THE KENNEL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 192, 29 July 1932, Page 10

THE KENNEL

THE AIREDALE HIS HUMBLE ORIGIN. (By “Speed.”) A self-made dog Is the Airedale. He sprang from a very humble origin and worked his way upward till he attained entry to the Debrett of dogdom, the Kennel Club Register, and now he has an assured position, all shows being open to him as to any aristocrat of the canine world. One does not need to look long at an Airedale to see that here is a man’s dog, and a one man’s dog at that. The Airedale is a powerful animal for his size; m fact he has astonishing strength behind that somewhat ungainly appearance, and the intruder who departs in a hurry with a healthy Airedale on his track will have reason to remember the incident if the dog “connects,” as patrons of the boxing ring might describe the encounter, in some curious undefined way an Airedale seems to suggest, by his appearance, that he has had to assert his right to live, that he expects all other dogs to be against him, that he has few illusions about life generally and that he is going to continue on his doggy way irrespective of aIF opposition. TEMPER This breed is credited with an uncertain and even surly temper. Generalisations are generally wrong. The dog comes down to us through some seventy years of history, always with the same characteristics. He does not like strangers por does he like “fussing,” J>ut to his owner he is an ever faithful and loving comrade. He is not a lap dog and resents being pulled about, hut otherwise he is a quite ordinarily reasonable and respectable dog ORIGINS. Airedales had no special beginnings. They were not the result of careful experiment at kennels with a doublebarrelled name, but, like Topsy, they just grew and in just growing they had to fight fight from puppyhood up. Jn Yorkshire very many jjeople kept terriers. They were rough or brokenhaired tykes and they ran at liberty and bred freely; the streets of Bradford, Leeds and other lesser towns v.ere their romping grounds. In those days the horse was supreme and benzine engines were unknown, so that horse shows, pony leaping shows ■ nd agricultural shows generally were important fixtures. The Yorkshireman

loves dogs; at that time he loved a dog fight and hence it became a regular thing to include classes for the rough or broken-haired terriers at these shows because there were the common dogs and while t’old man showed his horses the kids showed their dogs, and the dog classes became very popular. Such shows were held at Keighley and at Bingley and one journalist wrote of typical Bingley terriers, meaning that the dogs were a good class and good classes of all stock were typical of Bingley district. The name Bingley terrier was tacked on to these tykes but it did not stick long for the people of Airedale considered their dogs as good and when the same journalist, Dalziel, visited the Airedale show he wrote of Airedale terriers. That name seemed to take the popular fancy and has been used ever since. BREEDING HISTORY. But the dogs were being bred and were breeding amongst themselves Jong, long before that. Back in 1860 they were known and from 1864 there were classes for them at shows but it was not till 1879 that the name Bingley was used and in 1880 came the name Airedale. Mr Hugh Dalziel was judge at both shows, besides writing reports of the dog section. But the dogs did not exist only tn Yorkshire. Black and tan roughcoated terriers were to be found all over England and in Ireland and Wales. They were working tellers and they bred indiscriminately. They varied in size, weight and colour, and more or less, they brought themselves up The rivalry engendered at the shows after the name Airedale had been bestowed on the dogs, attracted the attention of dog fanciers, always aeen on anything that promised profit, and a wider public interest was soon aroused. In 1882 there was still confusion and at Birmingham show a class was inserted, but the dogs were called “Waterside Terriers.” Dalziel had written a book meanwhile, and this further brought the breed to notice. A dog from Keighley, Champion Crack, proved the winner. He was a well known prize-taker. In 1884 breeders had the breed listed in the stud book Beyond the fact that the black and tan colouring shows that the dog came down from the old-time black and tan terrier, the ancestor of the fox terrier, nothing further is known of the Airedale origin. PEDIGREES. Pedigrees, naturally, do not go very far back In the early ’eighties it was common enough for a dog to be entered as “mother unknown,” “sire unknown” or “breeder unknown.” One of the earliest prize-takers was a bitch. Choir Girl, by Twig out of Venus. She won awards at Sheffield and Warwick. A well known owner was Mr Tatham. He had Fritz, one of the very earliest registered in the stud book. Fritz was mated with Gladys of the same kennel and two of the progeny were Fritz 11. and New-

bold Fritz. Added to the Tatham kennel, later, was Vernon. She won four first awards, but her breeding was unknown. She was mated io Fritz and produced Russett, a great dog. At the Birmingham show in 1882 when Champion Crack won, the second dog was Rover, owned by a Mr Walker. A few years later Mr Walker had Rover 111. on show and this dog was first at two Crystal Palace shows in 1885. Rover 111, was sire of Tamworth Gipsy, dam Choir Girl, owned by Mr E. P. Smith, of Tamworth. Rover IV. was a son of Rover 111. and his mother was Hanover Poll, owned by Mr J. H. Carr.

The strains from the Walker and Tatham kennels became best known and then these two breeders passed from the scene and Mr C. Mason, of Bradford, and Mr Bairstow became the most important breeders. Mr Mason took to the United States the fidst Airedales ever seen there. High prices were beginning to be ’ paid for Airedales and 1891 saw a big triumph, for in that year the Airedale breed carried off the cup for the best team of terriers at the Crystal Palace show. 1' amous dogs were now appearing such as Rustic Triumph and Rustic Kitty, then Colne Crack and Cholmondeley Briar, winner of 140 first prizes, followed by Broadlands Bunkum, winner of some hundreds of awards, Wharfdale Rush and Master Briar bought by Mr S. Noble for £l7O. All these dogs were champions in their day. Tone Masterpiece, another great dog, was sold to Mr T. Offerman, of New York. Later, Clonmel Marvel, Sensation and Veracity were bought for £650 by an American buyer. Clonmel was a most important kennel prefix in Airedale history.

Two of the greatest after Clonmel Mystery and Clonmel MaA'vel, were Ch. Annesboro Ariel and Ch. Annesboro Joy, both bred by the Hon Lady de C Wheeler. Three later noted Airedales were Cragsman Duplicate, Lady Gleeful and Tom Tucker and one of the most important of more recent times was Ch. Keirbj’ Bachelor. Size became the objective of the breeders 111 order to get away from the confusion between Airedales and Welsh terriers. The breed is now popular the world over, but few of the dogs really look their best because the coat requires some reasonably good care and attention and it seldom gets it.