THE AIREDALE'S HISTORY
The Airedale is a product of the middle of the nineteenth century and
was manufactured in Yorkshire. The streams that tumble down the deep
vales of that Midland county are the homes of hundreds of crafty,
hardbitten otters; there are thieving foxes and very game, but very
rascally badgers in snug dens in the hills; many a swift English hare
lives in the broad game preserves. The hardy Yorkshireman of 1850--his
sons and grandsons to-day are real "chips of the old block"--loved
nothing so much as a hunt after the vermin, with possibly a rat killing
contest with "a couple o' bob" at stake of a Saturday night, and
sometimes, on moonless nights, when game keepers were asleep, a little
trip after the filling for a rabbit pie. Now, you cannot do these
things without a dog that is brainy, game, obedient, and as much at
home in water as on dry land; so they just naturally set to work to
make themselves such a dog.
All this we know positively, but when it comes to saying anything
definite about how they made that dog, which we now call the Airedale,
you begin to deal in traditions as conflicting as theories on the
Martian canals and speculations as vague as old wives' tales. Taking
all the yarns and guesses and boiling them down to an average, we find
that the Airedale, so most people think, was originally a cross between
a tan-grizzle terrier, now extinct or absorbed in other breeds, but
once common in the Midlands, and the otterhound, a big, wire-coated
water dog of the bloodhound type, that comes in all colors of Joseph's
famous coat, but mainly white with black and tannish markings. To this
cross were added dashes of bull terrier, which breed was, at that time,
just coming to the fore with its deserved reputation for grit, and
Bedlington terrier, a light-weight, top-knotted dog from the North of
England.
Probably there were sprinkles of the blood of the collie and of all
terriers found at the time between the Midlands and the Scottish
Borderland. All these (fox, Manchester, Welsh, Old English, and Dandy
Dinmont) were then more or less indefinite as to type and uncertain
as to breeding, which helps materially in making confusion worse
confounded. Just how and why this strange, indefinite mixture should
have resulted in the Airedale no one can say. The otterhound donated
the size and the love of the water, and all the terrier blood made him
a terrier in spite of his size. From the very beginning the breed had
the advantage of having an object. The Yorkshireman wanted a big,
strong, dead game, water-loving terrier. That furnished a standard to
breed to, and they got what they wanted.
When the fame of this dog first spread from the valleys of his
birthplace, he was pretty well established as to type, and once taken
up by the dog showing fancy and a standard drawn up the type was soon
firmly fixed. Since his first introduction to the world he has changed,
becoming somewhat larger. The seers and wise men of English dogdom
raised a great hullaballoo when this giant among terriers appeared,
saying that no dog over twenty pounds could be a terrier because a
terrier must go to earth. The dog, however, was mainly terrier in blood
and so very certainly terrier in characteristics that he was classed
with the family. Maybe it is out of respect to the authorities of the
early days of the dog fancy that we have gradually dropped the terrier
in his name, and though it is a part of his official title, still the
dog is universally spoken of as the Airedale.
This, however, was not his original name, for in early days he was
called the "waterside terrier," and his official début at the English
dog shows was in classes for "broken-haired working terriers." Both
titles were felt to be too indefinite, and "Stonehenge," the sporting
authority, suggested "Bingley terrier," from the town in the heart of
the district where the breed originated. Local jealousies prevented any
one town giving its name to the breed, and there was quite a war waged
till some unrecorded genius suggested that, as the birthplace of the
breed had been in the valleys of the Aire River and its little
tributaries, Airedale was the best name. So Airedale he became, having
an official christening at the Otley show in the late seventies.
Besides adding some ten pounds to his weight and getting a distinctive
and pleasing name, the Airedale has changed in other ways since he took
his light from under the bushel basket. His head has lengthened,
following the tendency of all terrier breeds. His shoulders, legs, and
feet are worlds better now than they were years ago, but coats have
suffered. The wire jacket has improved, but the woolly undervest has
been sacrificed, though now more and more attention is being paid to
this by breeders and judges.
The honor of having brought the first Airedale to America is generally
ascribed to Mr. C. H. Mason, who is better known to this generation of
fanciers as a cocker spaniel owner and editor of _Man's Best Friend_.
He was originally a Yorkshire man, who had known and loved the breed
since his youth. He imported Bruce, a fairish dog, blind in one eye,
but useful in stud, where he sired Ch. Brush. Bruce is merely a
sentiment with Americans, for all he has left is a reputation for bad
temper and a yarn about having been sold for a few dollars at a horse
auction in New York in 1885.
The breed first "took on" in New York, but Philadelphia has long been
its stronghold. The Quaker City, boasting such fanciers as Clement
Newbold, William Barclay, Russel H. Johnson, W. H. Whittem, Daniel
Buckley, and Dr. Henry Jarrett, has away and beyond passed other cities
in the number and quality of its Airedales. In early days the New York
fancy was represented by Mr. J. L. Lorillard, the purchaser of Clonmel
Marvel, whose importation boomed the breed's stock in this country;
Messrs. De Witt Cochrane, Foxhall Keene, and C. O'Donnel, all of whom
have not been so active lately. Later Theodore Offerman, James H.
Brookfield, James Watson, and John Gough entered the game, and they
figure to-day as owners of winners.
This is a short sketch of how the breed originated and how they came to
America, but real "history is men, not events," or rather dogs, not
events. It is interesting, but more important is a knowledge of the
dogs of the past. In limited space, one can only say a word or two
about the most famous of the breed's celebrities, so I must be pardoned
if some reader is disappointed in not finding mention of some dog in
which he is particularly interested. Almost each year has seen its good
dogs, but we can only touch those which time has declared to be truly
great.
The sigh for "the good old days" is common in all things, and we often
hear it from dog fanciers. It is good food for talk, but that is all,
for the old-timers of any breed could not win in the ring against the
cracks of to-day. Among the very early Airedale winners were: Tanner,
Young Tanner, Rustic Twig, Rustic Kitty, Rustic Lad, Newbold Fritz,
Vixen, and Venom, none of whom would be one, two, three in a good show
to-day. Clip and Ch. Cholmondeley Briar were the two first really good
dogs. Clip was a sound, honest dog who showed real modern type, and
gave black, real terrier eyes to his pups; while Briar was the first
real show hero, having gone undefeated till he met Clonmel Marvel.
Clonmel Marvel, one of the really great dogs of the world, was bred
by a novice, a Mr. F. C. Brown, who mated his Cholmondeley Mona to
Clipper, a good dog, but no wonder. There were nine in the litter,
and Mr. Brown showed Marvel, whom he called Warfield Victor, in a
£3 Selling Class, where he was placed second, being sadly out of
condition. "Jack" Holgate saw the rough diamond, bought it, and resold
it to Messrs. Mills and Buckley, the famous Clonmel firm. Marvel beat
all of his time--dogs and bitches--and won eighteen championships.
Eventually he came to America, along with Ch. Clonmel Sensation and
Clonmel Veracity. He was by far the best Airedale seen up to his time,
a dog hard to fault, even in "the light of modern criticism." He proved
as wonderful a sire as he was a show crack, and much of real terrier
style in the breed to-day is due to him.
A contemporary of Marvel's was Ch. Dumbarton Lass, who also came to
this side of the Atlantic to the kennels of Mr. Joseph Laurin, in
Montreal. She was bred by Capt. Baird Smith, who benched her at
Woolwich in poor condition. Mr. A. E. Jennings, whose kennels were then
paramount, bought her and showed her for three years, when she went to
Mr. Stuart Noble and was later bought by the Canadian fancier. She
proved a gold mine as a brood bitch and was personally hard to
fault--barring her coat.
But the most wonderful brood bitch of the breed, one whose name should
be written in gold in the Airedale Hall of Fame, was not a great show
winner. She was Bath Lady. Her first big winning puppy was Briarwood,
who came out in London in 1896. Briarwood was by Hyndman Briar, by
Willow Nut, and like all Bath Lady stock proved his value in the
breeding kennels. His most famous get was the beautiful bitch of Ch.
Broadlands Bashful. We can only mention two others of Bath Lady's
offspring, but those fanciers who have dogs in whose pedigrees she
appears can congratulate themselves. To Ch. Clonmel Marvel she produced
Ch. Clonmel Kitty, a really good one all over, and to Master Briar she
had Walton Victory, even better--except in skull--than Kitty.
During the nineties the Tone Kennels with Ch. Tone Jerry, whose forte
was his wonderful coat and color, and Ch. Tone Crack, excelling in
bone, coat, and body, but broad across the skull, had a big say in the
prize-lists. In 1896 Studholme Sherry came out and was hailed as a
flyer, but he did not last, though in his day he was a beautiful
terrier.
Ch. Clonmel Monarch, who has done so much for Philadelphia's Airedale
supremacy as a sire and as a show dog came as near the ideal Airedale
as we find, made his début about this time in Leicester and ran
second to Ch. Rock Salt. Monarch was undeveloped, but six months
later at Alexandra Palace he came to his own and after that his show
record in England was an unbroken string of firsts. He was a grand
terrier--almost faultless--his coat waved a bit and his critics used to
say he was "so fine he was bitchy." Just to mention some of his pups
shows what he was at stud: Ch. Broadlands, Royal Descendant, Ch. Tone
Regent, Ch. Clonmel Bed Rock, Claverhouse Enchantress, Clonmel
Coronation, and Strathallan Solace. Ch. Rock Salt, mentioned as the
conqueror of Monarch, was a good one whom Americans know best through
Ch. The New King, his son, who has done so well for the New England
fancier, Mr. Arthur Merritt.
Ch. Tone Masterpiece--known here as Ch. York Masterpiece, for Mr.
Offerman gave him his own kennel's prefix--was a dog of ups and downs,
but he was an honest champion, who just missed being great. His son
(bred in England) Floriform was another good dog who did things in New
York in the early years of the new century where he was owned by Mr.
Offerman and later by Mr. Brookfield. Floriform was the sire of Ch.
Engaflora, the first great American bitch.
In 1902 two good but unfortunate sons of Clonmel Monarch came out, Ch.
Legrams Prince--a real flyer--and Bandolero, who never got his just
deserts at the shows. Rheumatism spoiled Prince's shoulders for the
show ring and his ill-starred half brother died of wasp stings. A
contemporary of these dogs was Ch. Wombwell Rattler, a rattling good
one with a softish coat who sired Mr. Offerman's well known crack Ch.
York the Conqueror. In the same year (1902) Ch. Delph Girl, wonderful
color and coat, good head and expression, but too fine, and Ch.
Dumbarton Sceptre, the best bitch of the time, both made their début
and eventually came to the United States. The dam of Sceptre,
Claverhouse Enchantress (by Clonmel Monarch out of Clonmel Winifreda),
needs special mention. She won a number of prizes, but soon passed into
the hands of a novice, Mrs. Cuthell, and as a mother and grand-mother
of champions made a place for herself second only to Bath Lady.
Dumbarton Sceptre and Claverhouse Sorcerer--the former a real flyer,
the other a dog above the average--were in her first litter. Her
second, by Ch. Master Briar, resulted in the great Ch. Mistress Royal,
probably the best show bitch produced. Enchantress was next bred to her
own son Solace, mentioned above, but died of poison before whelping.
Ch. Clonmel Bed Rock, whom Mr. Foxhall Keene later imported, came out
about this time. He was a good, sound terrier, full of fire, sound as a
bell, with wonderful legs and feet and won lots of honors here and in
England. Ch. Broadland's Royal Descendant was a rival of Bed Rock and a
very classy dog with exceptional coat, real terrier fire, a good head,
but not very beautiful ears.
After these dogs came Ch. Master Royal, which brings us down to the
dogs of to-day--if not the present generation and it is out of place to
say aught of dogs which one can see and judge in flesh and blood.
The show cracks have so very often proved so valuable in the breeding
kennels that the two terms--great sire and show crack--may seem
synonyms. They are not. Nevertheless there is a close chain that binds
the whole of a breed of dogs to the show ring, for the show ring
winners are the dogs most often sought for breeding purposes and so the
styles of the main bench authorities are forcibly, if unwittingly,
thrust on the race. The Airedale, however, has always been known and
appreciated as a sporting terrier. His owners have fortunately never
lost sight of the reason he was manufactured, and they remember that
to-day he is intended to be a rough-and-ready dog, willing and able to
do all terrier work just a little better than the other members of the
family, and because of his greater weight enabled to do things his
smaller cousins could not even attempt. His great usefulness has kept
him from being wholly at the mercy of the faddists of the dog shows,
who have given him all the great advantages of their skill in
scientific breeding and all the advertising of public exhibition
without turning him into a freak.