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.

________________________________________________________________________