If you've been considering adding a canine friend to your family in this New Year, I suggest trying out Petcentric's friendfetcher from Purina. The descriptions are brief but they are pretty accurate snippets that will give you a sense of the differences in the various breeds. There is a questionaire that matches you with breeds that better fit your lifestyle. You can even do breed comparisons, too.
The Airedale's self-description has that nice (from a terrier person's point of view) manic edge that the ADTs have. The Airedale enthusiasm is well-expressed along with it's big personality. I am bothered by the animated Airedale's round eyes with the white plainly visible. They should be small, dark and almond-shaped. The whites of their eyes are rarely seen. The animated eyes follow your cursor so I kept expecting the Airedale to snap at the cursor, like Mako's snaps at flies!
I posted this link on Facebook and an Airedaler thought that the emphasis on swimming was a little exaggerated because her view was that while some Airedales do like water, there are plenty that don't. I know plenty of Airedales that love water and several who discovered their fondness for water later in life. She lives in Arizona and I'm in Delaware. There is plenty of access to water of various types in DE including the Atlantic ocean. It may be that the Airedales that I know are able to acclimate themselves to water in ways easier for them to learn to love it. You can start them in a pool, a creek, a pond, a lake, a river or the beach and they can even run in the surf. (All these should be done with proper supervision, by the way.) It does come down to the fact that dogs may have some of their breed's personality traits but they are all individuals.
The Airedale's self-description has that nice (from a terrier person's point of view) manic edge that the ADTs have. The Airedale enthusiasm is well-expressed along with it's big personality. I am bothered by the animated Airedale's round eyes with the white plainly visible. They should be small, dark and almond-shaped. The whites of their eyes are rarely seen. The animated eyes follow your cursor so I kept expecting the Airedale to snap at the cursor, like Mako's snaps at flies!
I posted this link on Facebook and an Airedaler thought that the emphasis on swimming was a little exaggerated because her view was that while some Airedales do like water, there are plenty that don't. I know plenty of Airedales that love water and several who discovered their fondness for water later in life. She lives in Arizona and I'm in Delaware. There is plenty of access to water of various types in DE including the Atlantic ocean. It may be that the Airedales that I know are able to acclimate themselves to water in ways easier for them to learn to love it. You can start them in a pool, a creek, a pond, a lake, a river or the beach and they can even run in the surf. (All these should be done with proper supervision, by the way.) It does come down to the fact that dogs may have some of their breed's personality traits but they are all individuals.
PBGV
As for the PBGV description, I thought that it was pretty accurate except that I expected an emphasis on hunting RABBITS! Punch is of French bloodlines and she goes crazy when she smells a rabbit. She has a special RABBIT bark/cry. She goes insane for the rabbit that got away! Jim Scharnburg, Master of the Skycastle French Hounds (a hunting pack of PBGVs in the Chester Springs/Malvern area of PA) told me that Punch was supposed to be like that - the French bloodlines won't rest until the trail is resolved. That's my girl! When a RABBIT escapes until the fence, Punch screams and paces at that spot. Mako moves on and looks for the next rabbit while Punch is obsessed with the RABBIT that got away!
So, give the friendfetcher a try. Check out the other breeds, too. You will get an idea of how accurate the descriptions of the more obscure breeds are by comparing them to breeds that you know really well. You'll also hear the correct pronunciation of Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen which is pronounced "Puh-TEE Bah-SAY Gree-FOHN VON-day-uhn."
How to Find That Special Canine Friend
How to Find That Special Canine Friend
I also want to point out that if you are considering any of the breeds mentioned in friendfetcher, please Google the breed name and look for the national breed club's web site. This is a good way to start your search for a reputable "hobbyist" breeder. Also consult your local kennel club and ask for names of breeders. Avoid pet shops and backyard breeders for reasons to lengthy to discuss in this post. In addition, check the national club's website for any lists of health issues and health survey results in the breed/s of your choice. And PLEASE, PLEASE consider getting the breed of your choice from rescue!
Airedale Terrier Club of Greater Philadelphia's Available Puppy List - email: Jack McLaughlin Doggydadi@aol.com
Another way to discover more about the breeds that you are interested in is to join an online list for lovers of that particular breed, such as the Airedale-L (the Airedale-L is on Facebook, too) and the PBGV-L.
FYI: I am a member of the Airedale Terrier Club of America and The Airedale Club of Greater Philadelphia. I am also the Advertising Manager for the ATCA newsletter, The American Airedale. I have donated paintings and custom portraits to the ATCA, the ATCGP, the PBGVCA and Airedale Rescue as fundraisers.
The images are from Petcentric's friendfetcher.