Full Cry Column
June 2003

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

Here I sit at the RDR Ranch, near the ridge of the Big Basin, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a few miles, outside the town of Boulder Creek. It is towards the end of April and it feels as though it has rained all month, and not just rain but thunderous, blustering storms, one right after the other. We would get five days of raucous weather then one day of sun and then right back to a boisterous downpour. The result has been a beautiful lustrous, verdant green forest and hillside, sprouting with wild iris, poppies, lupine, mountain or wild lilac, trillium and redwood sorrel. The redwood forest is not known as habitat for plants with large showy flowers but the forest is home to a number of smaller flowering plants if you are patient enough to look for them. Mid-spring to early summer is the best time to see them; with all this rain they are abundant.

Laurie and I took a short road trip, up to see her Mom in Sonora over this past weekend. I have never seen the countryside in Stanislaus and Calaveras counties so green and fresh. Whenever we take road trips we find the back roads, the blue highway, the two lane blacktop paths that show you the country and the farms and ranches. You see the homes of the working people, and the people themselves; what I think is the real America.
Riding along those roads, outside of towns like Columbia, Angels Camp and Copperopolis, with the fields and hillsides so green and lambent and bursting with wild flowers and fresh grasses, I wondered how many of the first pioneers coming to this land in early spring might have fought their way through the Sierras and its' snow and hardship to find this lush valley, this paradise. They might have set up camp along a flowing creek and started building. How many were unsuspecting of the scorching nature of this same beautiful paradise just a few short months away? The creek might be seasonal, the grasses dry and brown. I'll bet there was a lot of trial and error before the ranches were established. The fortunate ones might have learned from the Indians and earlier Spaniard settlers, who had already come to know the land.
On highway J14 heading south to Oakdale and Escalon we saw a small group of cowboys with their horses at a cattle corral on the range. There was nothing in the image that would date what we saw, except the trucks and trailers but they were just far enough away or I was able to erase them from the view. It was as if we had gone back in time. I guess that era has not gone away forever. These are the places where cattle are still worked from horseback and hopefully always will be.
I just received a phone call from a gentleman from up in Northern California; he has a female Airedale out of Cajun/Cherokee Rose. She is in heat and he was looking for a good working Airedale stud. I have contacted Bob McClellan up in the Marble Mountain Wilderness area and hope to put them in touch with one another. I think the cross would be a good one and personally I would like a pup from such a cross.

Bob is a good friend of Dan Dilbeck who took one of the Guinness/Brigid pups. He got one of the two females in the litter, a big, strong, healthy girl he named Jude. Dan and I met through our mutual friendship with Bob; they are both good guys and I am fortunate to have made their acquaintance. Just recently Bob sent an email about a visit he had with Dan and Jude. Here's what he said, "Dan and little Jude were here yesterday. They came over to the valley to see our local veterinarian about puppy shots, etc.
" Nice looking pup. She was a little put off at first, about all, the strange goings on around here. Four strange dogs, chickens, a peacock, a horse, etc. I turned Casey loose, who really likes pups and is gentle with them, and it wasn't long until they were playing all around our feet.
Hard for Dan to stay in touch from over there on the other side of the mountain, as he keeps getting knocked offline regularly, but I'll probably see them again in another week or two."
I think any pup with any brains is ' a little put off' or cautious in a new environment, what's important to me is how quickly they appraise the situation and adapt.
I am lucky that Bob and Dan stay in touch because I will get more feedback from Bob, I think, as to how Jude is doing. Dan is very busy these days taking care of some of life's difficult chores.

Some very good news here in California is the defeat of a bill to ban hunting mammals with dogs. We heard from a fellow named Big John and here is how he put it, " Hundreds of sportsmen turned out at the California Capitol Building and derailed a bill that would ban hunting with hounds. The bill was defeated in an Assembly Committee by a vote of ten to four. The bill was pulled. Congratulations California Sportsmen and Women! Big John."
Thanks for passing that news along Big John. Your message was the first time, I heard it was defeated. I had signed the petition that went around and had written to our representatives. I'm glad it came out the way it did.
Whenever we hear about a threat to any of our freedoms it is extremely important to do whatever we can to get your thoughts and feelings on the matter to the people who are voting in our place!

I just got off the phone with Bob McClellan , he told me the breeding was on and the female was being taken to Bobs place to breed to Kelly. I have not been in the woods with either dog but I know from the field reports on both Kelly and the bitch that it will be an excellent cross, Bobs dogs are both excellent hunters and the female is "one bear huntin animal". I would like to pull a female in from that cross and mix it in to my line. There are many common ancestors not too far back but none too close. It's the type of outcross I like to make.

Billy Harkin's Sally Belle

Dennis Hescock has tried to get a hold of me on the phone a couple times, but I have missed his calls. I will be talking with him soon to hear how his litter is coming along. I believe the pups are seven weeks old today; I had better call him.
I recently read, " Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men" by Donald McCaig. It is a chronicle or journal of his travels through Scotland looking for a good working Border Collie. I enjoyed it very much as he did an excellent job of bringing the reader along with him on his journeys through the countryside into the Highlands and back again.
The reason I'm mentioning it here is to share the breeding and training philosophy that comes out throughout the pages of the book. Border Collies in Scotland are working dogs and have been for centuries, they are not show dogs. They are bred because of their attributes, their intelligence and temperament. In short their ability to work sheep. They do not all look alike and they do not go to obedience school to learn how to do their job. It is on the job training on the rough, ragged hillsides of Scotland and England, in the valleys of Wales and Ireland. They start fairly young and are brought around slowly, deliberately, everyday in the field. Usually learning from an older dog. I wish that all our working Airedales could have the same exposure with whatever we are training them to do. I believe that if these Airedales were worked a minimum of four days a week, at any task, they would perform as well as any other breed, at that task. As for working sheep I think they could do it all. They might be a bit more nippy than a Border Collie. As Clint said, "they like to sink their teeth" into whatever they are after. But even this could be discouraged to a satisfactory point.

A couple weeks ago Laurie and I drove to Arbuckle, about three hours north of here to meet a couple, Pete and Melody to transfer a dog to them that Melody named Lincoln. They drove about the same distance south to meet us. Lincoln is 10 months old. When I placed Lincoln with Pete I was very glad because Pete hunts often, spending two, three, four days in the woods at a time. Lincoln will get the patient exposure these Airedales need. Pete seems to have an intuitive sense about him. He is a good example of a dogman that I believe brings the best out of his dogs and will help Lincoln reach his full potential. Lincoln will get the time in the woods doing what he loves to do. I am very happy with him being with Pete and Melody.
When we are breeding Airedales it is every ones responsibility to breed for intelligence, temperament, and working abilities. Confirmation is very important, not so much from an aesthetically pleasing standpoint as from a locomotion necessity. If the dog is not built right, it can't move right.
It is also our responsibility to get them to the people who will use them and appreciate their extensive talents. People who understand the Airedales nature and the Airedales desire to be right there with you doing whatever it is your doing. "They are people dogs and family members."
They say Airedales are like Irishmen, " You can sweet talk them into anything, but you can't force a thing on them." They pick up the task at hand very quickly. They also have been bred for decades, never to give up the fight, they surely won't submit to pain. Ask Steel, owned by Billy Harkins.

Billy Harkin's and bear killed by his dogs

Billy is another person that gives his dogs the time in the woods they deserve. I got this from Billy not too long ago, "My buddy, Frank Queen and I went to south Ga. and hunted with Kevin Cruse. It was Saturday and we had a good hunt. We caught eight all together, two big sows and a good boar around 250 pounds, the rest were shoats. The boar cut my bulldog pretty good on the head right behind the eye. I had a cut vest and collar on him but I guess you can't cover every thing. He will mend up all right I'm sure."
Billy works his dogs with a clarity, that's a joy to watch. There isn't any confusion in the dogs mind about why he is there. I hope Sally Bell is coming along as a strike dog, I sure like the looks of her.
I just got a picture from Billy and his Terrier Task Force. Looks to me like they all caught a bear on the ground.
When Billy was ask about it he said; "The dogs killed it. The bear weighed about a hundred pounds and there was only about 150 pounds of dog on it. I have never seen it happen quite like that before. My Airedale, Sallybell was the biggest dog on it and she only weighs forty five pounds the rest were Jag and Jag crosses.
We were on top of the mountain digging ramps (wild onions) and the
dogs broke down into the rock cliffs below us. Well the ramp digging was over for me and so we headed down towards the dogs. Man they were in a bad place in the rocks and hard to get to but we took our time best we could and my cousin got to them first and he thought it was a hog but when he managed to get closer he yelled to me and said, "You aren't gonna believe this." The dogs had killed it on the ground. All I could figure is it may have broken it's back or something falling off of the rock cliffs."
Billy's dogs are in the woods and have the exposure to learn bush craft to their full potential.

I liked what Clint had to say last month about Airedales and hounds and motivation, what they see as the end result. It's right in line with the exposure training that I have been referring to, so I would like to repeat this small section. Clint wrote, "When I say he (Bar, Airedale) was coming along I mean he is able to work a track pretty well and will strike a hot bear and just needs work on the treeing. Airedales are not natural tree dogs but certainly learn to tree very well once they realize that what they are after is up the tree and the way to get it down is to let you know. I hate to generalize but unlike a hound an Airedale is driven by the intense desire to sink it's teeth into whatever it is they are after whereas some hounds I have had seem to get as much pleasure from just treeing as anything. My Buzz is like this and from the get go would lock onto a tree and bark treed while his whole body fairly quivered with delight all without ever having much game shot out to him. It seems that the physical act of ending a trail at a tree and letting the whole world know what a great thing he had accomplished is all the joy he requires in this world and in fact when the game is brought down it is as if a switch is pulled and he instantly realizes his part is over. Airedales on the other hand will never tree as an end in itself but as a means to an end which is to get the game and in fact when the game is brought down it is far from over and they will wool the game long past what is acceptable if the hide is of any consideration and they can make a trip out of the bush seem awfully long by pulling as hard or harder in one direction as you are in the other if you let them. I think some folks will give up too soon on an Airedale as a tree dog not realizing that the act of treeing often must be reinforced many times before it comes naturally and that extra time and effort may be required to get a finished dog but the end result is well worth the effort. "
Clint is another dogman who spends a lot of time in the woods giving his dogs as much exposure as he can. We are all limited by a whole series of reasons but I think most people working their dogs give them as much time as they can. Repetition, patience and treating your dog with respect will go a long way towards satisfaction in the woods for both man and dog.

I just got an email from Bob McClellan who said, "The folks with the female in heat, just left. For a while I thought they had waited too long. The female was kind of feisty, and I thought she was already going out of season. She finally couldn't resist such a handsome guy as my Kelly, and relented. Hung real good. I told them, looks like a basket full to me!
Her owner says she is a real bear dog. Fights a bear hard, good tree dog, open mouth on track, and will cold trail. The kind of Airedale everyone is looking for. Should be a good cross. Bob Mc"
I'm sure glad Bob and these folks are getting these good working genes into future generations. As I said before, this cross will be a Cajun/Cherokee Rose female crossed with a Nate/Libby male. Good luck with the litter and I hope there is a basket full.

I went back to Henry Johnson's June 1993 column in Full Cry and there in the first paragraph he makes reference to Cherokee Rose and we get another taste of his great lyrical prose; "Spring has finally come to TVATA country. Today is clear, sunny and warm, with a fresh cool breeze. Tender green leaves are popping out on all the trees and the redbud is in bloom. It is Easter Sunday morning as I write. I am seated at an old wooden table in the breezeway at the Hilltop Kennels office, waiting for Lawrence Alexander to return from church. Four month old Dakota Belle and five month old Cherokee Rose and Rebel Soldier alternately lie quietly at my feet or get up and pad around the kennel yard to visit and harass the Hilltop Airedales in the kennel runs or on their stakeout chains."
"Yesterday morning I met Larry and Terri Wertan of Washington D.C. at the Holiday Inn at Manchester, Tennessee, and took them for a short visit to David Noe's Southern Aire and Crucible Kennels and then on to Fultz Cove for a picnic and a puppy walk over the 78 acre property. Dakota Belle, Cherokee Rose and Rebel Soldier were with us, their spirits soaring as they ranged wide and free in pursuit of tadpoles, grasshoppers, mice and butterflies. Belle and Rose were particularly intent on the wildlife and I feel confident that they both will turn into excellent hunting Airedales." ( Henry Johnson, Full Cry, June 1993)

Well, Cherokee Rose was given to Glenn Overstreet by Henry, and Cajun was given to him by David Noe. Glenn hunted them and proved them in the field, as "excellent hunting Airedales". Proved them enough to want to breed them. I don't know how many litters Cherokee Rose had but I'm glad her genes are being carried on by this most recent cross to Bobs Kelly. Kelly's father, by the way, was Nate (Southern Aire General Forrest) who was a Kabar/Imma pup and was also given to Glenn by Henry and David. He was bred to Libby to produce both of Bobs dogs, Kelly and Casey. Enough of this history of the lineage.

I just got off the phone with Dennis Hescock from Vermont. He had a litter with four males and three females, in March. He sounded pretty happy with them and the folks who have come by to see them are excited by what they see. This was a Rhino (Slim/Brisk)/Georgia (Hammer/Lucy) cross and if it wasn't for a 21/2 hour drive to the airport for Dennis and Shelley, one way; I would take a female from that cross.
I have an eleven, week old Guinness/Brigid male I would like to swap Dennis, so we both would have these genes in our lines. They are from the same lines but they are cousins and I would like to line breed them that way to see what we would get. I particularly liked the Grit/Maggie cross and a breeding of this type would continue that cross.
Dennis said a family came to see the pups, lead by a seventy year old woman who had campaigned Airedales in the show ring. Her son or son in law was there and still shows smaller terriers. When she called to arrange a time to get together, Dennis explained that these were the tighter, hard, self-keeping coat type Airedales. She said with enthusiasm, "That's exactly what I'm looking for!" When she arrived she liked the looks of Georgia and the pups and took one home. She liked the idea of less maintenance in the Airedale Terrier, the breed she has always loved. This pup will be a companion for her but she said she might show it sometimes just for the fun of it. I am anxious to hear what kind of response a woman who is respected in the show world will get from these harder coated dogs. As you can see above I am not concerned with what the show world thinks of our good working Airedales but I like the brass of this woman getting what she wants. I hope we hear from her.
Dennis said when the pups start bothering his older Airedale Molly, she will give them the low grumbling growl that sends them, scrambling off in several directions. All accept one. The firstborn female stands her ground, barks and will grab Molly's whiskers. She takes after her Dad, Rhino, the first born, in his litter.
Dennis mentioned he had seen an increase in self-confidence and maturity in Georgia after having this, her first litter. He is glad to see it and going to be watching to see how it affects her hunting style.

Here at the RDR Ranch, we sent a male pup, Bear (Guinness/Brigid) up to Alaska to Shawn Peters and his family. The pup will be a family dog as well as a bear hunter. When Shawn picked him up at the airport he gave me a call and said everything went well and the pup arrived safe and sound. He told me they were happy with him and he was doing fine. Bear was a bold pup, with what appeared to be brains enough to stay alive when facing those big Alaska black bear.
I'm looking forward to field reports' from Shawn. He has a hound pup that is older than Bear and his brother is coming up from Montana with some older dogs so he should have some hides to train with this spring.

I wrote Eddie and Nancy Boatwright to see how their pups were coming along and to inquire as to the goings on in the Rocky Hollow. Nancy wrote with this info, "I haven't been keeping up with email lately. We've been busy with the pups and trying to get my plants from the greenhouse to the garden. The Chief/Katie pups are 8 and 1/2 weeks old now and 2 have gone to their new homes. We have 4 males and 1 female left. We have a deposit on one male. The female is the runt but she's growing. I don't know if she'll ever catch up with her brothers but she is very tough and can definitely take care of herself. She weighs about 5 pounds while the males weigh between 10 and 12. I'm still not sure what kind of coat she's going to have. Looking at her head I'd say she's going to be redline but she has long hair on her body. I guess it's the topcoat. None of the other puppies have that long topcoat and I've never seen it on any of our other puppies. We have a 6 week, old puppy that we got for the Chief breeding and she has a long topcoat all over, head and body. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how our pup turns out. I'm sending her picture. She's Minnie. (Get it?)

Eddie & Nancy Boatwright's Minnie

We also have a male (I call him Tex) that I'm pretty sure will be redline because he looks exactly like Slick looked at 8 weeks. His head and body are pretty slick. I think his head will be shaped more like Katie's, i.e., more square than pointed. I'll send you a picture of him if you're interested. I am attaching some pictures I took of some of the other puppies today but I don't think Tex (the Slick look-alike) is in any of them. By the way, I call him Tex because he REALLY looks like Slick's littermate that was a great looking redline Airedale. The first Tex (we called him Big Slick before we sold him) was run over. I have a picture of him as a pup. I'll take a picture of this puppy and send you both of them for comparison. Hope all is well out West. Nancy"

Nancy, thanks for taking the time to write. I'll send you all of my pups and you send me all of yours and then we can send back the ones we don't want. It's very hard sometimes picking the pups for different homes or to keep. You want to do the best for everybody and place the pup in a safe and loving home but it is never a guarantee. I think in the final analysis we all pick pups like kids do, with our hearts.

The quote this month was sent to me from Henry Johnson. It is an excerpt from a discussion pertaining to smaller terriers but it coincides rather well with the " in the woods training" I was talking about earlier, it can be applied to the Airedale or any dog as well: "The early education should come as a natural progression as it would in the wild world of nature. The youngster should be at ease in dense cover such as bracken and bramble, it should take streams and watercourses in its stride, it should have explored buries and rock piles where one day its quarry will be found. It should ignore sheep and lambs and ducks and chickens. This is where it learns its lessons, out in the fields, not in a puppy show ring." (David Harcombe)
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.