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by Robin Reynolds
I'm not going to say I'm an expert on Airedale Terriers. I'm not a breeder. I'm not a trainer. And I'm not a dog show judge. But Airedales have been a part of my family since I was child, so what I know about them is what I've learned from living with them.
As an adult, my husband and I have had four Airedales -- two of them have passed and we have two now -- Amber and Krissy. Each one came to us in a different way - Bernie came from a backyard breeder, Max came from a shelter, Amber came from an AKC breeder and Krissy came from rescue. Yes, they all could be described with the typical Airedale traits - smart, playful and determined. But what made these Airedales so unforgettable is not how they were the same, but how they were different.
Max had the most unusual color -- his coat was what is called black and grizzle and though that is not the AKC standard, he was beautiful. His furnishings were very thick and he never grew out of his puppy black ears. Max was also the most happy-go-lucky guy. It didn't matter what happened in life; he was always able to get up each day and wag his tail. This was one of the most important lessons we learned from him and it was the inspiration for my book, Life to the Max: Maxims for a Great Life by a Dog named Max, which was recently published.
Bernie and Amber had and have the typical Airedale black and tan markings, but Bernie's furnishings were always thin and scraggly, while Amber's are beautiful and full. Bernie was sweet, patient and razor sharp. Out of the five Christmas stockings we would hang for the family, including the one for Max, she could pick out hers and she would lay under it all night until Christmas morning when her patience would be rewarded. Bernie was stocky, her tail was docked too short and one of her ears was higher than the other, yet she was graceful, gentle and loving. From Bernie, we learned the meaning of unconditional love and how to be good parents.
In contrast, Amber was our rebellious teenager. She really gave form to the depiction of the Airedale "Terror." Though perfectly proportioned, she was a clumsy puppy -- she ran into walls, she fell off steps and her impulsive exuberance got her into trouble more than once. Like the time when we were all gathered around the pool and Amber spotted my son on the other side. Convinced she could walk on water, she took off running toward him and plunged head first into the pool. Thank goodness, we were there to fish out the surprised little puppy.
Amber has also been the most pig-headed of our Airedales. To this day, she has not mastered "come." Instead she sits down and looks at us like, "What's your ulterior motive?" When she was about four, she began to calm down and now that Krissy has joined the fray, her patience is really emerging. (One of Krissy's tricks is to grab one of Amber's back legs in her mouth and Amber just stands there until she lets go.) Amber has taught us the value of loving, but firm discipline -- something that's been invaluable now that our son is a teenager.
Krissy is a spunky, very petite one-year-old Airedale -- the smallest we've ever had. Like Bernie, her furnishings are very sparse and her ears are asymmetrical, but her straight, coarse fur is totally different than any of the Airedales who have owned us previously. She does not have the typical Airedale beard or furry muzzle, so her face and body look more sleek and pointy. At first when I introduced her to friends, I found myself almost apologizing for her looks, "Well, we're not sure if she's really an Airedale." Afterwards, I found myself blanching at the thought that I had become a doggy bigot! Of course, it didn't really matter - Krissy had already captured my heart with her soulful eyes, her funny, prancing little walk and her big guttural sighs that sound like a cow mooing.
Still with all this dissimilarity among our dogs, it made me wonder: were these dogs really Airedales?
My question led me to do some research on the Web and to discover Joyce Miller, a long-time Airedale enthusiast who runs a website (dearjubilee) that offers advice, articles and links on all things dog and Airedale. She is as full of insight, wisdom and energy as any of the Airedales she once bred. After sending her pictures of my dogs, I asked if these dogs were indeed all Airedales. "No doubt they are Airedales," she replied, "I have seen these variations in the same litter."
After long conversations with Joyce talking about genetic anomalies and reading more Airedale history, this is what I now know: just because you've had one Airedale, it doesn't mean they're all the same. Just like people, they are all individuals and enjoying their diversity instead of expecting exact conformity is a lesson we can apply to life. If we were all the same, imagine how boring that would be! That may be the one thing we're supposed to learn from Krissy. All I know is that I've learned something special from every wonderful animal that has been part of my life. And it's made all the difference.
About the Author
Robin Reynolds is an award-winning writer who has more than 25 years of experience writing in a variety of formats. An Airedale Terrier lover since youth, Robin lives in Tempe, AZ with her husband, teenage son, and two Airedales. Visit Nice Creative and Life to Max.
Los Angeles Times
"Dry Dog Food - Are You Harming Your Dog"
by Keeley Roberts
Choosing your dogs food is one of the most important decisions you will make regarding his health. I used to spend ages trying to work out which was the best brand to feed my dog, nearly as long as trying to work out what to feed the family.
I must admit that I did originally choose a dry dog food brand as it was just so convenient, clean and appeared to stay fresh longer. Also during the summer months if I was working I could leave it down knowing I would not return to the house full of flies.
What I did not realise though was how it was made and just how dangerous it could be for my dog.
Here are a few facts about dry dog food and the manufacturing process.
A computer programme acertains the nutrious benefits of each ingredient.
The machine that makes the dry dog food is called an extruder and for it to work properly there has to be an consistent amount of starch and very little moisture. (cardboard springs to mind). The dry elements used are flour, grains, Oh and rendered meat and bone meal. Not very digestable.
The dog food gets it shape by the manufacturers applying steam and extreme high pressure. Once the food reaches its normal air pressure it blows up "balloon style". Basically the food is full of air and not a lot else.
The dried food is then sprayed with compounds, fats and appetizers to make it more appealing to our dogs.
The main worry is that even though the manufacturing process will kill the bacteria the post-manufacturing process is a "minefield".
The product can pick up bacteria during the packing, cooling and coating stages.
I know it is really difficult to try to find out what is a healthy option for our dogs but have a really good look at those labels the next time you go shopping. Behind that designer packing could be bad dog food.
About the Author
http//:www.bad-dogfoodexposed.com
RAGDOLL CATS: Ten fast facts
by Lilandi Scheepers
Are they alien hybrids? Or were they genetically modified? These are but two of the myths regarding the biological origins of the Ragdoll Cat; the cat that goes limp as a ragdoll when handled. Here are nine more "fast facts" regarding the Ragdoll cat:
*The Ragdoll cat breed is neither an alien hybrid nor a result of genetic modification; they were in fact created in the 1960s by Ann Baker; a Persian cat breeder of California, through a program where she selected cats with the appearance and temperament she wanted and then bred them to enhance those characteristics.
*Ragdolls are available in 6 different colours; Seal, Chocolate, Flame (red), Blue, Lilac and Cream. These colours appear in 4 different patterns; Pointed, Mitted, Van and Bi-colour.
*All Ragdoll cats have strikingly beautiful blue eyes.
*Ragdolls may live up to 15 years. They are only fully grown after about 4 years, at which males can weigh up to 20 pounds, making them one of the worlds largest cat breeds.
*The Algonquin Hotel in New York City keeps a female Ragdoll cat named Matilda in their lobby; she even has a signature cocktail in the hotel bar!
*The presenters of the CBBC TV program "Blue Peter" have two Ragdoll cats; One named "Socks" and another named "Cookie".
*Ragdoll cats are an exceptionally gentle, quiet and relaxed breed. They will rarely use their claws, so should not be allowed outside alone as they will not defend themselves if attacked.
*Unlike other cats Ragdolls enjoy and even seek out human company. They are known to follow their owner around the house and be waiting at the door to greet you. This together with their tolerance toward children and strangers make them the ideal feline companion.
*Sometimes called "puppy-cats", they are somewhat dog-like in that they can be trained; both to play games such as "fetch" and to walk on a leash. Certainly not your ordinary cat!
About the Author
Lilandi Scheepers is an avid cat enthusiast, and recommends you visit Ragdoll Cat Secrets for breed specific care & training tips for your Ragdoll Cat.
THE BEST AIRPORTS FOR TRAVELERS WITH DOGS
Written By:
Harriet Baskas
USATODAY.COM
A lot of people consider their pets to be part of the family, so its no surprise that when a family goes on vacation or a devoted pet owner goes on a business trip, they want their pets to tag along.
Dog owners seem especially fond of taking their furry friends on the road. According to a recent survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), 19% of America's 73 million dog owners take their dogs with them when they travel. And many of those pooches get to travel by plane — as cargo, checked baggage or in the cabin.
Back in the early 1990's the Air Transport Association (ATA), a trade organization of major U.S. airlines, estimated that U.S. airlines transported more than 500,000 animals each year. Surprisingly, no agency or group has gone back to update that tally, but it's a good bet that with both pet ownership and air travel at an all time high, the number of flying pets has skyrocketed as well.
And when pets are on the go, they're going to need a place to "go." A few years back, finding a place to walk a dog at an airport was quite a challenge, but "now that so many people are traveling with their pets," says Tracey Thompson of petfriendlytravel.com "airports are setting up pet-relief areas and promoting themselves as pet-friendly, just like many hotels are now doing."
Some pet-relief areas at airports are simply a small patch of grass or a square or two of green Astroturf-like material, but a few airports have created lovely landscaped pooch-parks. Following are some of the country's most canine-friendly facilities.
In December 2004, Reno-Tahoe International Airport celebrated the opening of the Gate K-9 Bark Park. Paw prints stamped on the sidewalk outside the terminal lead to the enclosed Bark Park just north of the baggage claim area. The park is landscaped with trees and a canopy for shade and stocked with fresh drinking water and plastic mitts for quick clean-ups. "We even have a fire hydrant in there," says airport spokesman Brian Kulpin, who sometimes takes his dogs Jet and Stormy to work with him.
Kulpin says the pet relief area was initially set up as a temporary area for service dogs coming to town with their owners for a veteran's convention. "But it worked out so well that we decided to make it a permanent feature. We even got the local schools involved in choosing a name for the park."
In Texas, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has a small park with a figure-eight-shaped dog walk located outside the lower level, just past the east end of the terminal. Landscaped and lighted at night, the park has stone benches, shade trees, grassy areas, a pet-level drinking fountain and plenty of mitts and trash receptacles for clean-ups.
But we must give a round of applause (or should that be a round of paws) to the folks at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport who maintain two park areas for pooches. The 2,000 square-foot Bone Yard is just outside the baggage claim level at the west end of Terminal 4, the airport's busiest terminal.
Opened in December 2003, this first park was the brainchild of airport workers who noticed that pet owners were using the airport's carefully tended-to landscaping as pet relief areas. The fenced-in area they set aside for pets is shaded in the day and lighted at night and has a bone-shaped patch in the center filled with kitty litter and surrounded by crushed gravel. Pet owners can use the park's faucets and buckets to cool off their pets and the plastic mitts to clean up after them.
The Phoenix airport's second pet-relief area, the Paw Pad, is located just west of Terminal 3 inside a framed archway and a fence decorated with paw prints. This pet-relief area offers pets and their owners the same amenities as the Bone Yard, but instead of gravel and kitty litter, the Paw Pad has grass. Dogs are the most common pets seen here, but airport staffer Julie Rodriguez says that "about a year ago, I spotted a ferret in there on a leash!"
While pet-relief areas are a welcome amenity for pet owners in transit, pet rest areas at airports are also a boon for the increasing number of narcotics and explosive-sniffing dogs that work at airports. Officer Jason Toth and his dog Zassko, a two and half year old Belgian Malinois, are part of the NEDCTP, the National Explosive Detection Canine Team Program at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Toth says the on-site pet relief areas are a much-appreciated time-saver.
"When Zassko needs to use the rest room" says Toth, "we no longer have to leave the airport and drive to a nearby park area. We simply walk out of the terminal, take our break in one of the parks and get back to work." Less time away from the airport for breaks, says Toth, means that Zassko and the other working dogs can "focus better, do their jobs more efficiently and respond more expeditiously to calls."
While the airports in Reno, Austin and Phoenix offer some of the country's nicest pet rest areas, airports in Seattle; Portland; Denver; San Diego; Columbus, Ohio; and elsewhere also offer pets "a place to go." To find a rest stop for your pet on your next plane trip, consult the list of pet-friendly airports on the www.petfriendlytravel.com website or call the information desk at the airports on your itinerary. If there's no official pet-relief area, don't give up. You may be able to locate an "unofficial" on-site relief spot or a pet-friendly park nearby.
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