River (2012-2015)

River bounced from shelter to shelter – a cute Aire-girl with a white blaze on her chest and the rambunctiousness of a youngster. Unfortunately, River was labeled with aggression issues which kept sending her back to the shelter and finally into rescue. She settled in quickly with her foster parents and enjoyed playing with toys, going for long walks, and eating delicious meals & treats. Unlike many Airedales, River enjoyed a good game of catch, as opposed to “grab the ball and run away”! She quickly wormed her way into her foster-parents’ hearts and the potential for a “foster-fail” seemed pretty likely. After a couple of weeks of thinking that her aggression had been misread by her previous families, she tried to attack her foster-dad. Luckily, she was tethered to keep the household cats safe and no one was hurt. 99% of the time, she was a normal goofball, but something in her brain was skewed – for whatever reason – and she would growl and attack with no discernible trigger. The difficult decision to send her across the bridge was made so she couldn’t hurt anyone or be punished for something she couldn’t help.  She spent her last days being spoiled, playing with the cat and running on the beach.

Molly
Molly was quite a challenge when she came to us. We got her from Rescue when she was about 18mos old and the family that had her felt she should be “put down”. There was no way we were going to leave her! She needed about 2 months of loving care and training and we began to see the wonderful pet she became. She followed John everywhere he went and it wasn’t long before everyone knew Molly and greeted her – usually before John. She was a town personality and managed to work her way into the coffee shops and businesses John frequented. She had so much personality and was so funny and goofy when she was feeling playful. She was truly one of a kind . Vianne Patterson--- Molly died 2015 12 years old

Annie Tutu

In Memory of Annie Tutu

We walked everywhere together, usually twice a day for a mile or two each time. It was common for people to call out, “What a beautiful dog!” or “Wow! She’s cool looking!” Young or old, people freely admired her grace and regal bearing. Annie Tutu had good manners, loved people, tolerated squirrels and crows, hated cats, and was initially aggressive toward other dogs, but then wanted to play with them.  She would rarely chase a ball at the dog park, but relished accompanying other dogs as they retrieved theirs. She was taught to leave our free-range parakeets alone, and after a few occasions of marked interest followed by my admonishments, she never bothered them. Even when the parakeets landed on her bedding to investigate her, she got up and left the room to avoid getting in trouble.

She was an exceptionally good citizen from her adoption forward, never damaging the house or furnishings. Annie’s former owner shared with us a list of well-used commands and my favorite was “Get out of the kitchen!” We, of course, used that one frequently. To our amusement, Annie would promptly leave the kitchen but wheel around at the doorway keeping her toes precisely outside the door jamb, but her nose poked inside so she didn’t miss the good sights and smells.

She had a few bug-a-boos. Fireworks unnerved her and buzzing flies made her crazy to bite them so she could be left in peace. In her last two years she soldiered through food allergies, a torn ACL, creeping arthritis, and sadly, the spleen tumor that ended her life. I have owned many dogs, including other Airedales, but Annie Tutu was the politest and most intelligent of any. When I looked into her eyes there seemed to be someone there, looking back, almost ready to offer an insightful comment. It was almost eerie.

We will miss you, dear Annie. All the neighbors who loved you miss your merry trot down the street and your enthusiastic greetings. At the end, you were so polite, Annie, that you didn’t want to cause us any fuss Thanksgiving Day. Instead, you quietly left us just ahead of the holiday, before all the busy preparation and arriving guests. But, oh do we miss you, Annie. I can barely write this. Thank you for the happy times, the funny pranks, the long walks, your gentleness and sweetness.  We didn’t have many years together, but they were memorable.

Abby

Ode to Abby May 2002- September 8, 2014. As written by her Mom "Abby was my beloved best friend. She went everywhere with me and was loved by so many friends and family. She was my first child and her loss is devastating. But I know she is up in heaven chasing rabbits and sniffing everything! That was her favorite activity along with lots of belly rubbing, playing fetch and sleeping in bed with Mom. Abby was just the most amazing gift I've ever been given." May her warm and wonderful memory bring comfort to those she left behind.

Charley

We adopted Charley because her first family couldn’t afford her medical care.  She had AIHA (Autoimmune hemolytic anemia) which required her to have frequent vet visits and daily medication.  When we first got her, we were at the vet weekly, and poor Charley was starting to feel like a pin cushion, with all the blood draws she had.  But she had such a sweet disposition that she never was anything but cheerful and friendly. She was everyone’s buddy and always had a smile and wagging tail. When we first took her home, she was so sick, a walk around the block exhausted her.  But we were able to get her medication stabilized, and she even completed several 9 mile hikes!  We like to think that we gave Charley the best life possible.  With us, there were plenty of belly rubs, trips to the park and a comfy bed to lie in. We’ll miss our little girl. Hillary