Member Articles

Member Articles and Reprints from our Newsletters

This is our effort to bring you more information and events from the CATC newsletter, "Aire-ing The News".

Happily for them, the answer from Dan was a confident “Yes!” He first evaluated the dogs, which included a review of their history prior to coming into the CATC Rescue. A number of important questions had to be answered before the dogs could be matched up with new homes. Could the dogs be separated from one another? Would they be better in homes with other dogs or pets? What kinds of experiences and socialization were missing from their lives so far? With Dan’s help, both dogs began to respond well in new and expanding environments. It was determined that the dogs would actually benefit from separation, being quite different from one another. Separating them would further open their minds and hearts to their people, rather than keeping them focused on each other. Dan worked with the dogs to promote good new habits, and a healthy curiosity about their world. He spent time and attention establishing the trust and authority that would be the new foundation for future health and fulfilling dog/owner relationships.

Dan’s work paid off! Today, placed in their permanent homes, Ella and Amos are doing well. I had the privilege of talking to both of their families. Alfred and Linda Temple couldn’t be more pleased with their companion, Amos. The love and warmth in Linda's voice speaks for itself, as she shares about life with Amos. “He’s such a doll! I couldn’t find a better friend?” She goes on to say that Amos is somewhat of a homebody, who craves the company of his family and follows them from room to room as they go about their day. “Everybody who meets him just falls in love,” she relates about this Airedale ambassador. He has even learned some tricks, with gusto. He has learned “Play dead”, and displays great warmth and intelligence. He listens to his human family, and tries very hard to please. In talking to Linda, it's obvious that both her family and Amos have made a good match. Ella has had equal good fortune. She lives on a ranch, and has another 3 year old Airedale to join in her adventures.

Connie Marianella was happy to share about life with Ella. “She spends her days busy about the ranch. She can dig to her heart’s content, hunting gophers, and she loves to chase the hawks on our property!” Connie tells me that Ella is delightful company. “I don’t know what all her past experiences have been, but with each passing day, they get farther behind her. She seems to understand more and more that her life will never go back to what it was. She just gets happier and happier, and more trusting every day that we have her.” Connie and family are experienced Airedale owners, having had them for over 30 years. Ella is their fourth Airedale. Their previous Airedales lived to be over 15 years old, loved and appreciated their whole lives. It’s good to know Ella will benefit from the same love and care her Airedale forerunners also enjoyed.

Our thanks and appreciation are extended to Dan Irish for the part he played in bringing these two to their current happy homes. Dan Irish has been working with dogs since childhood, and has amassed impressive and varied experience. He has worked with several Police Canine Units, training dogs and people for the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, Martinez Police Department, Oakland Police Department, and more. He also assists several breed rescues, including Golden Retriever and Bulldog, as well as our Airedale rescue. His special area of interest is in bite prevention, and he was worked with postal carriers, meter readers and others who work with the occupational hazard of dog attacks. He has also worked with many public schools, teaching kids to understand dog behavior and educating them about our furry companions. Dan states, “I want to teach children and adults that a dog can be their best buddy, and will be for life if trained well.” Dan has over 30 years of experience working with therapy dog, Search & Rescue, Police Dog Training, and handicap aide dogs for the hearing impaired. His unique experiences include medical research training dogs to detect the presence of cancer.

Dan’s experiences with the CATC Rescue include not only his work with Ella and Amos and a previous rescue Airedale that he ended up adopting into his home, but several others, including “Duke”, who you will be reading about further along in this newsletter. Dan works with the dogs that come to him from several rescues, taking them into his home and integrating them into his mixed pack of canine companions. He has several different breeds in his home pack, and they all work together to outfit the rescue dogs they host with a happy, healthy outlook, and new life experiences. In the setting of his ranch home, with Dan Irish and his own dogs, many opportunities arise for spontaneous training and education. The rescue dogs learn to successfully navigate the world and love and trust again. Dan has made a significant contribution to our rescue effort. Ella, Amos and their families are a living testament to the success of his canine behavior training, his experience and the love he pours into his work for the CATC Rescue and for all the dogs and owners he has helped over the years. Thank you Dan, for making permanent homes a reality for some of our recent rescues!

Editor’s note: Should you wish to retain Dan’s services for behavioral consultations, he can be reached at: PO Box 65, West Point, CA 95255, 209-293-7489

MEET ANIMAL BEHAVIORIST DAN IRISH & TWO OF HIS CATC RESCUE SUCCESS STORIES By Kimberley Harper

Ella and Amos came to the CATC Rescue in need of understanding, socialization, and good new homes. The two dogs started out life together, going from the same litter into the same shared home. As they grew up and took on personalities of their own, they became more and more of a handful to their original families, who eventually surrendered them to our Rescue.

Upon acceptance and initial evaluation, Virginia Smith of the CATC Rescue sought the help of professional and highly experienced canine behaviorist and trainer, Dan Irish. She had first met Dan when she attended a talk he gave to the Sacramento Council of Dog Clubs. With Dan’s help, would it be possible to turn these two unruly terriers around?

Clash of the Coneheads By Kimberley Harper

Poor Sunny! Poor Heri! I felt horrible for them, survivors of minor surgery, drooping around in their hated elizabethan plastic collars, as dejected as two dogs could be. Both dogs were slinking around, garnering a houseful of sympathy and putting on quite a drama for their unsuspecting audience. When I picked them up at the vet's, Heri was genuinely disoriented. If he even tapped the edge of the oversized plastic collar on anything, he would gyrate and leap backwards like a fish on a line, regardless of what was in his panicked path. Sunbeam was, true to character, calmer and more stoic in her responses. If she bonked into anything with the cone collared around her neck, she went into a Ms. Freeze routine and no amount of coaxing or calling would would melt her back into motion. The only way to get either dog moving again was to grasp the top edge of the plastic cone and steer them to clear ground. We had been dealing in this manner for two days now. Heri refused to eat, and Sunbeam was moving around as little as possible, spending most of her day lying in the best chair, moaning every few minutes to remind us of her wretchedness. They were pictures of misery, hanging heads and tails and hunched shoulders, periodically emitting the most pitiful of birdlike chirps and whines. As a result, Sunny and Heri were getting more than their share of treats, petting, and comfy pillows.

My first clue to their recovery should have been the response of our other two dogs, who would touch noses in whispered conference, then turn and look at my husband and I with their most scathing looks. (They were clearly broadcasting the message, "What a couple of chumps!" but the chumps remained clueless.) My heart was filled with sympathy for Sunny and Heri. I was forgetting that these were Airedales, survivors of spirit and spunk and as mercurial as any creature on the planet. This morning, however, I did notice a change, as Heri seemed to be having a lot of "accidents", knocking things over !with a great clash and clatter-- a vase, the cat's food station, a huge potted plant. And he didn't seem fazed in the least. What was going on?!? No more freezing, jumping, quirking backwards out of the way! He then graduated from knocking things over to scooping things up in the collar's edge-- squeekie toys, a sandwich, dirt (which he brought in and sprinkled across the kitchen floor while I squealed and ran for the vacuum.) He and Sunny suddenly couldn't walk past anything without slamming into it, creating an echoing crack as their cones flattened whatever they came in contact with. They looked so innocent, surprised at the random destruction left in their meandering paths.

Now the two dogs were snuffing around the yard, quietly subdued, until they caught each other's eye. Ears went up, eyebrows raised. At once, the yard, the other dogs, people and noises slid into the background as they drew each other in and focused. Let the games begin! All trauma, misery, and depression fled in an instant. The two dogs ran at each other from across the yard, flashing in and out of the trees, dragging the edges of their previously hated conehead collars along the fence line with a joyful noise. Bam! Take that, pine tree! Wack! Take that, stupid cat. You can't reach my nose! Hah Hah! And finally, with a clash of plastic cymbals, take that you other Airedale! The Airedales ran at each other from across the yard and slammed their coneheads together like Rams battling in the Rockies. All of a sudden, the whole miserable drama was cast aside in a wild game of “Gotcha”. The dogs raced around and around the yard, finally falling in a panting heap in the middle of the living room, open mouths laughing, tongues run out and panting, to rise again and joyfully bump everything in the household back to life. Airedales! From misery to mania in 9.5 seconds.

The Magic That is Crufts! by Frank Stevens

IN MEMORIAM: Champion Greenfield’s Celtic Legend June 1999 – June 2005.

More than a dog show, Crufts is a spectacular, magnificent, colossal dog happening. Set at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England, it is without a doubt the greatest and most internationally diverse dog event in the world. Agility, obedience, tracking, herding, drill teams, rescue dogs, dancing dogs, miles of canine art, jewelry, and artifacts and “oh yes” full conformation competition in every breed known to mankind. The majority of those in attendance appear to be happy just to be present, with or without a four-legged friend, regardless of whether or not they win one of those uniquely embossed ribbons with the green border. It seems to be a gala reunion after the winter months, which gives the dog world a jump start to the forthcoming show season. Maybe the fact that it’s the dog show to end all dog shows means the feeling of actually being present outweighs the desire to win. How else can you explain an entry of over 22,000 dogs and human attendance averaging 120,000 for four days?

For me in my initial visit, the opportunity to attend and compete with a magnificent dog and win both the Breed and Group Third was memorable. The Airedale entry of 92 was outstanding –– fully comparable to our best American shows. British and European Airedales are larger and more statuesque but otherwise quite similar to US dogs. When shown they are repeatedly sparred and allowed to naturally stack themselves. Generally in the lower classes as in the U.S., the dogs are handled by their breeder-owners. In the open class where the British and foreign champions are shown, most of the handlers are professionals. To obtain a Certificate of Championship, a foreign champion must first win the Open Dog Class and then win what in America would be the Winners Dog. The same procedure is used for judging the bitches with the Best of Breed being a two dog competition between the Winners Dog and the Winners Bitch.

The rings were large and rectangular, beautifully carpeted and well set off from the crowds. Our judge, Ingela Nilsson from Sweden, after her examination moved each dog in a huge triangle to check the gait down, back and on the go-around and then sparred each entry both individually and collectively with the other competitors. The crowd surrounding the ring was huge, 10 to 12 deep, but not as cramped or congested as at Westminster. Crufts is a bench show so all the competitors remained on site throughout the day, kibitzing with the crowd and fellow Airedalers in an endless exchange of dog-related small talk. The Airedale ring and benching area was spacious, well laid out, and consistent with the overall show set-up – extremely dog-friendly with easy access to loading ramps and parking. The presentation of the awards and ribbons to the winners was a bit more formal but still exciting and the television crews and photographers from Britain, the Continent, and the U.S. were everywhere. Later in the evening of the same day before a crowd of thousands in a huge arena attached to the complex, although a good city block away, the terrier group was judged with full coverage by the BBC. The Brits must have been watching because everywhere we went Erik was recognized and called by name. Yes, he was a real celebrity.

In the Crufts terrier group report in "Dog World", the headline read: "It Was a Rout of the British Dogs" The article sadly proclaimed: “THE FOREIGNERS slaughtered the Brits in this year’s quality terrier group where the only saving grace was that at least the winner, Coco, the Norfolk terrier handled by American-based Peter Green, was home bred.” It also was reported that “an overseas visitor, an Airedale named Greenfield’s Celtic Legend had taken the spoils in Group 3 back to California from whence he came. Such an event would have been impossible just a few years ago, but with the changes in the ‘immigration laws’ have come opportunities for overseas ‘raiders’ to plunder our CC’s, Best of Breeds, Groups, and even the Best in Show itself.”

Such are the risks of free and open competition. The Brits however are to be commended for modernizing their quarantine procedures and giving the rest of the dog world access to this ,The World’s Greatest Dog Show. In the future, this “foreign invasion” will grow and this wonderful event will become even more competitive and international thus adding to The Magic that is Crufts.

Editor’s Note: Greenfield’s Celtic Legend (Erik) passed away suddenly of bloat at the Great Western Terrier Show. He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved his presence in the ring. Our deepest sympathy to Frank.

Bloat can strike even the best cared-for dog. Readers are advised to learn its symptoms as immediate veterinary intervention is critical regardless of time of day. If your veterinarian is not available 24/7, please learn the location of an emergency vet clinic near your home and when you are traveling. The American Airedale is providing more information in an upcoming issue; we will see if we can get permission to reprint in this newsletter for our subscribers who do not receive that publication.

Impressions of My First Airedale Terrier Specialty By Janell Hayes

As a "first-timer" at the CATC Airedale Specialty, I have been asked to share my thoughts about the event. I'm not new to attending specialties and what I found very refreshing was the comradeship and friendship amongst the participants and the support of the two venues - conformation and obedience.

The club member turnout to watch the Obedience Specialty on Thursday evening was impressive. After competing in obedience with my Westie for the past 6 years, I was pleased by the show of support for the obedience event. I enjoyed working as a ring steward and even made a new Airedale friend while being the inside post during the Pre-Novice figure-8 exercise! The catered dinner was delicious and visiting with everyone was fun.

I had a wonderful time at the Conformation Specialty. Being new to Conformation, I was overwhelmed by the support and encouragement given to me. This was the first time I prepped Sushi before she and I went into the ring. I found it relaxing, almost Zen-like. Okay, now I'll tell the truth. Thursday my heart was pumping and I was constantly looking at my watch. I must say though that by Sunday, I had a systematic work flow and I was less nervous before going into the ring. (There's a lot to be said for washing the furnishings 7 times!) Friday's Specialty was very "special" to me as we won Best in Sweepstakes. My emotions ranged from shock to proud mama to cloud nine.

The Banquet was a delightful way to end the Specialty. The shrimp was scrumptious and it was the first time I've had Pasta cooked and served on the spot. The silent auction was fun; however I really enjoyed the competitive bidding on the live auction items.

To end, I say thank you to all who coordinated and worked the Specialty. I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to next year!

A Magical Airedale Night by Kimberley Harper

(Editor's Note: Kim is Kris Munson's cousin, and is owner of two young Airedales, "Heri" (Sequoia's Starwalk With Me), bred by Karel and Kathy Daniels, and "Sunny" (Live Strong Sunbeam's Busy Day) bred by Kris Munson. Attendees at last year's Great Western may remember the ebullient Heri's antics in the puppy classes. It sounds as if he hasn't lost his puppy spirit.)

Last night I woke to the slow roll of distant thunder with Sophie's shivering weight pressed into my side. Looking over the edge of the bed I could see Tucker pacing back and forth before the open doorway to the dogs' backyard. No sight of Heri. No sound of Heri. Uh-oh.

I tried for a moment to stay in bed, telling myself that it was never anything, that Heri was always fine. Which is usually true. It's what Heri gets a hold of that is often not fine. Head filled with visions of paper-strewn floors and up-ended house plants, I dragged myself out of bed and shook off my drowse. Instead of finding mischief I found a dog, dancing.

I tried for a moment to stay in bed, telling myself that it was never anything, that Heri was always fine. Which is usually true. It's what Heri gets ahold of that is often not fine. Head filled with visions of paper-strewn floors and up-ended house plants, I dragged myself out of bed and shook off my drowse. Instead of finding mischief I found a dog, dancing.

I tried for a moment to stay in bed, telling myself that it was never anything, that Heri was always fine. Which is usually true. It's what Heri gets ahold of that is often not fine. Head filled with visions of paper-strewn floors and up-ended house plants, I dragged myself out of bed and shook off my drowse. Instead of finding mischief I found a dog, dancing.

Heri was out in the yard gazing up at the sky. As sheet lightning flowed across the entire horizon, he reared up onto his back legs, threw up his forepaws and bounced. He launched himself up and down, ears flapping, leaping and twisting with each flash, joyfully barking back to the rumbling growl of thunder. The movements he made were gestures of greeting, of great celebration, the same dance he unfurled in my honor every time I left his sight and returned to him. The dance was originally born of compromise-- he couldn't stand not to wiggle, paw and leap when greeting anyone, and we couldn't stand to get pummeled every time someone walked down the long drive to retrieve the mail or come visiting. So Heri danced, forefeet thrown out and over his head toward his welcomed one, laughing mouth half-open, strong back legs propelling him in porpoises of happiness and energy, circling and circling but never quite touching. This is the dance he was doing now, out under the night sky. The weather system pushing the clouds had extended these to just cover our valley, their gray edges breaking off in the near distance to show stars. The lightning passed over us, never actually on top of us as it appeared, if the distance-count between flash and thunder was true. I called Heri in but after lying with me for awhile in the dark he returned to the yard, drawn back to dance and greet the sky lights and bark to their grumbling rhythm. The storm receded without a drop of rain, withdrawing back over our mountains to its desert home.

I thought Heri would come in then, but when I peered out the open door he was watching something, ears up, head cocked to one side, sitting in the dust under the old pine trees. Very deliberately he reached out and ripped a small branch off the tree, and pranced with arched neck and lifted feet across the yard, waving the fringy needles, showing off for something or someone I couldn't see. He dropped his branch at the far corner and ran to the center of the yard, bouncing up in happy salute to the unseen one. Then the wind freshened, replacing our house under a solid dome of clouds. Thunder rumbled back in, lazy with distance. Lightning redrew glowing lines against the dark. Once again Heri launched into his version of polite but barely contained embrace, dancing around and around in happiness, rushing over once to shove me with his nose and say "aar-errgh!", before returning to laugh up into the night sky.

Watching him in the night, I heard again the soft rustle of his true name whispered across a moonlit dream, "Starwalk With Me." What was the dog of mystery doing? Who did he greet and celebrate with, out under the lightning-torn sky? I don't know. I know they were not a threat, for young though he is, he takes our guardianship seriously, as I've seen time and again on our road trips. The desert finally took back its storm for keeps, just as dawn began to brighten our valley's edge. Heri came in and sank with a dog-like "errr" onto his corner of the bed, barely (but always) touching his back to my bare feet.

This morning he is no magic thing, but all young dog and full of himself. As a matter of fact, he is on my butt-head list, having passed up his dish and started the day by eating a brand-new $37.00 roll of postage stamps, inconspicuously waiting their turn next to my stack of unpaid bills.

Why couldn't he have eaten the bills, instead?

Seeing Double?

The following article by Frank Stephen’s is a “must-read.” Congratulations on his winning brace performances last year!

“A Brace to Remember, Ruby and Delilah”

What started as a dare became a novelty and ultimately turned into a challenge. Showing a brace can be fun, but it helps if the two are compatible litter mates with the same size reach and drive. It’s also a plus if they’re both smooth-moving conformation champions who have lived together all their lives.

The first time I showed Ruby and Delilah in the San Bernardino show, the crowd of bemused professional handlers and exhibitors gathered to watch the impending debacle and I’m sure felt genuine sympathy for the owner-handler who was about to subject himself to public embarrassment. After examining the pair, the judge (who was very gracious) requested the go-around and to the delight of those in attendance, the pair moved effortlessly, stride for stride, around the ring. My biggest job was to get in step with them. Later in the group and best in show ring, the pair and their intrepid handler gained confidence and with the cheers and applause from the supportive crowd, Group 1 and Best in Show honors followed. This process has been repeated seven times and on each occasion, Ruby and Delilah have performed magnificently and have seemed to enjoy their celebrity status.

Our greatest challenge took place last year at Great Western, where upon entering the Best in Show ring, we were informed that the elderly judge wanted all braces examined on the table. This required the tandem to mount the ramp, stand together on the table for examination and dismount for the down-and-back and go-around. With no training or prior experience, to my amazement, the two performed flawlessly. Leaning against each other for support, they stoically stood for examination and accomplished their descent to terra firma with some degree of grace and dignity. Their subsequent movement around the ring assumed a carefree air of nonchalance which seemed to say, “That wasn’t so bad.” When they returned to the judge, they wagged their tails in unison and charmed the sparse crowd that lingered for the final competition.

I was pleased and honored to share the pair with the knowledgeable crowd at the Montgomery County show. Although their winning streak is now over, their performance was memorable and a credit to the breed.

Down Memory Lane!

From the September, 2003 "Aire-ing The News"

I've been asked if I would share a little about Briardale Airedales and myself. Most of you know me as Carole Bullwinkle, maybe Carole Bullwinkle-Foucrault or maybe Carole b which was the name on my grooming shops that I owned in the late 1980s until my retirement in l999.

I started out showing in 1952 (of course I was very young), and only showed in obedience. I purchased my first Airedale in l965, a male named Briardale First Mate. I loved him dearly and I made most of my mistakes on him.

I acquired my first bitch by chance from a man who was in the military and had to go over seas. Her name was Ch. Briardales Misty Sea. She won Best of Breed at our 1967 California Airedale Terrier Specialty, going first in the group. Then I took her to Montgomery in l967 and, showing her myself, went Winners Bitch and Best of Winners. I was so green that after I went Winners Bitch I asked the President of the National Club if I had to stay for the rest. My husband needed to be home for his new job on Monday and the judging was running late and we were going to miss our flight back home. It was suggested that I stay and to my surprise we went Best of Winners!

It took me another seven years before I won that National again and that was with a male I bred named Ch Briardale Kung Fu (call name was Cain). He went Best of Breed at the Southern California Specialty and the next day he won the Airedale Terrier Club of America Specialty, winning the famous ATCA bowl. This was his first show as a Champion. The year was 1975, I believe. In the 1980s there was my Best In Show bitch Ch. Briardales Luv Elegant Lady and three time Best of Breed at Montgomery, Ch. Harringtons Kantankerus Kyna (TANK), who I bred. In the l990s I will remember another Winners Bitch at Montgomery, Ch Briardales Yours Truly. My number one male dog is my beloved Ch. Coldstream Black Tie and Tails (Tieler ) who, at age 13, is laying at my feet as I write this article.

As I look back over the years, I have made so many close friends through Airedales. I have been President of this club several times over those years. I had the opportunity to be the first woman AKC delegate. As I look at the sport of dogs, - Handler, Breeder, Judge - I have felt the most comfortable as a breeder. I feel it is there that one has complete freedom to make your own decisions.

I have over the years enjoyed reaching out into other breeds. Putting together pedigrees and seeing how quickly I could reach the winning circle. Some of the more successful breeds were Bichon Frises, Chinese Crested, Maltese, Lakeland Terriers, Irish Terriers, Welsh Terriers, and Wirehaired Dachshund. Many were champions, winning groups and specialties. I have put obedience titles on my dogs: CD, CDX, and UD. I have trained a Golden Retriever in the field and took an Airedale through Schutzhund training and agility training. Today I am breeding Norwich Terriers and already have a group and specialty winner.

As a breeder my first priority is to produce sound healthy dogs - dogs that will first be an excellent companion for any family. Dogs who will be able to do the task they were bred for. In Airedales my dear friend and co-breeder Corally Burmaster and I developed a program to test the attitude and temperament of our puppies. This test was very successful in placing our puppies in the proper homes. We never had a puppy returned to us because it was not compatible with its family. We did have a few occasions when the family environment changed and we needed to find another home.

I believe people who have a desire to become a breeder must seriously study pedigrees, go to shows and look at what other breeders are doing. Visit litters of puppies and ask lots of question from the accomplished breeders in one's area. I believe it is the responsibility of the accomplished breeder to mentor others who have a desire to become breeders for the sake of our breed.

Breeding dogs is not for the faint of heart. It is a labor of love. But the rewards are great. I have made such lasting friendships in all the breeds I have pursued. The dog brings great joy to so many people. Without the dedicated breeder there would be no pure bred dogs. The dog is the only animal that has the true agape (unconditional) love. No wonder Dog spell backward is God. But I must admit there is nothing like an Airedale. There will always be an Airedale in my life. He is the second King in my life.

As I wrote this article I realized that I am quickly becoming one of CATC's oldest members and I would like to share with you what is in my heart pertaining to club activities and membership. Most of the years that I have been a member I have seen great strides in the area of new member growth and new events that involve all the membership. I have noticed that our club has become stagnant in growth and we have become content with the same old events. I see in other activities in my life that we have a new generation whose desire for outside involvement is different. This new generation works very hard, some at more than one job and they seem to be looking to connect with activities that involve their whole family including their dog. It appears that they do a lot of research before purchasing a dog so that they buy the right dog for their life style.

So as a club, who needs growth, especially from those who own a companion dog, we might try to encourage activities that would give them an opportunity to bond with their Airedale and with other Airedale owners. Maybe at a meeting we could ask members why they joined our club. Maybe they needed to know how to live with their Airedale better because of behavior problems, training, or grooming issues. We could share with them the club's activities that could help them achieve this.

Also I think we should introduce new and interesting events for those who may not be interested in showing their dog. Like group Airedale walks, a demonstration of the new art of dancing with your dog, or clicker training for fun. We should create opportunities for sharing together, like having picture contests of one's Airedale; take time for story telling, how about an award for the best story about one's Airedale? Have a meeting pertaining to Airedale rescue: the how and why an Airedale ends up in rescue. Invitations for those who have a rescue dog to come and share about their Airedale. Maybe a "meet a fellow rescue owner" day in the park. Guest speakers (could be from our own membership) who would speak about specific topics pertaining to just Airedales or the club.

We are a club formed in 1906 and we are a direct member of the American Kennel Club, able to move freely in any direction. I believe in my heart that change of direction is needed. So many people in the past gave their all to keep this club together. Together we grow, divided we fall. Let's sincerely look around and began to see the needs of each other. Ask and you will find, seek and the door will begin to open to a new horizon. There is a new generation that we must begin to address. There have been, and are now, those members who have sacrificed so much to keep this club together. I also know that there are those just waiting to be asked to become part of this great club. Let's open our eyes and began to see the need and open our ears and hear the desire of ALL that own this great breed. Those who can mentor begin to take your rightful place and reach out. One member who was the best at this was Wilma Carter. I saw her take this club from a four or five person membership to a fifty membership by mentoring, not for her sake but for the sake of the breed. Our Airedales gives us so much love, yet should we not do the same one to another? Let the coming years be greater than the previous years.

A Proud Member and Airedale Owner.

Carole Bullwinkle-Foucrault