The Penhoats moved to the States from France
in 1989. They have a multicultural
household: Gun is Swedish, Jean-Pierre
French and Paddington, Callista and Windsor
(Winnie) all-American Rescued Airedales, and
Lambert(c*t), a Rescued Southern Gentleman.
They live currently in Ada, MI, and belong
to ATRA’s adoption coordinator team in MI.
|
![](windsor-callista-paddington.jpg)
Antosja, our Gordon Setter, went to the RB
in 1997, and we envisaged a future with a
smaller dog and our two cats, Bernard and
Lambert. Fate intervened. A Monroe,
Louisiana ad: “Airedale puppies for sale.
LARGE.” 3 times we went, 3 times we said,
“she will become far too big”. Then I went
on my own and brought a carrier.
Ursula du Bayou, our first Airedale, was a
Mountain Airedale after Ouachita’s Teddy
Roosevelt. Alpha female, she taught us the
ropes by putting us through the wringer.
After “soft” and malleable pets, Ursula’s
non-cuddly character was nerve-racking, and
panicked I was ready to give her back to her
breeder. Then an internet Airedale community
told me to take a deep breath, find a good
obedience class, and to look forward to a
rollercoaster ride, sometimes hair-raising,
but also so much fun. Ursula reached 105
lbs, was lazy, people-loving but very aloof,
and fiendishly clever. Her “laziness” was
undetected heart disease, and she left us
far too early, at barely 8 years old.
Perhaps she intuitively knew how to pace
herself.
We moved to Georgia where I designed the
Humane Society’s weekly adoption posters for
the southern counties around Atlanta.
Paddington arrived when Ursula was 2 years
old. He became our first Rescue when Bill
Austin of |
|
Dunwoody found him, 4 months old,
languishing in a Petland store in Atlanta.
Bill already had a house full of Dales and
couldn’t keep him and our Ursula needed
company. Paddington, is another Mountain
Airedale with Ouachita’s Teddy Roosevelt in
his paternal line, but also a puppy mill
puppy who brought with him bilateral hip
dysplasia, aggravated by sitting in a too
small crate during an important part of the
growing cycle. Paddington also lacks the
social graces usually learnt with the help
of littermates and mom. However, he has not
met a dog he doesn’t like and if you’re
family or established friend, he will try
awfully hard to please. But, with strangers
on his home turf he is a stressed-out
vigilante.
On our relocation to Mississippi Airedale
Rescue contacted us. They had no Rescue
representation, and a family in Jackson, MS,
needed a home visit done. It was the day
Jean-Pierre, instead of flying to a client
meeting in Atlanta, drove early in the
morning from Jackson, the back of the Bronco
holding a litter of 8-week-old puppies, who
had found homes in Atlanta, that Airedale
Rescue became an inseparable part of our
lives. We were incredibly fortunate in
finding Major Teresa Gardner of Raymond, MS,
who so enthusiastically accepted to
collaborate with our Rescue efforts. She and
her inmate/dog program
SecondChancePetPartners still helps with
Rescues who need that little extra help.
Callista is our first adoption through ATRA.
Exactly one week after Ursula went to the RB,
we brought her home from Barbara Oimas in
Midland, MI. Callista was 8 weeks old when
her energy level made her owner regret his
choice of pet. Callista is a miniature
Ursula, but where Ursula was laid-back,
Callista is non-stop, and where Ursula was
non-destructive, well, Callista will chomp
and rip at everything once, if no-one
intervenes. Windsor came to us as a foster,
at 10 weeks. She had been a gifted to a
72-year-old lady for company. The day
Windsor was due to go up on the adoption
website, Jean-Pierre couldn’t give her up.
Windsor is the reason why we don’t foster.
There is a 3-dog limit in Ada.
The Airedale Rescue Quilt Raffle is very
dear to my heart. After working in Rescue
for many years, I’m aware of how important
the funds realized from the Rescue Quilt
Raffle tickets are, in what can be done to
help Rescues. As my forte is knitting more
than sewing and pattern making, I’m pleased
to be able to help on the administrative
side, in the effort to promote the Rescue
Quilt Raffle Tickets. |
|