Our Story
Years ago, as a family of four, we (Scott & Lori) decided it was time to add a dog to the family. With two young and active boys, we knew it was important to choose a breed that would have equal parts lovey-dovey and rough-and-tumble.
Our Airedale story actually begins much earlier, though, through the Airedale stories Lori grew up hearing from her Dad and uncles. Legend has it that Bonnie the Airedale could do just about anything! Apparently Bonnie could tell time because she often met Lori's Dad right when school let out on his way home each day. She felt a fierce protection for her people and their things. The brothers liked to tell stories of times their Dad would set his wallet in the middle of a room and then dare people to touch it while Bonnie looked on. Those stories always ended with Bonnie the winner and the wallet safe.
So as we were searching for the right dog for our family, it only made sense that we turn our eyes toward the Airedale.
The more we read, the more convinced we became that the Airedale could be the right breed for our family. Our research led us to...
...which led us to Janet Framke. This lady was the Airedale queen! Not only did she have copious Airedale breeding and showing experience and a book to her name, but she also was willing to spend time with us to help us get our feet wet in the Airedale world.
She connected us to a local breeder who had a 2-year-old retired show dog that needed a family home......and the legend came home to live with us. Our new addition, Punker quickly became a loved member of our family. Our first litter of puppies came physically from her, but emotionally from Janet's continued mentoring. We enjoyed lots of good years with Punker before we lost her at age 15.
Our search for another Airedale started soon. Our house felt far too quiet without the click of dog feet on the kitchen floor and a wagging tail welcoming us home! We knew that we wanted to breed again and continue our relationship with Janet using her dogs as studs. Our search for a quality, compatible line led us to Armack Airedales in Virginia. We brought Moxie home in May of 2008 and quickly fell in love.
Our Puppies
Our family is "all hands on deck" when we have a litter of puppies in our home. We have six children at home who spend a lot of time in puppy care, training, and slathering on love. By the time puppies leave our home they have been well-exposed to family life and are socialized to all types and ages of people.
When we have a litter of puppies due, our dining room becomes the whelping room. We clear out the dining room table and bring in the whelping box. The puppies are born there and spend their time with us headquartered in that room. When they're old enough to be outside, we make sure that they get play time in the sunshine each day. We have a fenced in puppy run that we fill with a rotating line of educational toys to stimulate curiosity and problem-solving skills.
When it comes time for our pups to leave our home, they will have been exposed to basic commands, doing their "business" outside and walking on a leash. Our goal is to give our new owners happy, smart and healthy Airedale puppies that are ready for anything!
