Rocket Dog's TuckButtRun

My mum thinks this Rocket Dog is an Airedale doing a tuckbuttrun. Do you think so, too?

I think I look like that when I do tuckbuttruns. My ears go back and my tail sticks out. I go super speedy fast. I go so fast that my mum can't take a picture of me. She tried to take a video of me once when I was tuckbuttrunning but all that showed up was bits of me. I'm fast and she's slow.

Do you do tuckbuttruns?

Posted by me, Hannah.

Do Not Forget Me!

Most mornings my mum and I walk with our friend Janni.
When we first get up my mum makes me go outside
and she goes back inside. Sometimes I'm afraid she'll forget me.
I stand at the breezeway door waiting for it to open.

Then I spot my mum through the window.

If she doesn't let me in immediately
I tell her how important it is for me to come in because
I don't want her to go for a walk without me.

If she still doesn't let me in, I start to grumble,
then I complain, then I bark, then I howl.
My mum's never left without me but sometimes I'm afraid she will.
I love to go for walks because
I get to see and sniff those nice, soft, chewy cats.

Posted by Hannah.

Man of the Hour - Norah Jones

"It's him or me." That's what he said.
But I can't choose between a vegan and a pothead,
So I chose you because you're sweet
And you give me lots of lovin' and you eat meat.
And that's how you became my only man of the hour.

You never lie and you don't cheat,
And you don't have any baggage tied to your four feet.
Do I deserve to be the one who will feed you breakfast, lunch, and dinner
And take you to the park at dawn?
Will you really be my only man of the hour?

I know you'll never bring me flowers.
Flowers they will only die.
And though we'll never take a shower together
I know you'll never make me cry.
You never argue, don't even talk
And I like the way you let me lead you
When we go outside and walk.

Will you really be my only man of the hour?
My only man of the hour, my only man of the hour.

The Gill Brothers Airedale

Isn't he a handsome fellow? I found him in the August 8, 1913, edition of The Bemidji (Minnesota) Pioneer.

















I love finding Airedales in ads, no matter the year. I know they were very popular in the 1920s but I hadn't realized that they were already popular in the 19-teens. These days it's uncommon to see Airedales in ads -- but I know all ADT lovers perk up when we see them.

For the Love of Airedales - Help Some of Them Get Home At Last

Some of you may already know that I participate in the online Airedale Rescue Quilting Bee. Every year we collaborate to create a quilt focused on Airedales. This year's quilt is called "Home at Last" in honor of the rescue process and the help given by hundreds of volunteers in various Airedale rescue groups across the U.S. The proceeds from donations for this quilt will help homeless Airedales find homes at last. I hope you can find it in your heart and pocketbook to make a donation of $5.00 or more. In return, you'll have an opportunity for this beautiful quilt to be yours.

Go to Airedale Quilting Bee to learn more about "Home at Last" and the ladies who made it. The Airedales will be grateful and so will I and the rest of the quilters.

Hannah is not a lover of baths but at least she doesn't fight against them. Into the tub she goes and I pour water, add shampoo, wash, then rinse.

As I was shampooing her today she kept turning her head into my arms. I asked her to please turn her head the other way. She suggested I just move my arms out of her way!

Finally rinsed and slightly dried, she hopped out of the tub and shook.

We got the job done and she looks and feels great!

She's Up to It Again!

When I heard noises outside the window I suspected Hannah was up to it again, but by the time I got to the breezeway to snap some photos, she'd stopped digging and was standing in her hole. She walked away to investigate, returned a few minutes later, and settled very comfortably into her cool spot.

Why is it I can never catch her digging?!

I know some people don't like their dogs to dig but Airedales are diggers and Hannah confines her holes to behind the bushes next to the house. We have no mines in our yard.

Uh oh! What did I just say? I may be in for it now!

Airedales are True Friends

In addition to loving Airedales, I enjoy family history and often search old newspapers for obituaries and other announcements. I was thrilled to find this ad for Velvet tobacco in the January 21, 1920, issue of The Steubenville Herald-Star. Isn't this drawing of an Airedale grand?!

Airedales were popular in the 1920s but they didn't always look like our Airedales of today. This one does!

He's part of an ad for Velvet tobacco. While I don't condone the use of tobacco I certainly appreciate Velvet's choice to use an Airedale to represent a true friend.

If you'd like to see the images larger, you can click on them. They'll open in the same window. When you've finished, click the back arrow on your browser to return you to this blog post.

I hope you're enjoying your Airedale and find that he or she is the truest friend you've ever had!

Airedale Equipment: The Great Big Black Licorice Nose

There are several variations of and uses for the Airedale nose. Sometimes the nose is clean and wet; sometimes clean and dry; and sometimes dirty or muddy. The uses of the nose include sniffing out biscuits (or other delicious bits of food), other animals, or the remains of other animals; pushing objects to invesitgate or move them; nose-poking to get the attention of the Airedale's human; and to assist in the digging process.

How does your Airedale use his or her nose? Do you notice a difference in the noses of the Airedales you've loved?

How to Avoid Airedale Mind Control

Airedale lovers know the persuasive powers of the Airedale mind. This video teaches one way for Airedale owners to protect themselves from those powers - with use of a tin foil hat. This video was originally presented on Electech. Enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome to My Airedales and Me. This blog is relatively new (even though the first post was over a year ago). I don't know how often I'll be able to post but I hope to add content as often as I can.

Have fun with your Airedale!

When You Foster

When you foster an Airedale your heart gets involved. And when that foster Airedale leaves, even though she's going to what may become her forever home, your eyes and heart cry. Another rescue volunteer (whose probably fostered hundreds of Airedales and sent them on to forever homes) tells me that she still cries.

Little Bit, a girl we fostered for nearly four months, left this morning to try out living at a home that could become her forever home. She's a 9-month-old puppy whose confidence is bigger than she is; whose attitude is bold; and whose style is energetic. She's sweet as all get-out with the uprights -- and wants to be in charge of all the four-leggeds. The home where she's going has a one-year pup of a different terrier breed. They seemed to get along well during the visit. We hope they'll continue to get along.

There were several reasons why it was best for Little Bit to go to a new home but the most important was because she and Hannah didn't develop the best of relationships.

However, Hannah now misses Bit. She asked to go outside a few hours after Bit left. She only wanted to look out the breezeway door to see if a car was bringing Bit back. And she repeated her request to check the driveway several times. Hannah may be hurting a bit at her absence - she had no way of knowing what was coming. I, on the other hand, knew Bit would be leaving and yet I was not able to prevent my heart from being involved.

I'm grateful that we can foster 'dales in need and yet sad when they leave. If it doesn't work out at her new home, she'll come back again. I hope the best for you, Little Bit! I hope you grow into a very well-mannered adult Airedale!

Tug-A-Whirl

When Little Bit first came she didn't know how to play tug. Whenever Hannah and I played Bit became very upset and growly. Hannah eventually taught her that tug can be fun. They don't play often but they play hard when they do. It sometimes becomes energetic, fast, and furious!




Hannah on the left, Bit on the right.













Bit on the left, Hannah on the right.













Bit on the left, Hannah on the right.













Who knows? And where is the tugger, anyway?!

Ten Tiny Terriers (but probably not Airedale Terriers)

The first time I saw this little clip was about 25 years ago. The TV was small and the clip short. In that brief moment I thought I was seeing Airedale puppies. Probably not, but you can imagine the black saddle and face and you know the Airedale puppy energy! Enjoy!