The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-30
ORIGIN OF THE AIREDALE.
Game Terrier, with Almost Unrivaled
Fighting Powers, Valuable as Watch Dog.

The Airedale is peculiar dog, and his
origin is not easy to trace. In all prob
abilities he is the result Of crosses be-
tween the old rough Scotch terrier, the
bull terrier and the otter hound. Certain
characteristics of the latter breed are
very prominent in the Airedale of to-
day. About forty years ago the col
Tiers Of the valley Of the Aire enjoyed
almost a monopoly of these dogs, which
were highly priced for their fighting
qualities, general ruggedness keen intel-
ligence and loyalty TO their owners. The
Golfers were a rough, hardy set, ready
for anything, and their fayorite dogs
were bright disciples Of the school of
hard knocks.
| Those accustomed to associate the
name terrier with a small dog are apt
to be somewhat puzzled by the appear
ance of this late addition TO the recog
nized breeds. He, as a rule, is what may
be termed big little dog" choice speci-
mems sometimes weighing as much as
sixty pounds, which means dog as
large as heavy pointer.
The appearance of the Airedale at
once reminds one of the Irish and Welsh
| terriers, in fact, the dog at first glance
looks very large and somewhat coarse
Irish terrier A closer examination, how
ever, will prove that he has no useless
lumber, that he is all dog, and very
smart type of dog at that. To the otter
hound he owes much of his bone, strength
and his peculiar head. The mark of the
hound, too, is apt to show in the ear and
the narrowness of the skull Careful
breeding has about eliminated these I'M
desirable features, and the Vshaped ear,
larger, but of the same general type as
| that Of the fox terrier, has become a
! fixed Characteristic.
The size and all the valuable qualities
Of the Airedale make him one of the
best Of dogs for the country, as they UNI
fit him for life in a city. Being very
powerful he requires plenty Of exercise.
He should have his freedom, for couple
of iaunts daily upon a chain are by no
means sufficient for him, or for any other
active dog. As companion during tramps
about the country, or with the run of a
large suburban place, or upon farm,
this dog is one Of the most desirable Of
all the canine race.
He is game to the last gasp, as be-
comes one of his blended blood. From
the Scotch and bull terriers he derives
his keenness for vermin and his almost
unriyaled fighting powers, while from
the otter hound he derives a marked
hunting instinct and a readiness to work
cheerfully in water, no matter how cold
it may be- In his knowingl look head is
a rare good set of brains, and his nose
is excellent. No dog is fonder of a rough
frolic, and none is keener to tackle any
wild creature, from the rat TO raccoon.
But strong and ready as he is, he is
blessed with sweet disposition and a
spaniel-lke faithfulness. He will fight
till he dies, for he does not understand
what fear is, yet he is no bully. A gen
erous friend and fair foe, he asks no
odds of any dog, and as he is a glutton
to take punishment and an artist in adj
ministering it, he usually can give an
excellent account of himself if attacked
by much larger dog.
About an American country home he
is sure to prove useful and in every way
reliable. He is one Of the best of watch
dogs, and he is large enough to command