Airedales, anyone?

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Airedales, anyone?

Posted : 6/2/2010 12:10:04 AM

We brought our new Airedale puppy home 10 days ago and are enjoying her to no end. I was wondering if anyone else here had an Airedale - I thought it would be fun to compare notes and maybe learn even more about them.

One new experience for us is that of having a 'rare' breed. I've always had mutts/Lab mix type dogs before. Grace is our first purebred and in our area at least, the only Airedale! Our vet was excited to meet her and said he never sees Airedales, and asked lots of questions about why we chose the breed.

Something that is a little confusing is that everyone seems to have really interesting ideas about the breed! Someone asked us if we had to go through interviews to get Grace (huh? She's not particularly dangerous....?) The vet said Airedales aren't known for intelligence, but that is the first and only time I've heard THAT... and it isn't consistent with what I see every day (she's wicked smart!) One vet tech asked if Airedales were non-barkers - also a resounding no! I mostly find it funny and entertaining and I'm hoping we can help Gracie grow up to be a good ambassador for her breed.

So, anyone else got an Airedale? Big Smile Here's a picture of the little darling herself, the day she came home with us!

spiritdogs

Posted : 6/2/2010 6:53:32 AM

I'm not really a terrier person, but a friend of mine, who also thought she wasn't a terrier person (she's a Lab breeder), got an Airedale pup pretty much by accident and fell in love with her. That dog is doing very well at agility and has become a regular member of the household for keeps!

The reason you had "interviews" wasn't because the dog is dangerous, as you have already discerned, lol. It was because you apparently got her from a reputable breeder who probably wanted to make sure you were good enough to get one of her dogs:-)))

four_paws

Posted : 6/2/2010 7:18:34 AM

Thanks - I was not confused about the purpose of the breeder's process to screen prospective homes; one of my husband's coworkers was the one who asked "isn't that the breed you have to have an interview to get?" I wasn't there when he asked so I have no idea what prompted the question - I was guessing that he somehow thought they were a dangerous breed. So far, Grace is dangerously cute but that's about all. :-)

We carefully chose the breed and breeder so I feel like we know a good deal about the breed characteristics - but we are running into the funniest stereotypes and I wonder if that is just our (extremely rural) area or if other Airedale owners experience something similar.