day, any time I looked out a window, no matter from what side of the building, Blackie was there looking up at me. Octan, my first Airedale, knew things that happened at a distance. Once when I was boarding a train in Washington to come home to Boston, he got very excited at the exact time the train left the station. Another time, he alerted me when my then husband was held up while leaving a research library late at night.

When I asked list members for examples of how Airedales had known things and how Airedales are connected to them, I was flooded with responses that illustrate how tightly connected we are.

Airedales are protective and they let their owners know this: Mary wrote about how her Airedale, Nell, was gifted with incredibly good sense: On a trip to a favorite park one day, they had to stop for gas; the Airedale jumped out obviously thinking they were at the park. She looked up and down the road and got back in the car, as though she was telling Mary that she had made a mistake. Susan wrote that she had trained Phoenix to “watch ‗em.”

Hiking in the woods, if they meet another hiker, Phoenix sits on her left side and “watches ‗em” until they pass and are no threat! Lin writes that her Airedale, Wilson, recognizes people that might be up to no good. One day when an older man in a trench coat approached, Wilson started growling and didn‘t stop until the man was out of sight.

In another story, Deb wrote about a puppy she gave to her sister‘s family. After lots of phone calls about bad puppy stories in the first year, she received a call from her sister telling her how the Airedale, Abby, before going to bed every night checks the whole house, doors, and the children‘s rooms. Her sister then said: “Six months ago, I was ready to give her back. Now, if she got hurt or sick, we‘d sell the house to save her.” They protect us; and they protect each other. Mary L. tells about her Airedale, Nellie, who was out watching her 10 puppies playing. Suddenly Mary‘s husband heard a man screaming. Rushing out, he found a garbage truck driver with one of Nellie‘s puppies. Nellie had the man by his pants! Mary‘s husband told him to just gently put the puppy down. He did and Nellie let go of him and tended to her pup.

Airedales will protect their people from wild animals. Margaret wrote about an Airedale, Suzy, that she had some 30 years ago. They lived on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, 15 miles from their nearest neighbor. One night, Margaret was coming home from feeding fish when Suzy, who was ahead of her, started running around the cabin, making a lot of noise. When she came back, she had two large punctures: it turned out that there was a mother bear who was living with her cubs in the woods in back of the house. The next day, the bear moved her family to another location further away!

And they know things before we do: Lin writes, her Airedale, Alice, always alerts the family 20 minutes before an earthquake by going ―berserk and demanding to go outside. One day, however, Alice saved their home: she kept running back and forth from the sewing room to the kitchen. Lin finally went to the sewing room and opened the door. She immediately smelled smoke and discovered that her sewing chair had been pushed up against the knee lever of her sewing machine, making the ma-chine run and causing the problem. Paula discovered that her Airedale, Brodie, knew about a danger that happened a mile away. Brodie was jumping on the door, his hair standing on end, his teeth bared, and growling and snapping. There was no one outside their home, but she later learned that at that exact time, the police were chasing a break-in suspect a mile away! Paula writes: We are still asking ourselves how did Brodie know?

They‘re quick and talented: Elaine‘s Sunshade didn‘t like to stay tied to a post while Elaine went into a shop to get a cup of coffee. Three times, she found Sunshade sitting naked next to her harness and leash which were still tied to the post!

We are just as important to our Airedales‘ comfort and peace as they are to us. Nancy writes about Hannah who came to her at two years old. She was afraid of everything, had obviously never been in a house, wouldn‘t eat, and wasn‘t house broken. On her first night with them, Nancy decided to sleep on the floor with Hannah. She laid down, then Hannah laid down. ”She nestled into the curve of my body,” Nancy says, “as close as she could get. When we awoke in the morning, I knew that Hannah had fallen in love with me and adopted me. We adore each other. “

Airedales are well known for snitching food, and they will grab anything at a dinner party from a Lindt chocolate to a large ball of cheese. In the case of the cheese, the owner was telling guests about feeding her Airedales a raw diet: one guest asked her if they ate cheese: when she said yes, he said, “I don‘t think it‘s enough, as he just went outside with that beautiful cheese ball.”

They also comfort and protect us when we are alone or sick. Exuberant dogs who love to jump on people calm down and kiss a lady in a wheelchair. A very active Airedale goes into a hospital room and gently puts her head on the hand of someone who cannot move; another who really dislikes people hugging her lets a weeping guest hug her for two whole minutes. Jessica who has trained her Airedale to help her hear writes that her Airedale “is the reason I can sleep at night.”

Another person wants to watch a special show about dogs on TV and she fears that her dog will bark incessantly as she usually does at dogs on TV; instead, the dog puts her chin on the TV table and quietly watches the whole show.

Always, they know what they want, and they often figure out how to get it. A rescue dog goes from home to home because of bad behaviors until she ends up back with the original rescuer, and with her body language obviously says to the rescuer: “Well, I‘m home.” All the bad behaviors suddenly disappeared and never showed up again as she lives out her long life with the person she wanted. An Airedale at Maureen‘s who isn‘t fond of children learns to enjoy children from a grandson who sits down on the ground with the dog, gently and patiently patting and stroking her until she lays her head in his lap and closes her eyes: a new bond is created.

Our Airedales know how to stroke our love and make us smile. Jackie writes about getting her first Airedale: They wanted a female but when Jackie picked up a very full puppy, the little guy “put his paws around my neck and held me as to say ‘take me with you. I‘m the dog for you’. . . . I‘ll never forget how he picked me with the best hug I‘ve ever had in my life.” Of course, he went home with them. Another person tells about the time he was walking his Airedale in a park one evening. The man stopped to look around and the Airedale jumped up on him, putting his paws on his shoulder, and kissed his nose with his tongue. The man told me: “He told me he loved me and I said, ‘I love you too.’”

They love us, and they increase our capacity to love. We are connected to them as much as they are connected to us. Robyn sums all the stories up: “Believe me, Lassie has nothing on Aire-dales! They‘re all experts . . . we are very connected to our Airedales in more ways than we may realize. And just as they try their best to entertain us, they also want to communicate with us, care for us, and teach us how strong our bond can be.”

We Used To Have Airedales

Mary writes: The Delaware Kennel Clubs held its annual "Dog Show" at the Delaware State Fair. This is not a real "dog show:" it is a deisplay of as many different breeds as we can get together to be available for the public to meet them and ask questions. We also do demos of obedience, agility, a CGC test, dancing dogs, trick dogs -- just a day of dog fun that the public can enjoy.

Well, we were in between special attractions and the spectators were going from dog to dog, petting them and asking about the breeds. I had our oldest Airedale, Cola (age 10), with us to accept scratches and pets from the people.

A couple in their mid-twenties was going by and suddenly the man stopped, looking at Cola like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"An Airedae!!!" he exclaimed. "That IS an Airedale I'm seeing."
"Yes, this is Cola and she is an Airedale."
"Can I pet her?" the man asked.
"Of course. That is why she is here."

He proceeded to sit down on the asphalt ground and called Cola to him. Then, he knew what to do: He started scratching her behind the years, under the chin, on her tummy, and Cola just sat soaking it all up.

"I grew up with an airedale. toby had to be the best dog ever. He was by far my best friend." He continued his story, all the time giving Cola a good amount of scratches and petting. "Right after my dog died, I joined the Air Force. I've been stationed in California for two years. I never saw an Airedale for all that time. Now I've been transferred to Dover AFB and right here, two weeks later, I've found an Airedale. Do you think Cola will let me hug her?"

"You can try and see." I replied.

He called Cola as close as he could get her and held her right up next to his face and whispered sweet nothing in her ear. I think he was telling her about his dog becaise I heard him mention Toby. Boy, did he hug her!

And in return, Cola licked away the tears that were running down his face.

A couple of minutes went by and with a final long hug, he thanked Cola and Joe and myself and said: "This made my day. I don't need to see the rest of the fair. I can go home happy. I saw an Aireale."

Introduction

OUR CONNECTION TO OUR AIREDALES:

Writing an article about our connection to our Airedales, I realized that the only way to write it was to ask Airedale people for stories about their connection to their Airedales. I ended up with so many great responses, and every story was unique. I could not put the whole articles, or even clips from all of them, in the article. As one person wrote: "you don't have enough for an article; you have enough for a book."

The stories are amazing. No two are alike in facts but every one of them is alike in that the stories they tell describe the bond, the two-way connection, between people and their Airedales. 

We owe a lot to our Airedales and our Airedales seem to believe that they owe us a lot. They have no other agenda than to be with people and to help people.

If you look at the list of breeds in the AKC, American Kennel Club, you quickly find out that every one of these breeds has a purpose related to people: even the little dogs that do no work: their purpose is loving humans, and they are good at that. The entry for Airedales says: "The undisputed "King of Terriers," the Airedale Terrier is the largest and hardiest of the terriers, and an all around useful dog. The breed’s coat is hard, dense and wiry, with a softer undercoat, and comes in both tan and black and tan and grizzle. This breed was one of the first used for police duty in Germany and Great Britain and has also been popular with Presidents, including Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. . .  The Airedale is thought to have originated in the valley of the Aire in England, descended from the now extinct black-and-tan type terrier."

With Airedales, we have a dog for all purposes: they are not only good at sucking up to us, but they are  good at hunting with the master, herding sheep for the farm, protecting the mistress and the home, and playing with the children. They have keen noses and a keen sense of humor. You can see them laughing!

So enjoy these stories. Each story was written by a lover of Airedales, and each story comes from the heart.

________________________________________________________________________

According to the information in the book, Companion Animals and Us, by Anthony L. Podberscek, Elizabeth S. Paul, and James A. Serpell, there has been an incredible growth in studies of the human-companion animal interactions over the past 30 years. Pets are in at least half of the homes in Western countries. And the questions being researched include: what is so special about the relationships people have with their pets? Are humans very different from the ancients in how we feel about animals? What can we learn about ourselves and our relationships with people from our relationships with pets? Are pets good for our health? Do pets help us be more compassionate with other people? The research done over these years involves fields that include anthropology, history, psychology, sociology, and human and animals medicine. In short, researchers are trying to figure out what is so special about our relationships with our pets.

Elaine and Sunshade 2

Elaine writes:

This was back in 2003, Sunshade was almost 4 years old. I walked to a Starbucks with her on one of the busy shopping streets here in Vancouver. I wanted a cup of coffee, so I left Sunshade outside. Yes, I left her without tying her up. I learned early on that Sunshade cannot stand being tied up without me for some reason. The previous three times that she was tied up (with increasing snugness to her harness each time), I came out to a naked dog waiting beside the harness and leash that were still tied to the post. This is a dog that would NEVER leave without me.

So continuing on with the story. I was waiting in line in this Starbucks on a particularly busy day. The line up was long and I did not have a clear view outside to where Sunshade was. I must have waited for at least 15
minutes if not longer. As I was approaching the glass door after finally getting my coffee, I saw a man standing beside Sunshade with a woman next to Sunshade. They expression told me the conversation wasn't a friendly one. I also noticed that Sunshade's harness was now on her neck instead of the correct harness position. I walked outside, and as soon as Sunshade saw me, she ran over to me all wiggly and *ahem* jumpy. As soon as Sunshade came over, this man took off running, into one of the side streets. I had no idea what was going on then, so imagine my surprise when the woman who was arguing with the man asked me "she's your dog?". She had a very confused look on her face. I said yes?? She right away said we needed to
call the police and make a police report because the man that took off was trying to STEAL Sunshade. She said the reason she started arguing with the man was because she saw him jerking and hitting Sunshade because she wouldn't walk. Actually, she said he tried to baby talk her first with food bribery, and when that didn't work, he started pulling and jerking her to walk. Sunshade put on her breaks. She was not mean to him in anyway, she just did not walk with him no matter what. According to the woman, who was sitting out on the patio, he jerked Sunshade so hard that her harness was being pulled over her head. Then he proceeded to grabbing Sunshade's scruff and shoving her. I guess when he grabbed her scruff, she turned and snapped at him, and he "punched" her face (that's according to this woman). So the woman was furious as she thought he was treating his dog poorly. She went over and threatened to call the SPCA, but he told her the dog bit him and how he trained "his dog" was none of her business, and that was when I walked out. Needless to say, that was the last time I ever left Sunshade outside any store. Three weeks after this incident, an Airedale was stolen outside a local Safeway. It was caught on security camera but the dog was never found I believe.

*****************************************************

Elaine Hu, Sunshade (the guinea pig loving Airedale) & Jaffa (who would
have been stolen had it been him outside the Starbucks!)

Elaine: Sunshade my first dog, my first Airedale 1

 Elaine writes:

Sunshade is my first dog, my first Airedale. She is my introduction to this amazing, clownish, one of a kind breed, and the reason I'm hooked on Airedales for life.

I moved out on my own when I was 16 due to an ugly divorce happening at home. My father got me an 8 week old Airedale puppy to keep me company. That puppy was later named Sunshade. I was in Grade 11 then, and her sole caretaker. She waited patiently for me everyday while I was at school. I didn't know about dog walkers or daycares like I do now. She was so easy, house trained at 4 months, never chewed anything, never a nuisance to the neighbours. She was perfect. She was so perfect that I never thought
anything different needed to be done. It wasn't until years later did I realize how un-usual her perfection was, especially for the breed, and at such a young age. It was almost like Sunshade was only meant to be with me so things were made possible for us to be together. Everyday after I got home from school, it was just our evening together. We went to parks, walked the streets, and visited my friends. Sunshade didn't have a family like most well loved dogs had. She never had anyone else to look forward to other than me. Surprisingly, she seemed content with that.

She saw me through high school, University and finally into the work force. Shortly after welcoming Sunshade into my life, she began to show me in every way that she was so much more than "just a dog". Thus, elevating her status to that of a human child to me.

She was very intuitive and very in tuned with my emotions. During my first year in Vancouver (I was 17), a drunk, homeless person decided to follow us on one of our nightly strolls. I was feeling uneasy, so I crossed the street to go to the opposite side walk. Sunshade followed me back and forth for some time. Eventually, she, then an 18 months old pup, decided that ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. She turned around, walked toward him (ignoring my "NO" and "come" commands), and parked herself in front of the homeless man who was waving a bottle at her. She didn't do anything other than blocking his access to me. The man didn't take her seriously. He kicked her hard and she fell. However, she wasn't to be intimidated. She got right back up, and still, she stood in between the man and me(and still ignoring all of my
commands). The man yelled, she didn't flinch. Finally, he decided to to go around her. Well, that was NOT allowed. He was NOT going to take even one step closer to me. She snarled and bared her her teeth. He was allowed to move in all directions but towards me. When he tried again to go around her the other way, she "held" him there with those deafening Airedale growls and barks (almost like those Schutzhund dogs). At one point she even looked like she was going to bite (but never did). I was a little shocked as I had NEVER seen my puppy in such state before. People in the apartment building next to the side walk must have heard the commotion and called the police.
 
Two policemen showed up. One asked me if he could approach as he thought Sunshade had been trained for personal protection. I was so relieved to see the police that I yelled YES,YES! SHE'S VERY FRIENDLY! As soon as Sunshade saw the first policeman approaching, she walked away from me and the homeless man. She headed straight to the police car where the second policeman was just getting out. Before he could shut the door, Sunshade climbed into the police car and proceeded to checking everything out. She has always had a thing for other people's cars. On her puppy test performed by the breeder, she was tested as a "curious" pup. It is still the case today. I guess she somehow knew the policemen were "good" so she happily left me with them and went to satisfy her curiosity with the police vehicle. One of the policeman said to me - " that's a great Airedale you've got there. They were war dogs you know?"

Sunshade is confident, yet calm. Those personality traits make it possible for her to accompany me everywhere I go. She doesn't get stressed and is never a nuisance. Yes... she attended many of my lecture classes during my years at the University of British Columbia.

In all the years I've been blessed with Sunshade, she has never failed to amaze me at the amount of "work" she's able to accomplish with her determination and high intelligence. With "work", I mean opening cupboards & drawers, un-locking car doors and etc. If you are on the Airedale Armageddon group, you might be familiar with those "can opening" pictures. The story of Sunshade's ability to unlock car doors was featured in the 2006 Oct-Dec edition of The American Airedale.

At 11 years old, Sunshade has continued to make me laugh on a daily basis with the stunts she pulls, and her unique quirks. She is funny, goofy, and full of character with people who she considers part of her pack, while aloof and standoff-ish (but never shy) with strangers. She is intuitive and protective of what's rightfully hers, and would give her life protecting ones she loves.

Over the last 11 years, Sunshade has been my best friend, my teacher, my loyal protector, and my sanity check-er. The unsurpassed trust and unmatched understanding we have of each other provide the confidence we need to achieve anything together, even in the face of the unknown. She has it in her to always try her best and do (and perfect) whatever it is that I ask of her. I on the other hand, strive to provide the best quality of life, and make her the happiest Aire-girrrrl in my world.

Sunshade is the light of my life, my heart and soul. She is my one in a million; the reason I'm the person I am today.

Halia and Ginger

Halia  writes: 

I have a story about our Ginger who will be 10 years old this month.  She is very much my fur child as when she came into our lives as a puppy we found out we wouldn't have children so I carried her and sang to her like she was our only child.

For some reason Ginger was anxious around other dogs and we went through a few obedience classes before we found an instructor that really understood her.  I looked like the 'bad mommy' since she would not respond to me in class although she would comply at home.  At home she would even repeat the commands over and over again which is not a particularly Airedalean way of doing things.  The benefit of so much training is that she now sits very prettily when she wants something.

The first class we went to were the 'stubble jumpers' group who also had other events that we would never be invited to.  I was new to the prairies and having a dog again and needed some guidance.  Ginger wasn't listening as long as there were other dogs in the room and she wouldn't look at me.

At one point we were heading out the door and puppy Ginger all of a sudden slowed down for me  so I could remove a hunk of eye gunk from the corner of her eye.  I know it may sound trivial but the looks on the onlookers faces said it all.  She was my 'grrl' and we had a very close relationship.  They knew it was unusual for a puppy to allow me to invade her space so easily.

After another 'failed' class, the last class we found had a wonderful instructor that did things like wrap Ginger up like a Christmas present to help reduce her anxiety.  We were directed to attend agility instead of obedience and to my delight after not participating very much Ginger did the whole course twice (except the large climbing up and down part) to a standing ovation.  It was our last class as we were moving.

People have issues as dogs do and it takes some patience and understanding to help both.  Ginger and I do everything we can together including exploring the many food types that she got used to as a puppy on the raw food diet.  She's very vocal and now as a senior has developed an ear shattering bark to let me know her needs and wants.  

We wouldn't have it any other way.  She has taught me so much and is a wonderful substitute child albeit very furry.