I spent some time on the telephone today talking to the Department of Fish and Game and to a Ranger in Big Basin State Park. The dogs have been finding Wild Boar carcasses on our property and I wondered who was wasting the meat and shooting these pigs just to leave them lie. Well the explanation that I received was, that for the last few months there has been a major feral pig eradication program in effect. There is no hunting in Big Basin State Park, so the pigs are free to roam and propagate. They do a tremendous amount of damage and the powers that be decided they should be controlled. Rather than have " a bunch of rangers running around shooting the pigs", they contracted an independent trapper to catch them, in a live trap, shoot them in the trap and then dump them in the woods. An original idea was to get the meat to homeless shelters, but it would have to be inspected by the USDA and I guess that was cost prohibitive and involved a mountain of 'red tape'. They talked of the meat going to the coyotes. Boy, do we as humans know how to screw with nature or what? There is so much talk about the balance of nature but when it comes down to it, all too often, it's money and convenience.
I wonder about what it is teaching the coyotes and their young? If they follow the smell of human they will find lots of free meat? What happens when the pig eradication program is over? Also will the Mountain Lion eat these pigs, if, they haven't made the kill? Are they getting an invitation to our property for dinner?
I was told that, I can apply for a depredation permit, if we have experienced damage on the property, which we have. I believe I will. It will allow me to put out bait and set live traps of my own. I hate to see the meat going to waste and I can train the dogs on live pigs.
You'll see a picture of Brisk and one of these carcasses. She led me to it but it was dead when she found it. That did not prevent her from taking ownership immediately. She grabbed hold and shook. And was very clear with Boru that this was her find not his. She has been guarding it during the day, when she's out and at night the coyotes take over and let us all know what they think of her claim. This morning around 5:30 it sounded like a symphony, tuning up, around here. The coyote was squawking and every Airedale on the place was telling him that they weren't impressed.
I got an email from Billy Harkins, the busiest hog hunter I know. He hunts quite a bit in the swamps of, East-Central Georgia. I ask him about it, especially in regards to Alligators.
Billy wrote;" I have a buddy Terrell Willoford who lives in Gibson Ga. and that's more east central Ga. really than south Ga.That's about half the way between Atlanta and Augusta and just below highway 20.Gators are a very real risk in some of the places where we hunt especially around the main rivers and big swamps. But as of yet I haven't lost a dog to one, knock on wood."
I hope the wood he is knocking on is not his leg from any previous encounters he might have had with a Gator.
He went on to say; " I talked with Dennis Hescock the other night for a while and he said that he felt sure about the breeding with Georgia and Rhino. He said that she stood for Rhino and that it didn't take him long to figure out his calling in life."
" I still have two male pups from the Slim/ Lucy breeding and they are top notch pups. I don't plan on keeping any though, since I just added another dog to the pack. My brother had gotten a female from me four or five years ago; she is a Steel / Lucy cross. Molly is her name.
He told me that his neighbor came to see him and Molly was loose and chewed a hole in his tire. Cost him $75 and a good dog.
He said he would give her to me if I were to come and get her and maybe give him a pup in the future.
See what I told you, Henry, about a man having thirty minutes in a day that he had no sense.
She is a great hunter, good tree dog on squirrel, coon, cats and ground hogs. He told me that she is a better retriever on birds than his prized Brittany. Said she has a soft mouth on birds but that you may have to pinch her ear a little to get her to release. I'm looking forward to hunting with her soon and I will let you guys know how it goes.
I have been working two jobs for the past two weeks and haven't had any time to hunt but a man can only take so much with a yard full of dogs in the middle of hog season. Whew!"
It is always good to hear from Billy and I think I would take Molly into my dog yard at the drop of a hat. She sounds like a good one.
These Airedales have the reputation and a well, deserved one, of being outstanding big game dogs, but it always surprises me that upland hunters aren't aware of how good they can be in the field. Their tenacity and determination will take them places other dogs will just run around. They have the nose and the stamina needed to get the job done.
I heard from Keith Monteith who acquired a Kelly/Abby pup from the Townes up in Etna, California. (Kelly is owned by Bob McClellan. Kelly and Bob certainly know their way around the woods.) Keith got a female that he is delighted with. He Said;" Kevin, the pup I got out of the Kelly&Abby litter is really working out well. She picks up things really fast. I took her to a guy that runs a local hunting club and bought some birds, just to see if she had the hunt in her. By the way she chased the cat, I pretty much knew she did but I just wanted to see what she would do on live birds. First we put a pigeon on a pole and she got so excited trying to get the pigeon that she flipped herself over backwards. We decided it was time to let her try to retrieve a quail. We pulled a couple primary feathers to keep it from flying too far. Then the trainer took the bird out about 30 yards, while I held Kelly,"(named after her Dad I guess)," he threw the bird and I let Kelly go, she chased the bird down and retrieved it to hand. We just started laughing because neither one of us really expected her to retrieve it just like that. Then he took the same bird still very much alive, as she was even soft mouthed with it, another surprise, out a lot further and threw it down in some tall grass. She took off after I released her and as she got close she put her nose down and started hunting. When she got real close the bird flew up and the chase was on, again. This time she played with it for a second, then we called her and she picked it up and delivered it right to hand again. The bird was still alive so the trainer put the bird back in the coop and we both laughed about how enthusiastic she was. He raises German Wirehairs and he was pretty impressed. Anyhow I think she is going to prove herself a fine hunting dog, if so I'll be talking to you about using one of your males for a stud. I have hunted around this area for a lot of years and I would really like to see a lot more Airedales in the field. I feel they are superior companion dogs, to me that is a must, as you have to live with the dog until hunting season. And they are excellent hunters and retrievers as versatile as any dog, very intelligent and easy to train without any harsh methods. I guess I'm a little proud of this pup but I've never seen a dog learn faster and have so much fun doing it. Take care, hope you're having as much fun with yours. Keith Monteith"
Keith, I couldn't be happier to hear how well Kelly is doing. (Nice name by the way.) I would definitely like to cross into that Kelly/Abby line when these pups come of age. I think a Boru/Kelly cross would be a very good one. Boru takes after his Grandpa Ka-Bar, he has "Buckets of Brains", is very biddable and can really use his nose. (Ka-Bar is also your Kelly's Great-Grandpa.) Boru, by the way is named after Brian Boru who was the first Irish Chieftain or King to raise an army that defeated the Vikings. You may already know that Kelly means Warrior.
Thanks Keith for keeping us up to date on your pup I hope she continues to be the Airedale you want.
Brooks Henderson and Roger and Brenda Townes, kept a male pup from this litter and I'm glad to be in touch with them. If they are pleased with the development of their pups we can breed them to one of our females.
Brooks wrote a short note about his new pup as well: " What a great pup. He is showing a lot of dominate traits, really calm and so far we're letting him sleep at the foot of our bed because he is apparently house broke, and sleeps or at least doesn't make any noise, or move much all night and gets up with us. He stands right up to the 7year old Airedale, and plays with him and the Brittany. He is 18.5 pounds at 12 weeks and a couple of days."
Thanks for the note Brooks; keep us posted. I hope you have a quiet fire season this year. ( Brooks is a forest fire-fighter in Northern California.)
A little while back I started to e-mail some of the folks, who communicate on a regular basis, about the on going discussion of Genetic Diversity vs. Line Breeding. It is my humble opinion that both are necessary in order to get the good working/hunting Airedale that is an asset to the breed. These dogs need to be the all around Airedale that is first and foremost the loyal companion to you and your family, has the intelligence to use its' instincts to perform the task at hand, whether it is herding livestock, tracking, hunting fur or feather or protecting the farm. The Airedales of the "Original Stew", the turn of the century Airedale, was bred with all these things in mind and it came in a tight compact package that contributed to its' ability to perform its' task. I believe that is a goal worth moving towards.
I feel as though it is necessary to line breed in order to have some idea of the out come of the cross. Every breeding, is an experiment and in some ways, each pup is an experiment. If there is total out crossing in every occasion, you have no idea of the outcome, it is a 'crap shoot'. You could get pups of so much variation you would need to keep them all, expose them all equally to the jobs you would like them to perform and judge them at three years or older to determine the 'best'. Some one somewhere else would need to do the same thing in order to breed the "best to the best". Since this would be impractical and unlikely, line breeding helps to predict and aim the variables in a more controlled manner.
I believe that genetic diversity is essential in order to keep the "Stew" fresh. Many of the genetic diseases are polygenetic and need the exact combination of several genes crossed to the mirrored image or exact combination of the same genes. By occasionally out crossing to other lines you shake up the mix or combinations and this helps to avoid genetic problems and weaknesses.
I feel compelled at this point to say that this is my opinion based on what I have read about the subject, which has barely skimmed the surface of genetics. I am no expert but I believe the analogies are correct.
Out crossing to an excellent example of a Working Airedale that is not related to your line is a way of continuing the best to the best. Using the benefits of both concepts; line breeding and genetic diversity.
It is important to hear from you folks out there who have this Airedale breed and have been paying attention to their working abilities. I know there are excellent Airedales on mountaintops, in hollows, on farms and ranches that have the strength and vigor in their genes that needs to be carried on in this breed. This Airedale breeding is about perpetuation of the good working lines, not about personal acquisition.
In the April, 1992 Full Cry column Henry Johnson said: "we don't want to lose the qualities of grit, gameness, hunting instinct, intelligence, stability, and sweetness of disposition that made the breed famous. My own experience and opinion is that good strains of working Airedales still exist and are being improved. Further there is a growing appreciation of these sturdy, trustworthy canine citizens throughout rural and small town America."
In August of 2000 in response to a breeding question I had ask he said; "if it were me I would want to apply what I call "the ladder principal." That involves bringing in examples of the preferred bloodlines and growing them up and evaluating them and then breeding only the outstanding ones. You bring new ones in and put them on the bottom rung of the ladder and let them climb as high as they can and then periodically you find other homes for the ones on the bottom rungs of the ladder. If you follow this principle religiously you should steadily improve the line."
I heard from John Houben in January he wrote: "Kevin, Thanks for the email. I have really been out of the loop on things the past year with our move from Washington to West Virginia. I am finally getting life back together. We are getting back into the dogs and being able to use them more. I currently have Ol' Maggie, Eli and a Kemmer Stock Mt. Cur (Pee Joe). I will soon be getting a hound puppy and maybe a replacement for Maggie (for breeding). A government trapper friend, who I gave a Maggie X Cajun puppy (Molly of MT) to a year and a half ago just tried to bred to Chukar of ID. We aren't sure if it was successful, but a couple months will tell. If the cross is successful I hope to get a female puppy to be able to continue my part of the "red line". I really appreciate the efforts you and Clint have made to continue the Working Airedale Column. Keep up the good work and I'll try to send in some field notes this next year to support you guys.
I felt proud a month or two ago to read the column and see over half the dogs mentioned were Maggie puppies or grand-puppies. Not every puppy she has whelped turned out great, but she has been a positive contributor to the perpetuation of working/hunting Airedales. Henry gave me a great dog eight years ago that I am truly thankful for." John Houben
Thanks John for the encouragement about the column, it is good to be in touch with you. I hope the Chukar/Molly cross is successful. With Cajun and Sheena blood on both sides they should make some very good Airedales. Let me know when the puppies are born.
I
heard from Earl Hubb up in Idaho, Earl is looking for a good lion dog and he
definitely wants an Airedale. He has had Airedales for years and is as loyal
to the breed as his Airedales have been loyal to him.In Earl's first email he wrote: "Kevin, I saw in a hound magazine you are selling Airedale puppies. Could you send me some information? I had to put my male down last month and want another this spring or summer. I've had Airedales all my life. The dog will be for family protection and a hunting partner.
I am looking for a male, with good coat "very important" that will not turn gray or thin prematurely. Also the dog should fill out to 85 lbs. or more, have some speed, and good teeth. I'm not looking for fighters, say that would rather fight a hound than chase a cat.
I also need papers and would want to see the lineage. All I care about is that there will not be any relations to the female I want to breed in a couple years. Thanks for your time, Earl Hubb"
I returned Earl's letter on February 11, and will include part of it here so you can see the line of thought in our conversations:
" Earl, thanks for your letter. We have what you want in everyway, and then some, except for the weight category. Since you have always had Airedales, I would not try to talk you out of what you want. I would like to tell you what we have, so you know and to share ideas with you. (I hope you will share your ideas with us.)
Our Airedales average 57 to 65 pounds for the males, 47 to 55 for the females. We prefer this weight range for quickness and endurance. They are no less aggressive against big game and seem to maneuver out of tight situations with greater ease."
I went on to talk Airedales and then closed with; "Stay in touch with anymore questions or comments and please give me more details on your hunting with your Airedales I will include them in Full Cry. Talk with you soon, Kevin "
Earl wrote back and did indeed fill in some details. I love to read these actual stories from people who are out there spending the time with the dogs. (Makes me want to finish this article and go hog hunting with the dogs.)
"Kevin, Thanks for returning my email. Clint sent me an email and will not have puppies this year. After you mentioned it some of the heavier dogs do seem to be a little slower. I didn't really think it out, weight is not that big an issue to me. I really want a puppy from a hunting line.
Our first male, "Rowdy" was given to us by an older couple, by the name of Larue. He was over 90 lbs and kind of what I was looking for. That dog was most always well mannered and dignified at home. On the other hand he was agile, fast and a terror to any kind of cat. His head and shoulders were the biggest I've ever seen on an Airedale. There were many impressive things about Rowdy. A lion bit him square on the head once and he kept fighting, this was the closest he ever came to losing a fight. I could see scrapes from the cats fangs in the bone on top of his head.
Another time Rowdy was in the kitchen when he saw a tomcat outside, the dog jumped through a closed glass window and caught his cat. He had a knack for precision nipping like Rydell.
Rydell was around 65 lbs. had very good speed, agility and acted worse than a bird dog, if he saw me pick up a rifle. Rydell was a hunter, his only draw back was he hated every living thing on earth but me. Skunks and any kind of cat were his forte. I watched him nip a skunk on the neck, at the house, at a dead run dropping it in its tracks and he would never get sprayed. The most memorable hunt with Rydell was when we were calling bobcats, he would sit behind me and wait. I called up a cat and I shot it with a 25-20. It took off so we chased it under a log in some thick brush. Its eyes looked kind of glazed so I reached down and grabbed it by the scuff of the neck. When I held that cat up it exploded and bit me 20 to 30 times on the head and arm in less than half a second. So I'm trying to fling it off of me "it seems a cat has a hard time biting something it doesn't have its claws dug into" and Rydell came in and with one nip it was over. Later I saw my bad luck rifle shot was a scratch passing just under the hide in front of the chest.
Also I thought it was odd that Rydell's mother dug a hole in a bank below the house to have her puppies and would regurgitate food for them.
My last dog "Duke" was one of the best looking Airedales I've had. He was a fast 70 lbs and I was trying to break him in with hounds and working him on varmint calling "coyotes" he had great short distance speed and would also run for miles behind the truck and didn't care about sub zero temps. My parents have one of his daughters and my brother in law has his father who very much resembles Rowdy. There was one funny thing about Duke, he was always with me and even slept at the foot of my bed. Anytime I went to sleep before my wife he would not let her near our bed. I would have to get up and kick him out or hold him down, after that all was ok with Duke.
He died from cancer of the spleen, right after Christmas. I wanted to comment what the vet told me; Duke had eaten a 1 pound bag of Hershey's kisses w/wrappers and started eating any kind of paper he could find which was unusual for him. Vet told me this was probably due to the illness, which came on almost over night. Earl Hubb"
Thanks Earl for the field report on your Airedales. Sorry to hear about Duke but you're right to get that puppy energy back in the house right away. I'm sure we will have talked by the time you read this and I'll be proud to have helped you get the Airedale puppy you want. ( Maybe one of those Chukar/ Molly pups.) Let me know about that female you want to breed, it could be exactly what I was talking about above, in regards to genetic diversity.
Puppies, puppies everywhere! It is spring and there are litters popping out all over the place. Please feel free to get in touch and I will be happy to refer you to people in your area. Dennis and Shelley Hescock are in Vermont, (Clint you should let John Tessier in Rhode Island know that there are some good Rhino/Georgia pups, right next door.) Odon Corr is in South Dakota. Billy Harkins still has a couple good male pups in Georgia. Eddie Boatwright in Tennessee. Margaret Scwab in Nebraska. Matt Thom in Arizona. Wayne Waggoner is talking about a Gingersnap litter in Pennsyvania. I'm sure there are more. (Let me know about those litters out there, that I haven't mentioned.) I would like to have a Hank/ Brisk litter myself, if Alberta Trickum isn't pregnant from Boru. The Boru/Alberta Trickum cross is one I am looking forward to evaluating. I believe it will get us to all the hunt drive, intelligence and biddable temperament of the "Original Stew" in a solid body with a hard self -keeping coat. Lets get these pups into the hands of people who can appreciate the Airedale for the versatile working dog that he is.
Yesterday I offered a pup to the Department of Fish and Game Enforcement Officer for this area. He hadn't thought about being part of the canine patrol but it seemed to me that he might like the idea. I figured I better study the 'new' laws. I would hate to get busted by one of our own dogs.
The Quote of the month is; "The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not romantic personally he is very apt to spread discontent among those who are." (H.L. Mencken, Smart Set magazine, December 1919)
As Henry S. Johnson Jr. always said: " Until next month, let me hear from you Airedale people and don't forget to put your arms around those black and tan dogs with the beards and moustaches and talk to them. They are people dogs and family members."
Respectfully submitted, Kevin G. Kelly, RDR Ranch Corresponding Secretary for the Working Airedale Terrier Association. No rules, regulations, officers, dues or formal affiliations. It's more a state of mind.