The Airedale Terrier 443 



Having been kept and fostered as fighting dogs, it can be readily under- 

 stood that when first introduced to the dog-showing pubHc Airedales did 

 not have the best of credentials as to temper. They would fight at the drop 

 of the hat — before it if they got the chance — so it was with the utmost 

 surprise that we saw on one of our visits to England — 1897, if we mistake 

 not — that the Airedale was quite the fashion as a ladies' companion about 

 London. On our return we mentioned this to Mr. Mason, who was equally 

 surprised, and said that they could not have done that with the sort they 

 had when he kept them. It was Mr. Mason who brought over the first 

 Airedale shown in this country, a dog named Bruce, with which he won 

 first in the rough-haired terrier class at New York in 1881. The last time 

 we saw Bruce was at a dog auction at the American Horse Exchange. Mr. 

 Easton was stuck at a bid of ^5, so to help him out we chimed in, and by the 

 time the price was up to ^15 there were two rival bidders; between them 

 the price rose to ;^2i. We told his former owner of this the next time we 

 met, and he said we might be thankful we did not get him, for he was the 

 worst-tempered dog of all he brought over. Mr. Lacy also brought two 

 Airedales over, which were on exhibition at New York in 1881, and these 

 he entered as blue-and-fawn, which we may take it was a customary descrip- 

 tion of that time. 



Airedales were dormant for a very long time after Bruce*s single appear- 

 ance in 1 88 1, and it was not until 1898 that classes were opened for them 

 at New York. Messrs J. Lorillard Arden, A. De Witt Cochrane, P. Mal- 

 lorie, J. Hopkinson and J. Carver were the early supporters of the breed; 

 the latter showing in the miscellaneous class at Brooklyn in 1897 and Mr. 

 Hopkinson joining in the following spring, as did Mr. Mallorie. Mr. 

 Hopkinson won in the dog class with Broadlands Brushwood, while Mr. 

 Mallorie won in the bitch class with Rustic Jill. After that there was no 

 stopping the advance of the Airedales, and all named above were exhibiting 

 before the year was out. Once in the fancy, Mr. Arden meant to be leader, 

 so when he found that a prominent English exhibitor was sending dogs to 

 the New York show he entered into communication with him by cable, 

 with the result that Clonmel Marvel, Clonmel Sensation and Clonmel 

 Veracity were shown in his name, and with the first two named he won all 

 he competed for throughout the year. They were a long way ahead of 

 anything we had previously had here, and were prominent winners before 

 being sent from England. Another very nice dog at that show was Rock- 



