Beginnings

For most of my life I have been around dogs and have always had a dog of my own, first a Keeshound and then a German Shepard. The beginning of Style Kennels came about from a young puppy purchased from the Stone Ridge line outside of Chicago on Mother’s Day weekend 1990. I had an interest in Dobermans for some years prior and had lost a great young dog with tremendous promise and with the issue of Von Willebrand’s just overtaking Dobermans, I decided to consider another breed. I did a good bit of investigating and attending numerous dog shows and the Bouvier des Flanders and the Afghan Hound really had my attention, but I thought the coat maintenance would be too great. Somehow, the Airedale was what really kept coming to mind. I was to be working in Chicago that week and the person that I was working with owned an Airedale and took me to see the dogs at Stone Ridge. The night we visited the kennel my decision was made. As soon as I came face to face with that little adorable brown fuzzy-faced comedian, I knew I had found my next breed. The young male that was brought out to me was a show prospect and carried some requirements and stipulations of which I knew nothing. As we talked and I became more and more certain this was the dog for me, I found myself agreeing to things that I knew nothing about, but was certain I would somehow manage. That Mother’s Day in 1990 started a love affair for me that has been the highlight of my life. The Airedale is a “special dog.” All dogs have their unique talents and charm, but the Airedale is different, after all-HE IS THE KING OF THE TERRIERS. I decided to call my little dog of English origin “Yuri” which obviously had nothing to do with anything except that I liked the name and he took to it really well. He cried the entire trip home from Chicago to St. Louis and I had doubts this had been a mistake, but those thoughts were quickly replaced with him being the apple of my eye and best buddy to me and my Siamese cat ”Jolivert.”

Well, back to the issues of requirements. When I went to pick up Yuri that Mother’s Day morning, I found my little fuzzy dog with his ears pasted to the top of his head and instructed that this was a necessary fundamental that Airedales require for proper ear carriage and a correct appearance for the show ring. I was told that he should under no circumstances get his ears wet and I was thinking to myself this was going to be a problem since just having put the finishing touches on about a 20x30 foot Koi pond. I further agreed that I would either learn how to strip and maintain his coat or engage the services of a professional handler to do this for me. It was clear showing a Terrier was nothing like showing a Doberman. That being said, also I would have to learn to show him or hire the handler to show him when he was properly trained and conditioned for the show ring. I finalized the transaction, loaded Yuri, and headed for home. On the drive back to St. Louis, it was slowly occurring to me that I had just agreed to a new way of life and if that was not enough, quickly needed to buy a multitude of tools and equipment necessary to begin this new hobby. The summer went by quickly and I seemingly made a trip about every other weekend to Chicago for ear pasting and mentoring. Upon occasion his co-breeder would be visiting from Canada and I would try my best to absorb everything told to me. By now, I had somewhat come to appreciate that the art of hand stripping terriers is not done by someone you find in the yellow pages and it was “hard work.” His litter held great promise for Lotus and Janet and the annual national specialty for Airedales was fast approaching in Philadelphia that October. They suggested if I wanted to really get involved in the breed I should plan on attending the shows and of course, it would be nice if Yuri could be shown since several of the littermates were going. I have never worked so hard or been so afraid of any task in my entire life. The time came and upon arrival, I was absolutely overwhelmed. The magnitude of Airedales was totally mind altering. There was also a real striking observation that I made quickly upon seeing this multitude of dogs. Their trimming was far better than my efforts. Well, each day I got him ready, exhibited him in his appropriate class, and sadly walked out of the ring with nothing. Each night upon returning to the hotel this exhausted little dog was placed upon the grooming table and buckets of hair was stripped off. Finally the big day came on Sunday for the Airedale Specialty. The breeders had been watching and applauded my efforts, but knowing that Yuri could do better introduced me to a fellow Airedale breeder-handler and suggested he show Yuri that day. I agreed and Yuri took 3rd in his class. The rest is history and I was hooked. That day, I made a pledge to myself to master the artistry of trimming Airedales and exhibiting them to the best of my ability and for almost 20 years I have never regretted a moment of all those efforts. Though Yuri fostered my longstanding love affair of the breed and was a wonderful dog, he never got his championship. He had many setbacks along the way. I used to say Yuri taught me how to loose and then I got Bailey(Ch. Brisline’s Going In Style) who definitely taught me the fun of winning. Yuri was always a crowd pleaser and much preferred to socialize while Bailey knew exactly what was expected of him and loved everything about the show ring. Bailey was truly the love of my life and was a remarkable dog. He was without question “Style” and the ruler of the house.

It was for Bailey that the Style name came to be. I knew when I arrived at Brisline Kennels in California and saw him at 4 months of age there was something very special about this puppy and also very different from Yuri. I was still very new in the breed and worked very hard to prove my good intentions to have this wonderful puppy placed in my care. Bailey collected many very impressive wins along the way during his show and specials career including attending Westminster. There were few things he loved better than the show ring. By the time I purchased Bailey, I had learned a great deal about the sport of exhibiting and trimming Airedales and was certain there were still volumes more to learn. Most of Bailey’s successful career was thanks to RC Carusi from the Boston area and today one of the top terrier handlers in the country. Then they were both young and a bit set in their ways, but when the two of them entered the ring, everyone stopped to watch their impressive presentation.

There have been many Airedales in my home since the early days, but these two dogs provided me the relationship, love, and understanding of what a wonderful breed, performer, and companion these dogs truly are to anyone fortunate enough to have in their lives and home.