Full Cry Column
February 2004

Kevin G. Kelly (Pacific Coast Working Airedale Terrier Association correspondent)

Hello and greetings from the edge of the Big Basin, in the Santa Cruz mountains. I am writing this as we are moving into the New Year, the torrential down pour outside, is replenishing the aquafir and the seasonal stream is gushing along throwing the song of it's churning water into the air. The power of a storm with hard winds and pounding rain really gets my blood pumping and the culvert, gutter and ditch work is a small price to pay.
There have been some bad mudslides down south where all the fires were and I am wondering how British Columbia is holding up after all their fires.
I got a letter from a young woman named Amber, in response to the Airedale- Jack Russell cross pups that Odon Corr has. She wrote; " I recently read in full cry magazine that a man named Odon Corr has a litter of mixed pups Half Airedale and Half Jack Russell. I was really interested in getting one. My father and I enjoy squirrel and coon hunting, it is one of the things we both love to do the most. I am 16 and I have become very interested in getting my own pup to train and take out hunting with me. I anticipate your reply, and hoping that this dog can be the one that works for me. Thank you for your time."
Glad to get your letter Amber and I will do what I can to connect you with Odon. I am glad that you and your Dad get a chance to hunt together. The best times and there were many good ones but the best times with my Father was when we were in the woods or the open fields. We hunted squirrel, pheasant, quail, and rabbits mostly, some ducks and geese later in the season. I hope you and your Dad get lots of time in the woods in 2004.
It always makes me feel good when I get letters from young people who are interested in hunting and dogs. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Speaking of young people and that includes the young at heart. I got a very nice letter from Paul Holliday, of Kansas. Paul wrote; Enclosed is a picture of my Airedales, Master Hunter Scorpion and my new pup Tombstone. I got the puppy from Mogollon Rim Airedales. The dog standing on the ground is a Karelian Bear dog named Grizzly.

SCORPION, TOMBSTONE AND GRIZZLY

I haven't written in awhile but some of you may remember Scorpion. He is Odon Corr's, Buster's son and is a little brother to Billy Harkins Steel. I think that whole litter turned out pretty good.
Scorpion is the best dog I have ever owned he has never let me down. He's good at hunting anything, feathers or fur. He even caught a fish once.
I have been in the pen with some bad boars. I was unafraid, not because I'm brave, but because I had Scorpion.
He'll be nine in Jan. 2004. He's in good health and enjoying life.
By the way that's a turkey in the picture. It was found by Scorpion and is the first kill Tombstone was in on.
Good Hunting, P.S. Holiday"

Thank you for the letter, Paul. I appreciate you taking the time to write and sending the picture. Scorpion sounds like a topnotch dog. I hope Tombstone learns a lot from him and you have continued good fortune in the field. Odon Corr of Turtle Peak and Matt Thom of Mogollon Rim both have excellent dogs. You've got a fine pair with the two you have.

Clint and I heard from Henry Johnson about the death of his beloved KaBar. He died and was buried on December 11th, 2003. Henry wrote," I buried Ka-Bar yesterday. He would have been 14 years old January 27. He was a super, canine, athlete in his prime but a shadow of his former self at the end. Old age is the ultimate enemy. If you don't die first it will drag you down. The end of an era for me. "
Kabar was from Burt/Chavala and he put "Buckets of Brains" into his offspring. Three of the dogs I have here on the place are his grandchildren and I feel very lucky to have such a close connection to him.
All dogs will bring the ultimate grieving at their death. We must not forget that it is balanced against all the joy of sharing life with them.
Henry, I am, as so many of your friends are, sorry for your loss.

I was reading the January, 1994 Airedale column written by Henry Johnson and ran across this " John Houben of Blacksburg, Virginia, wrote on October 25th, 1993 to bring me up to date, saying, "It has been ages since I talked with you or gave a 'Molly Report' so I thought I should give an update.
You have written several times that Airedales are often a mixture of joy and sorrow. Such has been the case with Mollie. Due to chronic hernia problems she has experienced since I got her spayed, I have had to retire her. Last week I gave her to the Methodist pastor in my hometown.

KABAR

" Let me share some of the more pleasurable moments I've had with Mollie this year. Back in July I tried to start her back to work by taking her out in the evenings calling coyotes for an hour or so. The first evening out I called a coyote out into the edge of a large cotton field. Mollie saw the coyote about the same time I did and gave it a short chase. After showing herself to the coyote she turned tail and decoyed it to within fifty yards of me and I was able to shoot it.
I would tend to agree with the sentiment of most government trappers that full-blooded Airedales are a bit overly aggressive for decoy work, but some do work out. I'm finding that many Government men's dogs are mixtures and that Airedales are often part of that soup. To be fair to Airedales, and to Molly, you and I have discussed a number of times that the breed, are generalists. That is they are a good all around dog, and Mollie has been that. I bought her for a trap line dog and she has served me well.
" Another incident that stands out during the past year was when a coyote pulled free while I was getting ready to remove it from the trap. Molly gave chase and quickly brought it to bay in a four- foot culvert. It was one of those occasions, which made me realize how valuable a trap line dog can be.
" Molly had also become quite accomplished at finding coyotes and bobcats which had taken a trap with a drag some distance from the set. You and I have talked about the Airedale tracking/hunting style and how it often resembles that of a bird dog more than a hound. To locate animals, Molly would most often circle to the downwind side of the set location and wind the critter. I have hidden while we were in the woods and watched her track me. She would typically run a zigzag course along the track with her nose off the ground. She would be traveling so fast that she would run fifteen yards past me before realizing the track had ended.
"Airedales are great dogs! Molly has proven that to me. They are not inbred show specimens with no working ability. Let's keep it that way. Molly was great with our kids. She was a great companion, and she was a valuable asset in my work. Hope to get to see her once in a while and I look forward to my next Airedale."
Henry wrote, " I think we'll be hearing more from John before too long. I'm doing my best to get a TVATA Airedale or two back in his kennel as soon as possible."
I don't know how long after that was written that John got Maggie (Bossman/Sheena), (I believe she was born in January 1994) and then subsequently bred her to Grit (Kojack/DakotaBelle) on two separate occasions. Sandy Seaton Sallee in Montana got Banjo, Henry had Hammer, before he gave him to Billy, from the first breeding and I got Brisk from the second.
When John moved to Washington State for a time being he bred Maggie a couple of times to Cajun, who was with Glenn Overstreet at the time.
Maggie threw some great offspring. The last correspondence I had with John was that Maggie was not going to be bred again and maybe in semi-retirement as far as working in the field. I know John got a pup that would be a Maggie granddaughter with Cajun top and bottom as the grandfather.
If you see this John let us know how it's going?
When I look over some of the addresses in my email address book and in my snail mail address book, I see names of folks that have dogs from several different sources and I am very curious about how things are coming along for the people and the dogs. Let us hear from you. If you have never written before, get in touch today. People who read this column want to hear about Airedales everywhere, so drop us a note.
I have seen some increasing hog sign around the property and over the border in the state park. I would like to trap a young pig, maybe 130 pounds to work the young dogs on. O'Sheen has more courage than he should and I am sure he would get himself into trouble right away on a mean old boar. But I think he could be the best boar dog on the place if he uses just a little discretion.
I cannot turn the dogs out on boar here at home because hunting is not permitted in the state park that borders the property and of course that is where the pigs propagate freely. Instead the state parks system pays a trapper to try and eradicate the problem of the pigs causing so much damage to the soil. Last year they bragged about trapping 300 hogs. If one sow can have 15 piglets a year, that's only 20 sows needed to replace the years trapping. Not good odds. I read several years ago that that there were thousands of pigs in Santa Cruz County. The numbers are not diminishing.
I just heard from Dennis Hescock who lives in Vermont. He is always great to talk with and I am very glad he called.
He told me Georgia is in heat again and he has talked with Ben Timme about making the Rhino/Georgia cross again. Sounds like they will be going for it next weekend. Georgia is Hammer/Lucy and Rhino is Slim/Brisk. Georgia was on a few bear last season and is showing a lot of promise. One bear almost landed on top of her. After she moved out of the way she spun around and was right on the bears tail as they headed off down the trail. He say's you can sure tell when Georgia gets to the tree, she sure sounds off.

RHINO x GEORGIA PUPS

Dennis kept a male from the last Rhino/Georgia cross, he named him Gator and he hopes to get him on some cats this winter. He really likes Gators personality and he says he has a coat like Rhino, fuller and a little longer than the hard coated Airedales.
Not too long ago he took back a male named Nick from a woman who is 87 years old and as much as she wanted to keep him, he was just too much for her to handle. She has smaller terriers and decided to stay with those. She calls to see how Nick is doing and Dennis is a good one for reassuring her.
Dennis said the first walk into the woods with Nick and Gator together was like the country cousin and the city boy. Gator would plow right through the streams and Nick would stop cold. Nick was confused about how to keep track of the pack and went the wrong direction at one time. I'm sure it won't take long for Nick to get his wits about him and learn the bush craft he has missed out on so far.
Nick is very smooth coated and Dennis likes the sleek look of his legs. He plans on running him with his hound.
Dennis' nephew has two hounds that he hunts quite a bit. Last year they were on 31 bear. They have been on a couple cats so far this winter. If Dennis can get his nephew to hunt 'the boys' (Gator and Nick) from time to time it will just improve their time in the woods.
Dennis told me the snow hasn't been too bad this winter, so far, so the chances of getting out are better.
I'll be giving Dennis a call next weekend maybe I can get through while Ben Timme is there.
Good luck with the breeding, I sure hope it takes.

The quote of the month is; "This Airedale breeding is about perpetuation of the good working lines, not about personal acquisition." KGK
Remember, as, Henry S. Johnson Jr. says: " Let us hear from you Airedale people. And don't forget to put your arms around those furry black and tan dogs with the beards and the moustaches and talk to them. They are people dogs and family members."
Respectfully submitted, Kevin G. Kelly, Pacific Coast Corresponding Secretary for the Working Airedale Terrier Association. No rules, regulations, officers, dues or formal affiliations, its more a state of mind.