The Airedale is a product of the middle of the nineteenth century and was manufactured in Yorkshire. The streams that tumble down the deep vales of that Midland county are the homes of hundreds of crafty, hardbitten otters; there are thieving foxes and very game, but very rascally badgers in snug dens in the hills; many a swift English hare lives in the broad game preserves. The hardy Yorkshireman of 1850—his sons and grandsons to-day are real "chips of the old block"—loved nothing so much as a hunt after the vermin, with possibly a rat killing contest with "a couple o' bob" at stake of a Saturday night, and sometimes, on moonless nights, when game keepers were asleep, a little trip after the filling for a rabbit pie. Now, you cannot do these things without a dog that is brainy, game, obedient, and as much at home in water as on dry land; so they just naturally set to work to make themselves such a dog.

All this we know positively, but when it comes to saying anything definite about how they made that dog, which we now call the Airedale, you begin to deal in traditions as conflicting as theories on the Martian canals and speculations as vague as old wives' tales. Taking all the yarns and guesses and boiling them down to an average, we find that the Airedale, so most people think, was originally a cross between a tan-grizzle terrier, now extinct or absorbed in other breeds, but once common in the Midlands, and the otterhound, a big, wire-coated water dog of the bloodhound type, that comes in all colors of Joseph's famous coat, but mainly white with black and tannish markings. To this cross were added dashes of bull terrier, which breed was, at that time, just coming to the fore with its deserved reputation for grit, and Bedlington terrier, a light-weight, top-knotted dog from the North of England.

Probably there were sprinkles of the blood of the collie and of all terriers found at the time between the Midlands and the Scottish Borderland. All these (fox, Manchester, Welsh, Old English, and Dandy Dinmont) were then more or less indefinite as to type and uncertain as to breeding, which helps materially in making confusion worse confounded. Just how and why this strange, indefinite mixture should have resulted in the Airedale no one can say. The otterhound donated the size and the love of the water, and all the terrier blood made him a terrier in spite of his size. From the very beginning the breed had the advantage of having an object. The Yorkshireman wanted a big, strong, dead game, water-loving terrier. That furnished a standard to breed to, and they got what they wanted.

When the fame of this dog first spread from the valleys of his birthplace, he was pretty well established as to type, and once taken up by the dog showing fancy and a standard drawn up the type was soon firmly fixed. Since his first introduction to the world he has changed, becoming somewhat larger. The seers and wise men of English dogdom raised a great hullaballoo when this giant among terriers appeared, saying that no dog over twenty pounds could be a terrier because a terrier must go to earth. The dog, however, was mainly terrier in blood and so very certainly terrier in characteristics that he was classed with the family. Maybe it is out of respect to the authorities of the early days of the dog fancy that we have gradually dropped the terrier in his name, and though it is a part of his official title, still the dog is universally spoken of as the Airedale.

This, however, was not his original name, for in early days he was called the "waterside terrier," and his official dÉbut at the English dog shows was in classes for "broken-haired working terriers." Both titles were felt to be too indefinite, and "Stonehenge," the sporting authority, suggested "Bingley terrier," from the town in the heart of the district where the breed originated. Local jealousies prevented any one town giving its name to the breed, and there was quite a war waged till some unrecorded genius suggested that, as the birthplace of the breed had been in the valleys of the Aire River and its little tributaries, Airedale was the best name. So Airedale he became, having an official christening at the Otley show in the late seventies.

Besides adding some ten pounds to his weight and getting a distinctive and pleasing name, the Airedale has changed in other ways since he took his light from under the bushel basket. His head has lengthened, following the tendency of all terrier breeds. His shoulders, legs, and feet are worlds better now than they were years ago, but coats have suffered. The wire jacket has improved, but the woolly undervest has been sacrificed, though now more and more attention is being paid to this by breeders and judges.

The honor of having brought the first Airedale to America is generally ascribed to Mr. C. H. Mason, who is better known to this generation of fanciers as a cocker spaniel owner and editor of Man's Best Friend. He was originally a Yorkshire man, who had known and loved the breed since his youth. He imported Bruce, a fairish dog, blind in one eye, but useful in stud, where he sired Ch. Brush. Bruce is merely a sentiment with Americans, for all he has left is a reputation for bad temper and a yarn about having been sold for a few dollars at a horse auction in New York in 1885.

The breed first "took on" in New York, but Philadelphia has long been its stronghold. The Quaker City, boasting such fanciers as Clement Newbold, William Barclay, Russel H. Johnson, W. H. Whittem, Daniel Buckley, and Dr. Henry Jarrett, has away and beyond passed other cities in the number and quality of its Airedales. In early days the New York fancy was represented by Mr. J. L. Lorillard, the purchaser of Clonmel Marvel, whose importation boomed the breed's stock in this country; Messrs. De Witt Cochrane, Foxhall Keene, and C. O'Donnel, all of whom have not been so active lately. Later Theodore Offerman, James H. Brookfield, James Watson, and John Gough entered the game, and they figure to-day as owners of winners.

This is a short sketch of how the breed originated and how they came to America, but real "history is men, not events," or rather dogs, not events. It is interesting, but more important is a knowledge of the dogs of the past. In limited space, one can only say a word or two about the most famous of the breed's celebrities, so I must be pardoned if some reader is disappointed in not finding mention of some dog in which he is particularly interested. Almost each year has seen its good dogs, but we can only touch those which time has declared to be truly great.

The sigh for "the good old days" is common in all things, and we often hear it from dog fanciers. It is good food for talk, but that is all, for the old-timers of any breed could not win in the ring against the cracks of to-day. Among the very early Airedale winners were: Tanner, Young Tanner, Rustic Twig, Rustic Kitty, Rustic Lad, Newbold Fritz, Vixen, and Venom, none of whom would be one, two, three in a good show to-day. Clip and Ch. Cholmondeley Briar were the two first really good dogs. Clip was a sound, honest dog who showed real modern type, and gave black, real terrier eyes to his pups; while Briar was the first real show hero, having gone undefeated till he met Clonmel Marvel.

Clonmel Marvel, one of the really great dogs of the world, was bred by a novice, a Mr. F. C. Brown, who mated his Cholmondeley Mona to Clipper, a good dog, but no wonder. There were nine in the litter, and Mr. Brown showed Marvel, whom he called Warfield Victor, in a £3 Selling Class, where he was placed second, being sadly out of condition. "Jack" Holgate saw the rough diamond, bought it, and resold it to Messrs. Mills and Buckley, the famous Clonmel firm. Marvel beat all of his time—dogs and bitches—and won eighteen championships. Eventually he came to America, along with Ch. Clonmel Sensation and Clonmel Veracity. He was by far the best Airedale seen up to his time, a dog hard to fault, even in "the light of modern criticism." He proved as wonderful a sire as he was a show crack, and much of real terrier style in the breed to-day is due to him.

A contemporary of Marvel's was Ch. Dumbarton Lass, who also came to this side of the Atlantic to the kennels of Mr. Joseph Laurin, in Montreal. She was bred by Capt. Baird Smith, who benched her at Woolwich in poor condition. Mr. A. E. Jennings, whose kennels were then paramount, bought her and showed her for three years, when she went to Mr. Stuart Noble and was later bought by the Canadian fancier. She proved a gold mine as a brood bitch and was personally hard to fault—barring her coat.

But the most wonderful brood bitch of the breed, one whose name should be written in gold in the Airedale Hall of Fame, was not a great show winner. She was Bath Lady. Her first big winning puppy was Briarwood, who came out in London in 1896. Briarwood was by Hyndman Briar, by Willow Nut, and like all Bath Lady stock proved his value in the breeding kennels. His most famous get was the beautiful bitch of Ch. Broadlands Bashful. We can only mention two others of Bath Lady's offspring, but those fanciers who have dogs in whose pedigrees she appears can congratulate themselves. To Ch. Clonmel Marvel she produced Ch. Clonmel Kitty, a really good one all over, and to Master Briar she had Walton Victory, even better—except in skull—than Kitty.

During the nineties the Tone Kennels with Ch. Tone Jerry, whose forte was his wonderful coat and color, and Ch. Tone Crack, excelling in bone, coat, and body, but broad across the skull, had a big say in the prize-lists. In 1896 Studholme Sherry came out and was hailed as a flyer, but he did not last, though in his day he was a beautiful terrier.

Ch. Clonmel Monarch, who has done so much for Philadelphia's Airedale supremacy as a sire and as a show dog came as near the ideal Airedale as we find, made his dÉbut about this time in Leicester and ran second to Ch. Rock Salt. Monarch was undeveloped, but six months later at Alexandra Palace he came to his own and after that his show record in England was an unbroken string of firsts. He was a grand terrier—almost faultless—his coat waved a bit and his critics used to say he was "so fine he was bitchy." Just to mention some of his pups shows what he was at stud: Ch. Broadlands, Royal Descendant, Ch. Tone Regent, Ch. Clonmel Bed Rock, Claverhouse Enchantress, Clonmel Coronation, and Strathallan Solace. Ch. Rock Salt, mentioned as the conqueror of Monarch, was a good one whom Americans know best through Ch. The New King, his son, who has done so well for the New England fancier, Mr. Arthur Merritt.

Ch. Tone Masterpiece—known here as Ch. York Masterpiece, for Mr. Offerman gave him his own kennel's prefix—was a dog of ups and downs, but he was an honest champion, who just missed being great. His son (bred in England) Floriform was another good dog who did things in New York in the early years of the new century where he was owned by Mr. Offerman and later by Mr. Brookfield. Floriform was the sire of Ch. Engaflora, the first great American bitch.

In 1902 two good but unfortunate sons of Clonmel Monarch came out, Ch. Legrams Prince—a real flyer—and Bandolero, who never got his just deserts at the shows. Rheumatism spoiled Prince's shoulders for the show ring and his ill-starred half brother died of wasp stings. A contemporary of these dogs was Ch. Wombwell Rattler, a rattling good one with a softish coat who sired Mr. Offerman's well known crack Ch. York the Conqueror. In the same year (1902) Ch. Delph Girl, wonderful color and coat, good head and expression, but too fine, and Ch. Dumbarton Sceptre, the best bitch of the time, both made their dÉbut and eventually came to the United States. The dam of Sceptre, Claverhouse Enchantress (by Clonmel Monarch out of Clonmel Winifreda), needs special mention. She won a number of prizes, but soon passed into the hands of a novice, Mrs. Cuthell, and as a mother and grand-mother of champions made a place for herself second only to Bath Lady. Dumbarton Sceptre and Claverhouse Sorcerer—the former a real flyer, the other a dog above the average—were in her first litter. Her second, by Ch. Master Briar, resulted in the great Ch. Mistress Royal, probably the best show bitch produced. Enchantress was next bred to her own son Solace, mentioned above, but died of poison before whelping.

Ch. Clonmel Bed Rock, whom Mr. Foxhall Keene later imported, came out about this time. He was a good, sound terrier, full of fire, sound as a bell, with wonderful legs and feet and won lots of honors here and in England. Ch. Broadland's Royal Descendant was a rival of Bed Rock and a very classy dog with exceptional coat, real terrier fire, a good head, but not very beautiful ears.

After these dogs came Ch. Master Royal, which brings us down to the dogs of to-day—if not the present generation and it is out of place to say aught of dogs which one can see and judge in flesh and blood.

The show cracks have so very often proved so valuable in the breeding kennels that the two terms—great sire and show crack—may seem synonyms. They are not. Nevertheless there is a close chain that binds the whole of a breed of dogs to the show ring, for the show ring winners are the dogs most often sought for breeding purposes and so the styles of the main bench authorities are forcibly, if unwittingly, thrust on the race. The Airedale, however, has always been known and appreciated as a sporting terrier. His owners have fortunately never lost sight of the reason he was manufactured, and they remember that to-day he is intended to be a rough-and-ready dog, willing and able to do all terrier work just a little better than the other members of the family, and because of his greater weight enabled to do things his smaller cousins could not even attempt. His great usefulness has kept him from being wholly at the mercy of the faddists of the dog shows, who have given him all the great advantages of their skill in scientific breeding and all the advertising of public exhibition without turning him into a freak.