Lydia Ross writes:

From Andy with love

Andy is donating two bags of Salmon treats to the AZ 19 in honor of his burfday!

One is going to Sidney for her to hand out at the kennel and one to Melissa for the three she is fostering.

Andy wouldn't be here with me if it weren't for Airedale Rescue. I am sooooo thankful!

BTW, Ruth Ellen Hill wanted to donate her winning kookies to the AZ 19, but I told her she can keep hers this time around . . . as I already had some packed for them. THANKS for your generosity, Ruth Ellen!

We just want to share and help them get started on a great life.

. . . to which Sidney replies:

Thank you, thank you, Auntie Lydia! I can't WAIT to see the reaction from the Airedales when I arrive with Auntie Lydia's salmon cookies!

I had another good visit with the Airedales this afternoon.

ERNESTINE, BUDDY, BLACKIE and NINA all sit while I put their collars on to take them out for a walk.

ERNESTINE had a great roll in the grass out on the training field . . . you can really see dried grass on a black coat!! She chased a ball a couple of times and, just like most Airedales, didn't bring it back ;-> She also found a nice big leather bone someone had left behind which she thought she would like to lie down and chew. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to let her enjoy it fully.ADOPTED!!

NINA is a natural heeler and comes right away when you call her. She is getting much braver about walking and feeling like she needs to be touching me all the time, but still likes to be close to me at all times. ADOPTED!!

BLACKIE far prefers to walk on your right side and HATES the Gentle Leader. He was happy to go around the perimeter of the training field, bugging the dogs in the kennel runs that line it. I'm not sure, but it seemed like there was a small decrease in the amount he is marking. ADOPTED!!

BUDDY boy was great . . . checking out the field and bounding happily back whenever I called.

I just visited with CHARLIE, GRACE & LESLIE for a while in their kennels. ADOPTED!!

The kennel closes at 6, so I didn't have too much time to do anything else. Everyone was happy to see me and you can tell that everyone has been feeding them treats. Even LESLIE got close enough to check out my hand to find out if I might have a treat for her.

Thursday, 26 June, was a big day. Sidney reports:

ERNESTINE & BUDDY are being spayed/neutered today.

I asked the vet to check ERNESTINE's eyes because she has an excessive amount of mucusy discharge. The vet's office just called and said ERNESTINE has an entropian eyelid (rolled inward), which is causing the hairs of her eyelid to rub against the eye, which makes them water. ERNESTINE also has two mammary tumors, which will be removed.

Please send Zen that the tumors are benign and that everything will go smoothly.

ERNESTINE & BUDDY both look great. The groomer at the kennel gave them baths and trims since they won ' t be able to get wet for ten days after the surgery.

Later that day . . .

I just got the word that BUDDY & ERNESTINE are out of surgery and sleeping peacefully. They will have to wear the dreaded "e-collars". ADOPTED!!

. . . And the Crowd Went Wild

Auntie Lydia's salmon carrot cookies arrived in the mail yesterday [26 June], so I took them with me this morning on my visit to the kidz (after doling out one each to Jack, Riley & Rose, who threatened to bar the door when it looked like I was thinking of leaving without sharing the goodies). Well, I'm sure you can imagine the pandemonium on my arrival. Even LESLIE almost let me touch her in order to get that cookie!

ERNESTINE & BUDDY got a few extra to make up for the fact the other kidz were calling them nasty names like "bucket-head" and "zipper-ear" and "scar-face".

ERNESTINE has the most fetching pink stitches in her lower eyelid, which are very attractive against her black coat. BUDDY, I'm afraid, is rather a mess of stitches, tape and glue to keep the edge of his ear together while it heals. However, they are doing well and have learned how to negotiate the doggie door without running into the edges with the e-collar.

Everyone (except GRACE & LESLIE) got their turn in the training field and had a good time running around.

I heard from INDY's foster mom, who said he is doing great. He went to puppy class with her, just for the socialization. He didn't run away from anyone and, in fact, approached several people for pets. He had fun playing with some of the puppies. He will go in and out of the doggie door at Carolyn's house, but prefers being inside under the aire conditioning with her (smart dog).

Thank you, Auntie Lydia, from

ERNESTINE & BLACKIE & BUDDY & CHARLIE & NINA & GRACE & LESLIE (INDY didn't get any, but he's in a foster home, which ***almost*** makes up for it) & Sidney

Mary Geise suggests:

Maybe someone who likes to bake in your area and wants to help rescue would be willing to bake some of these cookies for people to use when they visit the kennel. One of the tricks to any good training is the right reinforcer. Clearly this hits the mark for these dogs.

Lydia Ross says:

This is WONDERUL news that the Tucson clan received their treats and they love them.

I am VERY thankful that Sidney was wise enough to let Rose, Riley ' Jack have a sample.

I hope you have saved a few just for LESLIE . . . what a happy day that will be when she trusts enough to allow petting.

To which Sidney replies:

I actually decided to force the issue with LESLIE & GRACE yesterday afternoon. To set the scene. Each dog is in a separate kennel run that consists of a small (5' x 5') area inside the building that opens up through a doggie door to a long graveled run. Each end of the run has a gate. I entered through the kennel run gate and then crawled through the doggie doors to trap each of them their indoor space (note to self . . . if your hips get any wider, this isn't going to work). I then closed my eyes (no eye contact) and just held and slowly stroked [them] for about 15 minutes.

GRACE was leaning into me a little as I stroked [her]. LESLIE wasn't objecting, but merely tolerating. When I was done, and I gave them space to get by me, they each just sat for a few seconds before going out. We will see how they react when they see me this morning. ADOPTED!!