Now to the statistic that is potentially
harmful to our very breed. The number
of Airedale litters registered with AKC.
That dropped by 38% in the last decade.
You may ask, “Why does that number mat-
ter?” This is the opinion from our club his-
torian’s view. Over the last few decades the
Airedale breed has enjoyed a steady growth
in the numbers of breeders and dogs pro-
duced. However, this has not always been
the case. We have risen from near obscu-
rity at the turn of the century; to number
one breed status in the Twenties to a pre-
cipitous drop back down in numbers in the
30
s. Along with the breed’s numbers drop-
ping, so did the ATCA membership as well
as the show entries. Airedales as a breed
began recovering after WWII and by the
60
s were steadily climbing back. How this
was achieved, and how our modern world
differs from that time, challenges me to be
the proverbial “canary in the coal mine”
about this looming issue that could affect
our breeds future.
Even during the lowest of population
lows, Airedales have always been blessed
with breeders who had the same diehard
tenacity and stubbornness of the breed we
love. Pockets of those breeders, located all
around the world, hunkered down, and
even when showing became an unafford-
able luxury, and membership to a breed
club too expensive, they kept on having
litters. They probably could only breed
somewhat locally and on a smaller scale,
but somehow they kept their lines going.
So while the breed contracted in numbers,
the breeders who remained were forced by
economics and geography to stay close to
home in their stud dog choices. They may
not have lived close to a Crufts or West-
minster winner, maybe the best they could
do was a littermate, a son or daughter,
possibly a grand kid to add that “Flyer”
to their pedigree. When times got better
there were plenty of diverse lines to help
restart the breed again. They exited the
downturn, continuing on with the same
healthy vibrant breed which has continued
to this day.
Now, in the last decade we have seen
a decline in the litters produced which in
and of itself is not the biggest concern. It’s
what I call the new “Double AA” addition
to the equation, Airplanes and Artificial
Insemination, that’s potentially troubling.
These wonderful new technologies can
allow the Airedale gene pool to be shared
in such a way that if our numbers continue
to decline, we may lose the diversity that
carried the breed through the downturns
of the past. Today, when we all fall in
love with the same beautiful dog from the
magazine, all of us around the world has
the ability to use him. No longer are we
forced to pick only a related dog, we can
have “THE” dog! This is not a huge prob-
lem when the breed has a diverse and large
group of breeders doing their “own” thing,
but if we were to drop to 1930’s breed
numbers and have but a few likeminded
breeders who all love the same bloodlines,
who’s to say what shape the Airedale breed
will come out on the other side. I’m not
sure anyone really knows. However, diver-
sity is what will keep a breed healthy even
when numbers plummet.
Additionally, much of the valuable
breed knowledge is preserved through
mentorship. The challenge is finding men-
tors willing to invest the time and effort
to be a mentor. Many exhibitors quickly
learned the value of engaging an expe-
rienced breeder/exhibitor and remain
engaged to learn the basics, only to lose
focus, to result in keeping their knowledge
at only the basic levels. A teachable spirit is
definitely required on the part of the one
being mentored.
So, it is up to us, the breeders of today,
to take a serious look at what we have in our
home and kennel, and value what makes
us different from a genetic standpoint.
In a time now when many older breeders
have or are considering leaving the hobby;
is there anyone in the wings who will
continue their lifelong breeding program?
Do they have anything that most would
consider an” unusual or rare “pedigree?
Maybe those lines should be saved or
incorporated somehow?
The answers to these questions do not
come easily, but the decisions of today, will
directly affect our breed tomorrow. That
is why I wanted to start the conversation
now. A frank and honest discussion of the
future of our breed may be warranted in
the next decade, and it is my hope that
today’s article will at least get you think-
ing that far down the road. I hope our
breed does not end up on the rare breed
list someday, but if it does, I hope the ones
who continue to love the Airedale as much
as we do today, will thank us for keeping
the breed as beautiful, healthy and diverse
as it was in its “heyday.”
The future is now. Do your part. Cel-
ebrate and preserve what makes your line
of dogs unique and special. The result will
be a healthy, vibrant, versatile breed for
decades to come.
“...
much of the valuable
breed knowledge is
PRESERVED
THRoUGH
mENToRSHIP.”
226 •
S
how
S
ight
M
agazine
,
N
ovember
2012