From Yorkshire Terrier to Airedale Terrier

Once upon a time, a father and daughter purchased a cute little Yorkshire Terrier puppy at a pet store. As months passed, the little Yorkshire Terrier kept on growing and growing until he was larger than expected. The owners finally realized this was not a cute little Yorkshire Terrier but a larger breed - an Airedale Terrier. What to do with such a large puppy but banished the dog to the basement. He was left to live in solitary confinement, allowed few trips to the yard, rare walks, left to live in his own filth.
Thankfully, the family finally decided to get rid of the large problem by 'donating' their dog to the SPCA.
At the SPCA, there was more confusion as to the breed of the now one-year old dog. On arrival, the Airedale was listed as a German Shepherd cross. Unlike other Airedales, Togger's ears stand up giving him a distinctive appearance but he is not a mixed breed. He is all Airedale Terrier, not best of breed having a curly wooly coat, grizzle colouring, with the instincts intended in the breed.
On adopting the year old Airedale, the first priority was to change his name. Although the name given was Scotty, he did not respond to it nor did it suit him. Unsure of his past, I wanted nonsense name in case of any sign of aggression. After much discussion with my son, the dog became Togger combining both toggle and jogger to make Togger. I later discovered it was an appropriate choice. Calling him Tog one day resulted in an immediate response. I decided he responded to the 'og' sound suggesting he thought his name was 'Dog' or maybe 'Stupid Dog'.
Togger was thrilled to discover the freedom of going out into the yard whenever he wanted, going for walks, car rides, just being clean. He loved being out in the yard so much he wanted to spend all day and night outside. As a result, he had to be chased, cornered, and captured to get him in the house. When finally brought into the house, he slunk toward the basement as if being punished. It is not pleasant to see any animal cowering as if beaten. To solve the problem, I barricaded the steps then, holding his collar, forced him to walk to the living room, and then told him to lie down. It took a few days before he realized he had freedom of the house as well as the yard.
During walks, I discovered many things he never learned in the basement prison. Not being a dog myself, I had to rely on other dogs to teach him how to go to the bathroom as a dog, how to interact with people and dogs, just how to be a dog. He possibly received some obedience training because he knew the commands for heel, sit, and down. The stay was weak but the recall was the worst. When called, he would come to a sort of sit just out of reach as if prepared to run. I decided he had been hit on the recall. It took two years before he would come to sit properly although never reliably. Attempting to use food or toys as an enticement was useless. The only thing that worked was a calling with a harsh, commanding voice then, when he came, talking in a softer voice with lots of hugs and pets.
On the first anniversary of Togger's adoption, coinciding with his second birthday, I put him in the backyard and gave him a cooked marrowbone as a special treat. I made a point of going out to check occasionally, talking, asking if he like his special treat, and never going near. After an hour or so of gnawing on the 'wonderful' bone, he realized that the bone was his, no one was going to take it away, he was safe, and he was wanted. When he finished, he 'knocked' on the door to come in - the first time he willing entered the house. He 'marched' into the living room and plopped himself in the middle of the floor. He was here to stay! No more chasing around the yard to catch him, the barricade on the basement stairs removed, and beds often occupied by a large fuzzy body.
I could write many stories on his hunting ventures. How he knew which animals were dangerous but that ducks, deer, and rabbits needed protection from coyotes. The times he saved human and dog friends from dangerous wild animals such as coyotes, a female moose with her calf, or porcupines. How he insisted on checking the safety of a family of ducks when the river flooded. How he put himself in danger to protect my son from venturing further out on the weak spring ice. How he worried when his human and animal friends were in dangerous situations, getting their attention then leading the way to safety. How he could travel through thick bush silently with no one seeing or hearing him despite the three tags on his collar. How he often acted like a clown to make people laugh or how he would provided comfort. I find it amazing that a dog confined to a basement could develop the intuitiveness, understanding, and have all the instincts intended in the breed.
Togger's hunting days came to an end at the age of eight with a torn cartilage in his right hind leg. X-rays revealed severe deterioration of both hip joints, especially the left making knee surgery was necessary to give him at least one good leg. Recuperation was slow with the up and down winter temperatures, heavy snow, plus more body slams by other dogs. Two years after the knee surgery, his vet suggested additional x-rays to rule out hip dysplasia. The x-rays revealed no hip dysplasia although more arthritic deterioration in the hips, arthritis developed in three vertebrae of the spine, plus arthritis in the repaired knee.
Although Togger does not have hip dysplasia, the cause of arthritis is a genetic weakness inherited by breeding dogs with hip dysplasia. Combined with body slam by other dogs and unaltered males climbing on his back to make puppies, his bones are deteriorating. Although slow, he still insists on daily walks to sniff, snoop, and visit. He is now more of a people dog with no interest in playing with other dogs. He still wants to hunt, particularly during a full moon, and wants to chase cats even though they might only be plastic lawn ornaments.
The focal point of this story is the pain and suffering for both animal and owner due to health problems caused by irresponsible breeding of purebred dogs. Because of greed and poor breeding practices, Togger lives in pain possibly with a shorter life span than the normal 16 - 18 years.
P.S. Togger's breeder is still producing Airedale Terriers with arthritis and hip dysplasia evident when the dogs are a year old.

30 paws