Well, Hello everyone. Summer is having its last blast of heat here at the RDR Ranch, on the edge of the Big Basin, while fall is pushing it's way in. It is very hot and dry, especially for a coastal rainforest. The Redwoods are yellowing, in more of it's leaves or needles than usual and the grasses on the ground are brittle and dry. I can't help but feel for the fire fighters, who are out there on the line, trying to control the infernos, in Oregon and northern California. I hope our friend Brooke Henderson is safe, as well as all the firefighters out there doing their part.
Laurie and I had the great benefit of going up to Jon Cards home earlier in August and had an evening of viewing the Perseid meteor shower. Jon lives on a Manzanita ridge, east of Boulder Creek, the evening was warm but not hot and the sky was crystal clear. The moon was a crescent shape that appeared as the sunset and the sky darkened. Jon just purchased a new telescope that he was very excited about and so were we. It took us right to the moon where we could walk among the craters and make footprints in the dust.
The meteor shower occurs every August when the earth passes closest to the orbit of the Swift-Tuttle Comet, between August 8th and August 14th. Laurie's birthday is the 8th, and we celebrate at least to the 14th, so it works out pretty well. The shower is sometimes referred to as Saint Lawrence's Fiery Tears. We saw the brightest and longest burning, shooting star of my life. Laurie saw a very bright burning meteor, it had potential, until it landed in the Big Dipper and went out!
I just got off the phone after a very enjoyable conversation with Leroy Jennings of Lebanon, Missouri. He called to get Al Kranbuhl's phone number, because he liked what Al had to say in the September Full Cry; Al's words were; "Right from the get go Tuck ( Al's Airedale from Texas Pete and Daisey) proved to have the foremost thing that I look for in a hunting dog and that is natural intense bred in instincts to hunt. The first thing he showed as a pup on his own was the interest in squirrels, I am not talking about sight chasing a squirrel and running it up a tree like some dog in a park. This guy as a pup showed he had a nose and knew how to use it, he could trail like a hound and locate like a hound and tree like a hound by scent not sight and when I checked, the squirrel would be up in the tree and I always checked. This might not sound too impressive to some but anybody that trains tree dogs knows better, even more so when the dog does it all on their own, just check out the squirrel hunters message board and see what those boys go through to train their dogs." Leroy has been telling the guys in the Tree Dog Club, that very same thing for years. Not sight chasing but a genuine interest in the trail.
When Leroy returned home from the Second World War, he got in touch with Walter Lingo and got himself an Oorang Airedale from Larue, Ohio. He has the letter Walter sent him and is sending a copy of the letter to me. I will include it in my next column. When the train carrying the pup, rolled into Stoutland, Missouri, the station master, called and said;" Leroy, you've got a pup down here, come on down and pick him up. Leroy was not back from oversees, for very long, at that point, so he didn't have a car or truck yet. He walked the mile and a half to the station, picked up the pup and headed for home. He got just a little ways out of town and decided there was no reason to carry the weight of the crate and the pup all the way home. He took the little eight week, old pup, that he eventually called Chief, out of the crate, talked with it, rub it up good and the two of them strolled on home. Chief was his partner from then on.
Chief was an excellent squirrel dog. When he came across a trail he would get animated like a bird dog and Leroy knew he was on to something. He would track the scent to the tree and was a good tree dog. If he was on the tree the squirrel was in it!
Chief also had a pastime of bringing Skunks home for Leroy's mom. He would return from the woods with a skunk and stand at the gate barking until Mom came and got the skunk. She would put Chief in the yard and take the skunk out into the woods. Then return to whatever she was doing. As soon as Chief could make his break he would follow her footsteps, find the skunk and bring it back to the gate and bark. No doubt proud that he had found what Mom had lost in the woods.
Leroy's Chief and his fondness for him, is why I like Airedales. When Leroy was sent to the chicken coop to get a couple chickens for dinner, Chief would go with him and guard the beheaded birds while they were on the ground flopping around. There were other dogs and hogs very interested in the dinner as well, but Chief wouldn't let them near it. When it came time to butcher a couple hogs for the freezer, Chief would guard the carcasses, after they were dressed out and cooling.
There were quite a few Bobwhite Quail in that neck of the woods and Chief would sneak up on them: " He was very cat footed." And very often point them, front paw up, tail flagging like a bird dog. Leroy would intentionally drop a glove from time to time and watch Chief out of the corner of his eye. Chief would snatch it up and;" prance like a show horse", right along side of Leroy until he took the glove back. He would do the same thing carrying the mail to the house.
Thanks for getting in touch, Leroy. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. I look forward to seeing your letter from Walter Lingo and some pictures of Chief.
Here's an email from Henry Johnson to Dale Burrier that I also received. In it Henry talks about the two Red Sonja's; "I would not call my Red Sonya a redline type. I class her as a Third Quadrant type (3/4ths of the way between modern show dog and classic Old breed redline type) and from my memory of Tailer (Grit/Red Sonja) that is what I would call her too. The attached picture from Matt Thom shows the classic redline type. This is a four month old pup. When she is grown she will eventually have a short, hard coat maybe one to two inches long but only the slightest bit of beard and leg furnishings. These are beautiful dogs and have great movement and make very good hunting dogs and require essentially no grooming at all. This redline type coat is much closer to what The Airedale Standard calls for than the long flowing beards and fluffy leg furnishings you see on modern show dogs. Look at pictures from early 1900's publications and you will see redline type Airedales as show winners of the day. In his book, Holland Buckley says most breeders would kill for a coat like that." Henry Johnson, Fults Cove, Tennessee"
None of the coats are identical on my dogs. Most are similar. Boru's coat, ungroomed is extremely close to how Airedales are groomed for the ring. Less furnishings on the face.
I've included a picture of Matt Thom's Mogollon Rim Red Sonja, so everyone could see what a good looking Airedale she is.
It
sure is fun watching these dogs grow up and I'm glad there are so many people
willing to share photos. So if you have some pictures of your Airedales, send
them along so, we all can see them.I just returned from a one, hour walk in the woods, out back of the house, with the pups, (O'Sheen and Nitro) and Boru (now two years old). I am very pleased with the mobility, agility and determination of these new little, ladder climbers. They kept up very well and we were moving along at a good clip. They will be ten weeks old tomorrow and I go back and forth almost daily on which one will be the "best". I guess I'll need to get them in a field with some pheasant or show them a trapped hog in a few months and see what happens. They are babies now and just a lot of fun to watch.
Craig Harrington wrote on July 11th, 2002" If I only had one dog or no dogs right now I would be tracking down a 7 week old redline pup as long as it was bred like Ole Jack, like your litter. I liked that dog's temperament and his movement is so good I could just sit and watch him all day. I really think that a redline Airedale and one of Henry's small dogs would be the perfect combination to have some fun with."
I agree Craig. I wouldn't doubt that I might have a Cove Terrier, ( Border, Fell or Border/Fell cross) sharing the cab of my truck one day.
Back towards the end of July, Billy Harkins wrote the following about a boar hog; " My nephew and I were just out knocking around yesterday evening and we took Boozer along with us. We had found some feeding sign in the area earlier so we took Boozer back this time to check out the local live stock heard. I turned him loose and he pulled up the ridge into some rock cliffs and bayed the hog. It took us about thirty minuets to climb up to him. When we got there he had the hog bayed up under a big rock. But we couldn't see it and wasn't real sure what he had bayed up cause there was a lot of bear sign in the same area. I got my camera out to try and get a picture but before I could get any closer the hog came busting out from under the rock and the next thing I knew my nephew and I both were climbing laurel bushes. The hog ran passed us within eight or ten feet and went another thirty yards and bayed up again under another big rock. I picked my camera up and headed to them and THIS TIME I got above the hog, on the rock that he was under. I thought that it might be a little safer approach. I tried to get a picture but the hog bolted again when it saw me and it took off up to the top of the ridge. We took off after them again and when we got to them this time the hog was just standing out in the open with Boozer circling around at a safe distance. The next thing that I knew I was standing face to face with the hog with my camera in my hand and nothing to climb. So remembering what Henry said one time; " Cameramen are a dime a dozen and a good picture is priceless", I stood my ground and took the picture. Luckily the hog turned and went the other way (WHEW !) with Boozer in hot pursuit.
It was late about 8:00 or so and we were in a bad place to get caught out after dark so I told Thomas that we needed to head back to the truck. I wasn't worried about Boozer cause he was keeping a safe distance and he wouldn't let me catch him any way. We headed back down through the rock cliffs and made it to the truck where we just sat and listened to Boozer baying. Since it was hot and humid too I knew that he wouldn't stay much longer. I guess from the time he found the hog till he came back to us it must have been two and a half hours. It had rained earlier in the day and we were both soaked to the bone and were glad to be headed back to the house. The hog got away, we got a picture, Boozer didn't get cut and all lived happily ever after. Billy Harkins, Owltown Airedales.
I told Billy one time that I was sighting in my rifle to go hog hunting and with a grin he told me; "Kevin, real hog hunters don't use guns only hand cuffs or maybe a blade."
Or maybe a digital camera, huh Billy. I hope that camera is armor plated, if you get trampled right after a good shot, you wouldn't want anything to happen to the picture.
The following was in the British Columbia press on August 4, 2002;
Man kills attacking cougar with pocket knife August 4, 2002 Posted: 9:18 AM EDT (1318 GMT) VICTORIA, British Columbia (AP) -- A 61-year-old man was seriously slashed in a battle with a cougar in British Columbia, but managed to kill the animal with his pocket knife, officials said. The 100-pound cat leaped on Dave Parker from behind Thursday evening as he walked down a road a mile south of Port Alice, a village on Vancouver Island about 230 miles north of Victoria. Conservation officer Ken Fujino said Parker was being mauled by the adult male but was able to reach his 3-inch knife. Port Alice Mayor Larry Pepper added Parker then slit its throat. Despite extensive wounds, Parker managed to walk about a mile for help. He underwent surgery Friday at Victoria's Royal Jubilee Hospital and was listed in stable condition, said spokeswoman Lianne Peterson. Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Jeff Flindall said police found Parker's knife next to the dead cougar. Vancouver Island has the highest concentration of cougars in British Columbia. Officials said there have been 16 cougar attacks on Vancouver Island since 1970, including three deaths. The last fatal attack occurred in August 1996 when a 36-year-old woman died while fighting off a cougar that mauled her son.
This
was a dangerous hog. His cutters were just the right size to rip the side out
of a dog and being summer everything is so thick and brushy that the dogs have
to know what's behind them at all times. The dogs held(bayed) him good and one
got cut in the hind quarters quite deep. I had a cut vest on Copper and that
seemed to cut (chaff) him up more then the hog. This was Coppers first wild
hog. I will mount this hog myself and he was a pretty red and blonde color.
I hit him low behind the ear with a 44 nosler partition and it held up well.
Talk to ya all later. Rick"
Roger
and Brenda told me; " Hope all is well, thought you might like to see these
pictures of RockO Mountain High, the pup we kept. He is well behaved and is
a little over 9 months old. Loves the mountains, keeps the deer out of camp
and is a natural at flushing birds without any training, he flushes the quail
and birds out of the garden and around the house for fun. This deer season he'll
be in training with his mom Abby to show him the ropes, no doubt he'll perform
well as with anything, he takes to it naturally. Loves the kids and couldn't
ask for a better hunting/companion dog, along with his mother Abigail Irish
Luck we are thrilled to own such great dogs. These pups are a fine tribute to
Bob McClellan's male, High Country Kelly." Roger and Brenda Towne &
Family