CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT!

"My Jack"

portrait by Linda S. Young

My Jack (aka Gentleman Jack aka Jack Daniels, aka The Jackman) came to live at Hooligan House in 2002. He was approximately 2 years old and was in rescue. We fostered him and the rest is history. A canine DNA test done a couple of years ago confirmed that Jack is an Airedale Terrier – German Shepherd mix. He has the amazing learning quickness and temperament of ADTs and the loyalty and steadfastness of German Shepherds. Jack is a most wonderful doG in all ways. He's a retired therapy dog and service dog. And he’s the one who turned us on to Airedale Terriers and got us into Airedale Terrier Rescue.

So, it’s only fitting that Jack is the poster doG for AlAiredale Rescue. As we go forward with our rescue efforts, we increasingly see the need for fundraising efforts. We have expenses like fuel for transportation, shelter fees when we pull a dog from a “pound” situation, health exams, heartworm treatment, vaccinations, and all that other behind-the-scenes stuff that is necessary to get a rescue doG ready for adoption. Most of it, we provide from our own funds. Occasionally, we receive donations from lovely people who deeply want to be part of a happy story like GG’s.

A friend of ours has graciously offered to donate her talent and time and energy to help us with a fundraiser. She is an Artist with a huge heart. And for a donation of $5.00, your name will entered into a drawing to receive a portrait of your own pet, done from a photograph you will provide (and of course, you may enter more than once!). This painting is valued at $500.00. All you have to do is send a check or money order for $5.00 to Muriel Donald,

P.O. Box 1121, Grand Bay, AL 36541

Or, you can make a Paypal donation on this site in the amount of $5.00. Be sure to send us an email with your name and email address when you use Paypal.

To see examples of Linda Young’s art, visit: www.lindasyoung.com  Linda S. Young is an award winning artist originally from Brookline, Massachusetts who now lives in Cape Cod and South Carolina. She works in Pastel, Oil Pastel and Oil. Her ability to capture the nuance of a scene has helped her win many awards including two Best in Shows. Linda is a signature member of the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod. She is a member of 21 in Truro, several Art Associations, and has been in numerous group, juried and solo shows and is in many national and international private collections. In 2012 she will be included in the book "100 Southern Artists".
   As an active member of the artistic community, she believes in helping others attain their artistic goals. Since 2002 she has been Artist Mentor through the School to Careers Partnership Art Internship program.

The winner of the ALAiredale Rescue fundraiser will be announced June 1^st, 2012 on this website.

"HOME VISITS"

Alairedale Rescue Coalition requires that each adoptive family have a home visit by an ARC rep before a dog ever goes to the new home.

What's involved in a "home visit" and why are they necessary? Not every home is right for every dog and even great people can be wrong for a specific dog. Many rescued dogs have special needs, and many purebred dogs have talents like being able to climb and/or jump fences, as well as other skills that purebred dogs are hard-wired to perform. Before we place an Airedale Terrier in a new home, we want to make sure that the house, yard, and living area are Airedale friendly. Along with that, we have to be sure that the family and the dog are a good fit for each other.

SO...   we tour the house, including the yard and living area.
In the house --

• Are the living quarters 'dog friendly'?
• Are there lots of small objects, exposed cords, house plants etc. that the dog may chew?
• Are cleaning materials secured in cabinets?
• Is the house reasonably neat and clean?

In the yard --

• What is the fence like? Is it in good repair?
• Is the yard totally enclosed?
• Can the dog escape?
• Are there areas where the dog could injure him / her self?
• Is the house situated on a busy road?

__Will the adults monitor the behavior of the children with the dog?
__Do the applicants have a basic understanding of the dog's needs and behaviors?
__Are there other pets in the house?
__How will they introduce the new dog to the other pets?
__Do they understand that sometimes rescues go through a period of adjustment?
__How will they handle this?

You see, a home visit isn't meant for us to judge or critique you and your home. It's designed to make sure that you and your Airedale Terrier have every possible opportunity to succeed together as a family.

ADOPTABLE!!!

GG, the little Airedale grrl from Guntersville, Alabama, has come a long way in the past couple of months. Three wonderful people donated enough money to pay for the gas that was needed to transport GG to us and also cover the costs of her spay and veterinarian exam. Thank you, ADT Godmothers, for using our "Donate" button! You are Angels in Our Eyes!

Here are GG's "before" photos.

And here are some "after" photos.

We are now actively looking for a forever home for GG. The application process takes some time, so please get in touch with us as soon as possible if you are interested in being GG's new family.

My best guess at her age is around 2 to 2 and a half. She is leash, crate and house trained. I have her on a feeding schedule which basically keeps her elimination times very routine. She is still nervous about sudden noises and movements, but she recovers quickly. She loves other dogs and she loves our grandchildren (boy and girl ages 9 and 11). I do not know how she is around cats. I recommend that she goes to an Airedale experienced home with one other dog.

TRAINING ADULT RESCUE DOGS: "Come and Sit"

Question for the Trainer: My newly adopted adult dog doesn’t know any obedience commands. She won’t come when I call her and she doesn’t know what “sit” means. It’s very frustrating to me.

Answer: Puppies come to humans out of curiosity and playfulness, so they are easy to teach. The best way to get an adult dog to come to you is to gain that dog’s trust. And you can’t do that by barking commands and raising the household stress level. Instead, each and every time the dog is near you, reach over and scratch behind her ears or gently scruffle her chest while you repeat her name a few times. Offer her treats and say her name while she is eating them. After a few days of this, when she hears you say her name she is going to perk up and look at you. A couple of days later, she’s going to come to you when you say her name. The first time that happens, pet her gently and say the word, “Come” in a happy voice. Continue working with your dog this way and she’ll learn the come command without even realizing she is being trained.

Teaching an adult dog to sit is also best done differently than teaching a pup to do it. Dogs that have been living on the street or in a facility are not usually relaxed or trusting enough to sit and lie down in front of strangers, whether those strangers are human or other canines. The easiest and quickest way to teach a dog to sit is to let him see other dogs doing it for a reason. If you have another dog that already knows the sit command, you won’t have a problem teaching it to the new dog in your family. If you don’t have another dog, find someone at a local park who does (*not a dog park!) or get a friend who does have such a savvy dog to help you. And take a training partner with you who can hold your dog’s leash while you are working with the other dog.

You’ll be using treats and hotdog wieners are great for this project. Space the dogs about eight feet from each other so there won’t be any difficulty with treat possessiveness. Have your partner hold your dog’s leash. Then give each dog a small piece of the treat without asking either one to work for the reward. The next time, go to the other dog and tell her “SIT!” When she does, give her a treat and praise her with “Good SIT!”

Repeat this three or four times. Then return to your own dog and let him see and smell a treat in your hand. Do not say anything. Just hold the treat out where your dog can see it and wait patiently for the canine light bulb equivalent to turn on in his head. If that doesn’t happen within a couple of minutes, go back to the trained dog and repeat the Sit exercise with her. Then return to your own dog and try it again. This technique works fairly quickly because hotdog wieners are a smelly, moist, tasty incentive. When your dog does give you his first Sit for a treat, praise him in a quiet voice. The second time he does it, praise in a louder voice. The third time he does it, praise him as though he just walked on the moon.

When you return home, practice “SIT” in every room of the house. It’s important for Fideaux to understand that sit means sit no matter where you say it.

* A dog park is not the place for a new foster dog or a newly adopted dog. Too many things can go wrong there, from inadequate fencing that helps a dog escape to scary run-ins with dogs who have no manners or socialization skills. Save the dog park experience for later, after you and your new companion have aced your basic obedience course.