AiredaleTerriers.org Airedale Terrier Information & Referral Resource

Annie came to us as a foster dog, rescued out of a puppy mill in Stotts City, MO, where she had been bred repeatedly. She had lived in a 4 x 5 pen with 4 other Airedales. When the County Police arrived at the puppy mill, they found 100's of dogs, confined in small kennels, with no food or water. The Airedales had managed to break out of their cages and were eating the dead dogs to survive. The smell was atrocious.

She was transported to the St. Louis Humane Society, and from there Airedale Rescue stepped in. There were approximately 22 Airedales: male, female and a few puppies. Airedale Rescue took all but the few that the Humane Society kept as they were deemed "adoptable."

Annie arrived at our house sometime in late September/early October. She was skin and bones. Her little stub of a tail was tucked as far under her belly as she could get it, and she cringed from any human contact. In the entire time she stayed with us, she barked only once. It was the only sound she ever made.

It took months for her to ever carry her tail "up" in the typical Airedale fashion when we were around. We realized after watching her in the yard with our own 'Dales one day, that she actually COULD carry it up. She just was too scared to do it around us. We had a dog that LOOKED like an Airedale, but had no idea how to ACT like an Airedale.

We decided not to crate her, as she'd been in such a tiny kennel before, and we didn't want to do anything that would remind her of her previous life. She slept at night in my 7 year old daughter's room, gradually warming up enough to climb up and sleep on the lower bunk. Whenever she was scared, she'd run into the room, and climb up on the bunk.

It took her 5 days before she'd eat anything, even out of a dog bowl. Even then she'd eat, watching us out of the corner of her eye to make sure we didn't "try anything."

We began to try to bribe her with treats and toys. She had no idea how to play. Toys got no response at all. Neither did the treats, until we figured out that we had to use REALLY stinky things, like Jack Mackerel, aged cheddar and muenster cheese. Annie wouldn't take anything out of our hands, and would eat the treat off the floor, still watching us very carefully. We talked to her constantly. Whenever she was in the room with us, we babbled at her, trying to get her used to the sound of human voices.

Gradually, over a period of several months, she began to trust us. She began taking treats out of our outstretched hand. First the children (the three girls -- she never did really warm up to our teenage son, making us wonder if she hadn't been abused by someone his age and/or size). She stopped running away when one of us entered a room she was in. At that point in time, we started making her eat all her meals out of our hands.

Slowly, slowly, she warmed up to us. One night she appeared by the side of our bed. It was the first time she had ever approached my husband. As long as he was lying down, he was "safe." The minute he stood up, she took off. After a few nights of this, she finally climbed up on the bed. She'd lie with her head on my leg, watching my husband very carefully for any danger signs. Gradually she progressed to letting him pet her.

Finally the day came when we felt she had progressed enough to go to her Forever Home. The man who came to see her was perfect. Soft spoken, gentle, didn't hurry her a bit. He sat down on the floor, with a handful of cheese, and talked gently and quietly to her. Eventually, the lure of the cheese won out over her suspicion, and she sidled up to him, carefully eyeing him as she snitched the cheese out of his hand.

John spent several hours with us, winning Annie's trust before he took her home. From what I understand, she sleeps on his bed in between him and his wife. The rest of the story is John's.

Heather Scharbach

My wife, Linda and I went on a mini vacation to Knoxsville, Tennessee to see my nephew run in the National AAU Track and Field events on August 5 and 6. We left Annie with my brother-in-law Larry who lives in Lee's Summit, Missouri. He was watching another dog at the same time and thought this would be a good fit. Annie had been at his house before during the terrible ice storm we had here in Kansas City this past year. Everything was going well until Thursday night, August 8, the day before we were to return from Tennessee. Annie and Shadow got out of the back yard through a broken fence post and started their adventure of running through the neighborhood, having the best of times. When Larry noticed they were gone, he and my sister-in-law, Cindy started the frantic search of the neighborhood. They saw them running in between houses and across yards, but neither dog would come when called. Shadow did return later when offered a treat. Annie did not. Larry and Cindy saw her later Thursday night when they were driving the neighborhood. They followed her in their truck with the headlights on her back. When they stopped the car and tried to catch her, Annie eluded them and ran off again. They had her cornered later and Larry said he even touched her as she ran by him. She ran into the woods on Lowenstein Road. That was the last time they saw her that night.

My next door neighbor Jim, his wife Jeanette and their dog Molly had been out looking were Annie disappeared with my brother and sister in-law for hours on Friday. No Annie.

As we were driving back through the St. Louis area on late Friday afternoon, we got a call from our daughter that Annie had gotten out of their yard and they did not have her. I put the car into high speed mode and traveled the rest of the way to Kansas City at 80-85 mph. Knowing that Annie did not have any street smarts that I knew of, we were worried that she would be hit by a car. We got back at 9:30 p.m. and called. No Annie.

Saturday, Jim, Molly and I went back out to Lee's Summit. Linda met us out there later. We looked all day. We went back to the last places where she was seen, but no Annie. One lady stopped by and said that her daughter had seen Annie at 1:00 a.m. Saturday morning when she was returning home. She said that Annie was running beside her car on Lowenstein Road but would not get into her car when she offered. Later another man confronting Linda when she was parked in his gravel drive why she was there, said oh, we had her in a pen last night, but she was so scared we let her go thinking she would return home. She didn't. We looked all day Saturday. No more sighting of Annie. Linda and I saw lots of deer while walking through the woods calling for Annie but no sight of her. I came back at midnight Saturday, thinking she might come out but she didn't. My brother-in-law did the same about 12:30. No sight of her. I drove back out to Lee's Summit at 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning. No Annie.

I returned to my home and went back to bed. At 8:00 a.m. we got a call from my brother-in-law Larry, that a worker from the Lee's Summit Animal Clinic had seen an Airedale walking west on the east bound lane of I-470, next to the cement dividers. We jumped in the car and drove out to the area expecting to see her body. We drove up and down the highway on both side for miles in both directions. Larry was out there driving the dirt side roads in his 4-wheeler. I got out of the car and walked into the woods on the south side. Linda continued to drive the highway looking for her. No Annie. We were following up any clue or call we might get. In the meantime, I had contacted Airedale Rescue, through Heather and had begun to get emails and calls immediately. The support and encouragement were tremendous. My sister-in-law made posters and was putting them up all over the neighborhood, I had made a flyer and given Cindy 25 flyers and emailed the flyer to Airedale Rescue. It was being duplicated and put up by people we didn't even know, in the Lee's Summit area. People in other areas of the country were praying for Annie and giving us encouragement. Sunday afternoon, Linda and I went to Waysidewaifs in Grandview, Missouri to fill out paperwork on our lost dog. After we filled out the papers, they took us through the kennels of dogs that had been brought in. No Annie.

Monday, we had no sightings, no calls and were getting to be very discouraged we would find her. Linda had more faith. She said that Annie was still alive. I thought she was gone. We looked all day Monday. Drove the highways where she had been seen, went back to the neighborhood and drove Lowenstein Road time and again. No Annie. Monday night it stormed with great claps of thunder and lightening. We thought of Annie.

Monday night I had a dream that I was walking in a meadow somewhere and called Annie's name and she came out of the woods to me all safe and sound. That gave me some encouragement and I told Linda. Tuesday morning I went out to Lee's Summit and paid our house payment and gave the teller a flyer. She said she would be glad to put it in the window. I returned home and was met by a weeping Linda at the door. She said "someone found Annie.". My immediate thought was she was dead. I said "is she dead?" "No, she is alive. Maybe she is trying to get home." Linda said a man on Noland Road said he had fed her on Sunday and Monday nights when she came out of the woods near his home. He was feeding his dogs when she came out of the woods on Sunday Night, and he fed her. He said she was very shy. Monday night she came back and he was able to read her tags. Tuesday morning, he called his vet. It was the same vet we use, Laurel Animal Hospital in Raytown, Missouri. They were able to tell him Annie's telephone number. He called shortly after with the news. He didn't leave his name, but he did give Linda his address and said he would call us if she came back. I drove down there immediately, but he was not home. I didn't feel I had the right to look around his home when he was gone so I came home. On the way back I saw some meadows that looked a whole lot like my dream so I stopped and walked all of them calling out Annie's name. No Annie. I returned home and shortly thereafter I got a call from Harold. He gave me his name and telephone number. I asked him if it would be all right to return to his property and look around. He said sure, but I have three dogs there. One was hit by a car and doesn't leave the yard, one is in a cage and I have a two year old Pitbull that is on a chain and has the run of the backyard. He said that I might be able to get through the backyard if I stayed to the far right or left. I drove back to his house with great hope but much doubt that she would still be there. I walked back around the left side and was immediately greeted by the dog that had been hit and he jumped up on me before I even saw him coming. He is very friendly. Then I saw the dog in the cage and was looking for the clothes line that had the pitbull. There was a van in front of me and as I started to walk up to that, around the corner came this very muscular, growling pitbull. I thought my days were over. I started backing up as fast as I could but it didn't seem fast enough. All of a sudden, the dog reached the end of his line and it jerked him back. He got tangled up in the bumper of the van and I saw my chance to get by him. I walked past him, through the back fence and saw the woods. I called "Annie" once. I looked in amazement, as out of the woods, just like my dream, Annie came. SHe stopped and looked at me with a great puzzled look on her face. I called her again and she ran by me. I said her name again and she got close enough to smell me. Then she let me pet her. I dropped to my knees and started to cry as I put my arms around her. We had her back! Even with her right there I couldn't believe my eyes. She was alive. I called Linda on my cell phone and told her. The office where Linda works burst into cheers as Linda repeated the good news.

She was covered with burrs and very dirty. She got right into the car and we went home. I washed her paws and combed out as many burrs as I could but knew that I had better take her to the vet. They checked her over, took her temperature and said she was in pretty good shape. We had her beard trimmed off as it was completely matted as was her stomach. So now she is growing her beard back and looks like a collie instead of an Airedale. Both Linda and I got lots of flea bites and a few ticks fell off of her, but we called the vet and got a spray that did the job. I thank God every time I look at her. She is home and she is doing great.

I have too many people to thank. Many offered to drive down from various parts of Kansas City just to help if they could. People called to offer to walk with their dogs so maybe she would get a scent and come out. Many were emails with words of encouragement and support. The Airedale Rescue people were outstanding. We are so thankful that we have Annie back. Thank you all.

John, Linda and Annie Sylvester

Copyright 2002 by the authors. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the authors is prohibited.