Today I will take you back to my childhoods’ wildest dreams and memories.
I didn’t have any dog in my life until I was 9. My parents  bought me a Fox Terrier who unfortunately had to be re-homed just after a couple of months. My heart had been both warmed up and destroyed almost at the same time. During the short period I lived with that dog, my understanding of life would change forever.
I cried, but there wasn’t much to do. My parents promised me to have another dog only the day we moved to a house with a large garden so the dog could play.
The lack of research for the appropriate breed at the time taught me a lot of lessons that I carried on later when I became a breeder, and I would consciously educate the possible new owners of my pet puppies before they take them home.

Back then I could only brighten up my days by thinking and researching what my next dog would be. I have loved that little crazy fox terrier and I wanted my next dog to be a terrier again. My father didn’t  fancy them, they were too much temper for such a little size. I loved it. In my research I discovered the Airedale Terrier. I became a huge fan, I’ve learnt a lot about them, and also tried to instruct myself how to train a dog so it wouldn’t be taken away of the house due to bad behaviour. Despiste all I told my father about this AMAZING breed I’ve just discovered, and that they were a terrier but a large version and with an amazing mind, working dogs, fascinating in every level, he was never %100 sure. We finally came across a Giant Schnauzer, and my father liked it, and so we just got a Schnauzer. And I wouldn’t change it, NOT EVER!

Last January 17th was my 30th Birthday, quite something, and as I looked back in my life, I recalled all the great stuff that happened, and recognised that my life has been shaped by, around of, and just for and because dogs, alone. All I ever did since my little Fox was taken away when I was 9, was to think about DOGS. I remembered about the breed I’ve always loved silently, the breed that kept me going and studying and hoping for a new dog: The Airedale Terrier.
Even thou I never owned one, they occupy a very special place in my heart.
Some years later, when I was 15 and I started to attend to dog shows, I have already bred my first Miniature Schnauzer litter, and I wanted to learn as much as I could. I started to learn about coats. I love hard coated dogs. Means most terriers and Schnauzers and whatever with a coat that needs to be hand stripped. I love the texture, I love to pull that hair, I love to sculpt a dog while grooming; well, it was back then, when I became totally and forever obsessed with DOGS. I had the chance to learn hand stripping with Airedale Terriers, I would spend two days a week working in two different kennels to learn all I could. I was told: you need to do this one hundred times before you can say you can do it.
I worked one and a half year burning my fingers, pulling those hairs of the Airedale Terriers in order to achieve that.
All I know today about stripping a coat I owe it to the many dozens of Airedales I have stripped along that time. Times I will never forget. Hard work and repetition have paid of. Somehow this breed has had an impact on me that I will remember forever, and I simply wanted to create something special for them, the Airedales, who kept that spark of hope on my when I was such a young kid. They helped me carve my future, find my true love, find myself. But this honorable breed, has only served me in a very indirect way, however, they have saved and served thousands of lives along their history. They helped farmers keep themselves not only free from nasty animals, also safe from burglars. And later they did amazing works  during the WWI. Sometimes I think we take for granted what our dogs do for us. For a lot of people all they have in life is ‘just a pet’, but it is that dog, in many cases, that makes a person’s day worthwhile.

To the Airedales and their passionate fans, this humble breed study in clay.

 
My work in CLAY will be finished as ceramic, being fired at high temperature (1300C) after applying several layers of slips and glazes in between low temperature firing (1000C). The work will be available for sale, and new pieces can be commissioned. Special orders such as portraits can be made after photos. Please, do get in touch for more information and reservations applerainart@gmail.com

 
Barbara.
www.applerainart.com/cool