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HAPPY ENDING FOR JEDDA! (aka Hope)By Cindy Trumble"The Aborigine legend of Jedda, which means little wild goose, is that her spirit lives on and I really think Astro sent Jedda to me considering that he was only in Doggie Heaven 3 hours when Sally called to offer her to me,” writes Stanley Rura of Miami. This 4-month old charmer was given up by her previous owner because she was unable to care for her.  Look at that tail wagging!
Pat Griffin of Tequesta, one of our rescue coordinators, fostered Jedda for a short time. Stanley, a member of our group for six years, had called Sally to notify her of Astro’s passing. Sally called him back a couple hours later to say there was a 12-week old puppy needing a home and was he interested? Stanley took a day to think about it and began preparing his home for the terrorizing only a young Airedale puppy can do! According to Stanley there hasn’t been a dull moment since! Jedda has one of those personalities you simply can’t resist and exercises her charms to get out of many mischiefs. “She’s only 4 months old now but sits, stays, speaks, gives paw and is totally housetrained,” boasts Stanley. He tells us she spends quiet time in her crate, but when released, the little wild goose in her comes out! Stanley writes “A big thank you to Sally and Airedale Rescue for all the fine work you do and also for the opportunity to adopt Jedda and help fill the void from the loss of Astro.”
There is Something About Samanthaby June DudleyAs I look over at Samantha, she is resting at my feet in the doorway to the lanai, ever watchful for a cat to walk by. If I softly say her name, she responds with a cocked head, waiting to hear what our next adventure will be. That she is a wonderful little Airedale, no one can deny. She likes other dogs, kids, babies, and people. She is just about perfect except for one thing – she has a heart murmur that is in the last stages and will soon take her life. You would never know it when we are out and about, but her time is limited, and I intend to make that time count for her. One week before Christmas, Samantha’s previous owner gave her up because she said she was always running away. . Sure she did, the previous owners probably left her outside to fend for herself most of the time. Samantha came to me so frightened that she shook all over anytime I went near her. . It took a couple of weeks to get her to calm down and let me close to her to try to hug her. This was obviously not something she was used to. While bathing her the first night, blood appeared to be pouring from her abdomen. I stopped the bath, wrapped her in a towel and rushed her to the emergency vet. There we learned, much to our relief, that she had fleas and flea dirt was pouring off of her. According to Samantha’s records she has a heart murmur of 5-6. I have taken her to a specialist twice for sonograms to determine how she is faring. The prognosis is not good. It is getting worse. However, except for an occasional cough (which can be a sign of heart disease), you would never know she is ill. We have her on medications and that seems to ease the discomfort – but it will not cure her. As far as bathroom habits, she had none I liked. If she had to go, she did. She came to me with no idea of housetraining. That keeps you on your toes! With love and patience she finally realized that all the hullabaloo and cheering when she went outside was worth it for her to let us know she has to go out NOW! Samantha is part of my family now. It is not what I intended, because when I lost my Doodles to cancer in September I just couldn’t bear to bring in another dog. But Samantha has stolen my heart and loving her has been so very easy to do. I took her in because I am part of a team in Florida that rescues Airedales – all sizes, shapes, conditions, and ages. No questions asked, we take them in and try to find each one an appropriate home. Samantha is a very gentle soul with big brown eyes and a very loving heart. She is always coming to us for hugs and kisses now. She only gave me one kiss. I could see her gearing up for it and when she finally did it, she immediately looked away as if she could not have done that. She has also become quite vocal at mealtimes “Get me my food now, mom!” And getting ready for a walk is a treat to see. All 35 lbs of her bounces around with excitement. She can’t wait to go out for a walk or a ride. And it is my intention to make up for the neglect she has suffered and give her a loving and happy life. What about you? What would you do if you came across Samantha? Is it too painful to let another Airedale pass on over the bridge? You bet it is! But rescuing Airedales has never been about how I feel. It is always about the dog and what is best for them. I am a rescue volunteer and that is what I do. If no one else is willing to provide a loving and happy home for the last years or months of one of our rescued Airedales, then what should we do with them? What should we do with senior Airedales that come into rescue through no fault of their own? You name it, I have heard every reason in the book why a senior dog is being given up - and it is said with a straight face. We are lucky to get some of them. There is one waiting to come in. She is an 11 yr old female. The woman who is giving her up just remarried and her husband does not like dogs and has given her the ultimatum – the dog or him. Before calling us, she looked into having the dog put down. We must now make it our goal to find a home for her where she will be loved and cared for. We have plenty of applicants we are interviewing, let’s ask them to foster a senior dale while waiting for the “young” one. It is discouraging to get so many applications stating “young” Airedale please. The applicant just lost one and can’t bear to lose another one so soon. While I do understand your feelings, what about one of our rescues needing some love and attention before their time is up? Aren’t they entitled to finally have someone to love and be loved. And believe me they are so grateful for the pat on the head and the kind voice. You have unconditional love staring you in the face and it will never change no matter what you do. And who is to say their time on this earth will end soon? Even Samantha may last longer with proper care.
I love my new home! by Radar BourgetHi June and everybody,It's me................Radar !!!!! Here are a few pictures of just me so far. Mom & Dad have to ask my new Uncle Bill across the street to take a family photo of us later today and I know he will. I love it here at my new house.............it's just great !!! Mom, Dad and Jarrod love me. I have a big yard to run around in.....I have been on lots of walks in my new neighborhood, and I have been on rides in Mom's car and Dad's truck. Jarrod takes me to Dunkin Donuts with him in the morning. I have my new tag that says my name is Radar Bourget with my address and 2 telephone #'s on it, and my appt with my new vet is on April 3rd. Mom and Dad bought me lots of new toys and treats.....as you can see I am a very happy dog !!!!! Hope you like my pictures. Will send more later, and thanks again June for all your help in finding me such a great home !!! XOXOXOX Paws & Licks Radar & MY New Family  
AIREDALE RESCUE SHAMROCK- by Sally SchnellmannJoe and I are proud to announce that we have adopted three-year-old male Airedale ShamRock. The opportunity of bringing him to Airedale Acres arose a few months ago, right after the loss of our nearly 13-year-old Airedale Bru. Our hearts were heavy with loss, and then we heard that ShamRock was available. We had known and admired this young ‘dale since he was a pup, so when his owner experienced difficult and unfortunate circumstances in her life, which required her to find her dog a new home, we knew we were ready to bring him here to be part of our thinning pack. What joy he has brought us. In typical Airedale style, he enters a room like a thunderbolt. He loves to steal hand towels, socks, tissues, and other wonderful treasures. Like I said, a typical Airedale! He loves all the other dogs, and as much as he loves to out-and-out play with younger dogs, he has learned to respect the frailties of the senior dogs he lives with. ShamRock loves watching the TV program Animal Planet. When animals appear on the screen he gets so excited - barking and spinning around like an Airedale spiral toy. He especially loves dogs, but horses are a big favorite too. He is so vocal about it that when I really want to hear a program with animals, I have to put him in another room. I’ve seen dogs look at TV, but never to this extent. What a hoot! Stay tuned for more stories!
AIREDALE RESCUE NICHOLAS- by Sally SchnellmannOne-year-old Airedale Nicholas was fostered by Sandy Shaffer of Fort Myers and adopted by Deborah Wall and Amie Goldberg of Hollywood. Andrea Shaw did the home check for Deborah and Amie and set the stage for them to visit Sandy and meet this wonderful boy. They took their young Bedlington Terrier, Nigel, to see if the dogs would get along, well - obviously they did! Here is a note you will enjoy: Sally, Nicholas is a dream. He and Nigel are a real team and they keep us thoroughly entertained day and night. I am lucky that I get to spend a lot of time with the boys while working at home. It allows me to make sure they get worn out running their circles in the morning, and then sleep it off in the afternoon. When Amie gets home in the evening the boys are all wired again and explode with excitement to see her come in the door. It's her favorite part of the day- coming home to them! We worked Nicholas through basic obedience with clicker training and we added a few tricks, too. He "High-5s’, "Speaks in his Little Voice" and uses a string of brass bells attached to the back door to let me know when he needs to go outside. He is constantly improving on the leash. He's a very bright boy. It is also wonderful to see him watch Nigel closely to see what's okay and not okay to do. They are allowed on all of the furniture, though not allowed to chew on it obviously... but every once in awhile when they are playing Nicholas will forget and grab the couch with his teeth. When he does this, Nigel will jump up and bark right in Nicholas' ear to tell him that it isn't okay! It's truly funny to watch. Nick stops and then they go on playing. We were hoping that Nigel would take part in training Nicholas and he really has in so many ways. Nicholas has chosen to roam from spot to spot like an owl at night. He starts out in the living room around 10 pm. When the timer light goes out in that room he will go to the futon in the Florida room and listen to the last few cars go by in the evening. Then he starts going from bedroom to bedroom, finally resting for the night on the bed in what used to be called the Guest Bedroom but is now called Nicholas' room. He has a very nice mahogany sleigh bed- LOL. Stretches out across the whole thing! In November, we will be taking the boys to Illinois to visit my parents on their farm. Nigel has been there many times in his life and loves it. It must resemble that rich northern England or Scottish countryside that his ancestors would frolic through. Nicholas is going to be beside himself... and maybe feel some of those same inner notions of being in the Homeland. :) It will be a vacation to remember! We are very happy with Nicholas, in absolute love with him, and he is a great addition to the family. We do think that the SunshineAiredalers website is absolutely wonderful and that all of the written information is done very well. It makes me proud to be the mother of one of Sunshine Airedaler's rescue boys. We look forward to meeting everyone at the next gathering. Kind regards - Deborah Wall, Amie Goldberg, Nicholas and Nigel
AIREDALE RESCUE CASSIE(formerly Serena) - by Sally SchnellmannSerena’s Journey started from a shelter in a small town in the western end of the Florida Panhandle, and the story goes like this:
Dorathea and George Bock had recently lost their rescue Airedale to illness, and longed for another Airedale to share their lives. They had come to meet Cassie when she was in foster care at Airedale Acres and immediately fell in love with her sweet and gentle nature. I have no doubt that Cassie’s prior life had been full of abuse, not only by human, but by other dogs too. Coming into safe surroundings, she thrived and bonded quickly to loving treatment. She has been a perfect fit for the Bock family. AIREDALE RESCUE ROCKY- by Sally SchnellmannIn mid-June I traveled to Weston and picked up Rescue Rocky where he had been living in a hot garage with only a fan for comfort and longed for human companionship. His former owner had lost his job, had to sell his home and move to an apartment where he could not take Rocky. Rocky was left with a relative and this was not working out well. I took Rocky to my vet to have his teeth cleaned and three fatty tumors removed. Demetrie and Sharon Augustinos of St. Augustine came to visit Rocky and knew they wanted him to be part of their family. They were going on a trip, so we decided Rocky would stay at Airedale Acres until his stitches were removed and they returned. On July 22 Demetrie and Sharon returned to Airedale Acres to pick up Rocky. Since then Rocky has enjoyed another vacation trip with his new family and we will look forward to more stories. AIREDALE RESCUE TRIPP- by Sally Schnellmann
Linda and Bob Blasen of Sarasota heard of a nine-month-old Airedale that needed rescuing, jumped in and got him, had him vetted and paid for the cost of the vet care. (Thank you for that generous donation to rescue!) This pup then went to Sandy Shaffer in Fort Myers to be fostered. At our July luncheon I announced to the group the rescues we had available and a week later Rob and Lorrie Barron were enroute to pick up Rescue Baron, now named Tripp. Word has it that Tripp and Airedale Bruce make a great pair and are keeping Lorrie on her toes! J We look forward to meeting Tripp at the Halloween Party at the Barron residence in Boynton Beach on Sunday, October 26th. On the same weekend that the Barrons of Boynton Beach were traveling across state to meet Sandy Shaffer of Fort Myers at a mid-state location to pick up Rescue Tripp, I was also trying to arrange transportation for Rescue (Legolas)/Winston of Hollywood to Sandy in Fort Myers. Club member Bob Dreibelbis of Miami jumped in to help with transporting. He picked up Rescue Winston in Hollywood at the crack of dawn, and delivered him to the Barron residence about 8 am. The Barrons then took Rescue Winston with them to meet Sandy and pick up Rescue Tripp. Sandy took Rescue Winston back to her home in Fort Myers, where she fostered him until he was placed in a new home. June will continue with the Winston story. And here is a note from Tripp's new Mom, Lorrie Barron: Hey Sally and all of the other wonderful Sunshine Airedaler rescue workers. Rob, Harrison and I just wanted to let you know how lucky we are to have Tripp added to our menagerie. He fits right in and has made himself right at home. When I heard about him from you at our summer luncheon and found out his name was “Baron” I knew there was a reason I was there that day. For those of you who don’t know, our last name is “Barron.” Rob had casually mentioned we should get another dog. This from a man who shakes his head as he is tripping over the 2 Airedales we already have, the two cats and the turtle. Well, I figured this was the signal I needed to see that this actually would come to pass. So, Sally put us in touch with June Dudley and finally Sandy and Gary Shaffer who were fostering Baron at their home in Fort Myers. From Sandy’s description this pup (he is only 11 months old) sounded like this would be a good match, so we made the decision to drive to Labelle and meet the Shaffers and Baron. When I first laid eyes on him I knew he was the one. What an absolute sweetheart he is and such a personality. He is also a big fat thief (as Sandy had warned) and he lifts things off the counter, floor, your lap, the trash basket and does it with such flair. He is so cute when being naughty that it is hard to correct him without wanting to just give him a big hug. God, I love this dog. He surely has some of Hugo in him and for those of you who new Mr. Hugs. You will see when you meet him. I think he may be a big boy too as he is 60 lbs and 24" at this young age. Well, that’s okay with me as there is just more of him to love. Bruce now has another guy to get rowdy with and do they ever get rowdy. Cleo tolerates him as long he is not in her face. What fun it is to watch Airedales at play. We are all looking forward to the Halloween Party and hoping that the Weather Fairy will cooperate this year.
Click here for Page 2 to read more success stories or here for Page 3 of the Gallery where you will find Rick Schnellmann's story, "The Lost Penny."
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