Airedale Puppy on An Adventure

My mum found this cute little video of an Airedale puppy goin' on an adventure by herself.  You should watch it but you have to go to the link because my mum couldn't put the real video here on our blog.  Just click here -- right here where the print is a different color -- to see the video on MSN.

I think my mum should get me an Airedale puppy.  I would take her to my sister's farm where there are two goats and we would play and explore.  But we wouldn't need the goat to lead us home because I would do that.

That's all for now.  Bye.

--from Hannah.
http://msnvideo.msn.com/?videoid=396e7649-ca4d-4e34-9869-c5f074c9cc41&src=v5:share:sharepermalink:uuids&from=sharepermalink

My Nephew and Me

These are photos of my nephew and me.  He's 15 months old now and came to visit with his mom for a few days.  It was interesting having a boy my size around.  Well, he's a shorty so maybe I am still taller than him.... 

Here we are looking out the door together.  Mum forgot to put the flash on so she got these photos that're sort of shadowy.

Here I am looking out the door and Mali is petting me.  He was very gentle to me and I was pretty gentle to him, too.  Mum said I have to be very careful around him because he's a new walker.  He likes to hold little things and really liked my tags but my mum wouldn't let him have them.

My sister was afraid I'd be jealous of him but I wasn't.  I just made sure Mum didn't forget me and that I'm her best girl.

They are coming to visit again for Thanksgiving.  I'm looking forward to turkey then!  How about you?

--Hannah.

Roger, the Census Airedale

Some of you may know that my mum is interested in family history.  She looks at old census records a lot trying to find her ancestors.  In case you didn't know, a census is a like counting off except you put your name and age and some other information.  They ask information like name, age, birthplace, occupation, whether married and number of children. It's only for people but Mr. Little, a man in England in 1911, decided he wanted to include his dog, Roger.  (You can click on the picture if you want to see it bigger.)

The people in the Little family are on lines 1-4.  Then, on line 9, Mr. Little wrote, "Incidentally, we have an Airedale Terrier.  I don't know whether particulars are required, but in case you want them here they are."

On line 11, he wrote Roger's information:
He was 5 years old and had more than 100 children.  His occupation was watchdog, he was self-employed, and he looked after the house both inside and outside.  He was born in Keighley, Yorkshire. 

Isn't it perfect that he was born in Yorkshire because Airedales started in Yorkshire!

I wish my mum would put me on a census so people would know about me in 100 years.

I wonder if Roger looked anything like me.

--from Hannah.
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Paper Airedale Blue

My mum goes nuts over paper Airedales.  She has a huge collection of 'em she keeps in a book.  I told her she should start posting her paper 'dales because I still don't like being in pictures (just sometimes I let her take one).

She found this one in Sunday's newspaper.  It was part of an advertisement for Pet Cancer Awareness.  She's sure that puppy is an Airedale.  I think it is, too, because we Airedales are the biggest terriers (we're the King of Terriers, or in my case, the Queen, you know) and that puppy is way bigger than that cat.

So maybe I'll persuade my mum to keep on posting her paper 'dales.  (As much as she loves her paper 'dales, she loves me lots, lots, lots more than them.)

I love my mum, too.  For Mother's Day I let her play with my favorite toy for two minutes.

Bye for now,
from Hannah
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Me and My Nephew

My nephew, Malachi - or Mali for short, came to visit for a few days.  He sits up now so he didn't have to lean against me or lay on me and he didn't want to ride me this time, either. 

My mum says I look like a towser in this photo. Her dad used to call dogs who looked a little unkempt towsers.  I don't think I look so bad just because my hair's grown a little long.  My mum clips me in the breezeway and it's too cold for a clip right now - both for her to clip and for me to have so little hair in this cold weather. 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and got all the presents you wanted.  I hope you get lots of nice things in the new year, too.  Happy New Year.

--from Hannah.
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Thankful Me!

My whole family was here this weekend:  both of my sisters, my brother-in-law, and my 5-month-old nephew, Malachi.  You remember that I thought he was a squeak toy when he was tiny?

I was very interested in all the little toys my mum bought but they were for Mali.  I think she will buy some for me soon.

Mali pulled my beard and some of my other hairs.

He rolled all over me.

Then he got on me like I was a horse!

But you see what I got? It was a wipes wrapper.

I loved it because it made a fun, crinkly sound.

My mum didn't let me keep it too long, though,

because she thought I would try to eat it.

Mali and I might become best buddies when he's a little older.

And I like that Mum said I was a Very-Good-and-Patient-Girl.

But the very best part of Thanksgiving was turkey

with my dinner four days in a row!

(Maybe mum will give me some tomorrow, too!)

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. 

--from Hannah.

Tuckbuttrunning

Do you see me doing a tuckbuttrun?

I was so fast Mum couldn't catch me with her camera.

Now look at this one below.  There I am!

Tuckbuttruns are so fun.

Mum tries to tag me when I run past her.

I love this one. She almost didn't catch me!

After I race around the yard a hundred times

I rest and survey my kingdom - er, queendom.

I hope you have fun tuckbuttrunning!

Sunday School Dogs

Two little Airedale pups are we 

Shaggy of coat and of gender "she."

I just discovered these two Airedale puppies which Christine of The Daily Postcard shared a while ago in her post Sunday School Dogs.  In the post she explains that a Sunday School teacher used the postcard to invite one of her students to a meeting.  The teacher had crossed out the writing on the front.

When I asked Christine if I could use the postcard image here she sent it to me almost immediately.  She also shared the following story:

I used to have an Airedale mix. She was a gem. Years ago when I had the dog, I also had a room mate who had a landscaping business. She would take Chloe to work with her, which was much better than leaving her at home by herself. Chloe loved to dig, so it was a perfect partnership. My room mate would point to a spot on the ground and tell Chloe to dig. That dog would dig until someone told her to stop. Then, my roommate would tell her to dig in another spot...and another. In the meantime, my room mate would be getting all of the plants ready to place in the ready-made holes.

When my room mate and I parted ways, I realized that if Chloe came with me she would be cooped up at home all day while I was at the office. As much as it broke my heart, we agreed that she would be much happier spending the days outdoors, digging holes and getting lots of attention. She was the best dog ever. Sniff sniff.

Gotta love those Airedales!  And generous Christine to think first of Chloe's needs!

Thanks for visiting!
--Nancy.

The Bad Dog Chocolate Caper

I don't know why my mum gave this post that title.  It wasn't really such a big deal.

My mum's been laid up after foot surgery and my pop had to take her for a doctor's appointment.  While they were gone I found 3 Symphony milk chocolate with toffee bars and a bag of Reese's peanut butter cups that Mum had hidden behind a bunch of other stuff.  It was work to get them but I succeeded and they were very yummy.  Except maybe the foil on the Reese's wasn't so great.

I don't know why Mum and Pop were unhappy with me when they came home saw the wrappers on the floor.  (I knew I should have eaten those wrappers.  Get rid of all the evidence.  I'm learning that!)  My mum loves chocolate, I love chocolate.  They seemed worried about me.  Mum said chocolate is bad for dogs even though it's never hurt me before.  Anyway, they called the vet and took me in to have me checked out.  Hooray!  I got to go somewhere!

What we all found out is that before milk chocolate is really dangerous, an Airedale can eat one ounce -- that's 1 ounce -- for every pound she weights.  So that 24 ounces of milk chocolate I ate was nearly nothin'.  I could have eaten 60 ounces!  My mum says she can't understand why I wasn't sick.  She said she could eat a lot of chocolate and not get sick but she couldn't eat 24 ounces.  And, she said, I'm littler than her.

I had to eat special dog food that was really yummy but I didn't get very much of it at a time.  And I'm out of luck now because they're hiding the chocolate even better than before and in higher places.  They won't even let me look at it or sniff it!  I knew I should've eaten those wrappers.

Remember, Airedale friends, eat just a little less ounces of chocolate than pounds you weight and you'll be fine.

from Hannah

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from Nancy, Hannah's mum:
Airedale moms and dads, hide your chocolate!  Once your Airedale gets a taste for it, it's all over.  She will climb ladders, jump through hoops, and dig to the ocean to get it.  She may even learn to open cupboard doors!

The Dog Breed Guessing Game with the Airedale

There was this little dog quiz online...

It says, "Known as the dog that can 'do it all,' this well-rounded pooch started as a guard dog, messenger, pest controller, and hunter.  Active and smart, this mid-sized, wiry-haired canine is recognized as a good police dog and family pet."

My mum read it to me and I knew exactly which breed was the answer, and I didn't have to look at the pictures or hear the choices.  It's US!  See:

It says, "Airedales, known as the 'King of Terriers,' are bold, brave dogs, bright, and often stubborn.  Not afraid to stand up for themselves, they make good family pets, and high-spirited, protective companions.  Airedales can get bored easily and need vigorous exercise daily, like a rousing game, a long walk, or a chance to run and romp."

That's me!  (Except I'm a Queen of Terriers instead of a king.)

from Hannah

Patricia McConnell Online

Do you know about Patricia McConnell? She is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist.  You might think she'd use lots of fancy words to tell people what she does, but her books are very readable and easily understood.  She teaches about interactions between dogs and dogs, and dogs and their people.  I read, loved, and learned a lot from her book, The Other End of the Leash.  I was thrilled to learn that she has a blog, The Other End of the Leash.  It, too, is very readable - actually a joy to read - even to the non-scientific among us.  

At her blog I learned that she is presenting an ASPCA webinar on December 6.  (For those who don't know, a webinar is an online seminar.  You register to attend, then receive a link to the webinar website.  You're able to listen (and possibly watch) and ask questions (sometimes online or sometimes via a phone call).)  This particular webinar is for animal welfare professionals, volunteers, and foster parents.

I volunteer with ATRA and I hope to be able to listen to the webinar.  I'm all for anything that helps me improve Hannah's life and my relationship for her.  It should be interesting and fun.

Registration for the webinar is not yet open but I'm sure it will be soon.

posted by Nancy.

Watch Me Surprise My Mum

This is the frog I was playin' with when she took the video below this one.

She liked to watch me playin' -- and then I really surprised her.

She laughed after she was finished being surprised!

I hope you're havin' a fun autumn.

from Hannah

My Favorite Toy

I have a basket of toys that I can play with any time I want.  Sometimes I spread them all over the floor.

But some toys my mum puts up high and says I can only play with them under supervision - whatever that is.

When I want to play with those toys I have to ask her to get them down for me.  I stare at the toy I want, then go to Mum and try to get her to go back to the toy I want.  She finally figures it out.

One of my favorites is the toy she calls Frances.  (It's the stretchy pink one up there.)  I first got Frances last Christmas time.  My sister bought Francis for my brother-in-law and then they let me play with her for a little while.  They saw how much I loved her and they gave her to me.  I've had 3 Franceses so far.

I like to flip Frances up and down, toss her around, and chew on her.  She is so much fun.  Sometimes my mum and I play tug with her.

My mum and I played tug with the last one and my mum broke her in two.  She had to buy me a new Frances. I wish my mum would let me have her all the time but she says she has to protect me, so she puts Frances back up high until she can watch me play with her.  Mum usually gets her down whenever I ask.  I think Frances is my Very Best Toy. 

What's one of your favorite toys?
from Hannah

Everything's Funny to An Airedale

One of the characteristics that endears Airedales to me is their sense of humor and their joi de vivre. But not everyone loves those traits.

I have an older friend who had an Airedale. Her husband wanted the Airedale puppy but she wasn't so sure. They picked up the puppy one evening and when they got home her husband put the puppy in the hallway and went to bed, leaving her to take care of it. She wasn't happy. She grew to love the Airedale as much as her husband and was beyond sad when they lost her.

Even though she loved their Airedale, she didn't really like Airedales because, she said,

"Everything's funny to an Airedale."

There's the truth of it! Airedales have a great sense of humor and they're always ready to laugh at you and at themselves. Not only that, they love making their humans laugh. They're ready for a good time most any time -- except when there's some business at hand, and then it's all work and no play.

Our Hannah is generally a serious girl. We think its because of the early abuse and neglect during her first two years. As she gains confidence we're seeing bits of humor now and then. It's fun to watch her blossom but I doubt she'll ever regain the Airedale spirit that she was born with.

To you Airedale readers out there: What do you do to make your humans laugh?

Thanks for stopping by.

posted by Nancy.

Just When She's About to Take a Photo

My mum likes to take photos of me, but she says it's awful hard to have a blog about an Airedale when the Airedale -- me! -- doesn't like to be photographed!

This is what I do just when she snaps the photo.

I turn my head to the right.

I look at Mum, hang my ears down, and look unhappy.

I turn my head to the left, look wild-eyes, and pull my ears back even further.

I turn my head to the left, put my ears low, and squinch my eyes.

Mum says we're gonna keep practicing because she's sure I can become a better model. I want to be a model like Wyatt and Stanzie & Molly, and Mitch. They are good models!

Thanks for stoppin' by.
from Hannah