Declaration
In December of 1879, “I agree to the
above standard, and will base my decisions
on it” was signed by the following judges
and breeders: W. Lort, Fron Goch Hall; J.
Percival, Birmingham; John Inman; S. W.
Wildman, Bingley; John Fisher; Edward
Sandell; J. Speed; John Crosland, Junr,
Wakefield; Charles W. Brinsley; T. Kirby;
and Reginald Knight, Chappel Allerton.
“
The standard having received the
support and approval of the above and
other judges and breeders, it is to be hoped
that others will endeavor to reconcile their
views to it, and that the Airedale Terrier
will not suffer, as so many other Terriers
have done, from a plethora of types, each
judge at the same time advocating his
own particular prejudices to the injury of
the breed.”
Part 3
Proven Versatility
By Scott Boeving
There is no question that a well-
groomed Airedale in the show ring is
truly a thing of beauty. On his toes, his
alert stature will take your breath away.
On the other hand, in World War I, the
Airedale Terriers were used as Red Cross
dogs, messenger and patrol dogs saving
thousands of lives. Over 2,000 Airedales
were used in World War II, as well. Our
present-day Airedale has all of the ability
and intelligence that was prevalent in the
beginning, but with more refinement in
appearance. And he is still, today, more
worthy than ever of his title, “The King
of Terriers.”
Part 4
The Airedale Terrier –
A Hunting Dog?
By Karen Copley
In the mid-1800s, practical Northern
English farmers needed a game dog that
would go after vermin as well as bring in
food for the table. Thus, they developed
the Airedale Terrier. Developed to be an
independent thinker, an auto-pilot of sorts,
he was even able to poach dinner from the
local land owners’ stock if requested. They
were used to guard, herd and watch the
children all in the same day, making them
one of the most multi-talented dogs ever
bred.
The Airedale’s introduction into North
America in the early 1900s encouraged an
expansion of their farm skills and hunt-
ing skills to include them in the pursuit
of “big game” such as bear and wildcats.
Still today, the breed is known for having
a very strong hunting instinct, with few
dogs better equipped for shooting in the
cover or in the open. The Airedale’s speed,
endurance and imperviousness to climac-
tic conditions fit him for almost all hunt-
ing conditions.
In the March 1921 issue of Outing, the
breed was honored for “being an excellent
retriever, particularly from the water.”
Today the Airedale is an active hunt-
ing companion for both large and small
game, and all varieties of fowl. The Aire-
dale has the distinguished title of the
original “three-in-one” gun dog equally
able to handle upland birds, waterfowl and
fur-bearing game. Airedales are currently
competing for AKC titles in the Spaniel
tests and competitors have obtained many
successful titles in the three years that they
have been approved to compete.
The breed also competes in tracking
events; AKC Tracking and Non-AKC
Sanctioned Fur tracking. The fur track-
ing events are especially fun for the dogs.
Scent is laid, and they must track to find
the quarry, usually a caged raccoon. The
dog finding the raccoon and announcing
his find by an excited series of barks her-
alds successful completion of the fur track.
Part 5
Where Have All The
Airedales Gone?
(
portions reprinted with permis-
sion of The American Airedale)
By Lisa Berglin
During the last few years we have all
seen the decline in our Airedale entries.
Many in the fancy chalk this up to various
reasons including a downturned economy,
busy families, a labor intense breed, hybrid
mixes, aging dog enthusiasts and a lack of
newcomers into the dog world.
While at Montgomery County last
year, the ATCA Historian was able to talk
to other Airedalers from different countries
and they, too, reported the same problems.
Sensing some concern, but not know-
ing the depth of the problem, our histo-
rian decided to compare three different
indicators of breed numbers. The period
compared included from the year 2000 to
the year 2010. The first was Montgomery
County Entries. While the numbers tend
to “put us to sleep” they are paramount in
importance for future considerations. Our
breed entries dropped a whopping 52% in
comparing the entries separated by just
10
years. Digging deeper, I counted the
ATCA membership from our last 2 year
books – each book covering ten years end-
ing in Year 2000 and Year 2010. The drop
there was 24%.
Mr. Knight’s Standard of the Airedale Terrier
S
how
S
ight
M
agazine
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N
ovember
2012 • 219