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05/01/2020:
Hi, Jennifer. It was nice speaking to you again today. Congratulations on your new home in McDonough, GA. I appreciate you contacting me recently about Gizmo, but as we discussed Gizmo does show aggression to small dogs and she is 7 years old, which is older than you prefer. Gizmo is also said to not like women.I forgot to ask when we were talking, do you still have a cat? We would have to consider that when placing a dog with you.
Let me know and I look forward to helping you find an Airedale.
05/01/2020
Working from home during C-19, but will work from home some days when things go back to normal. She’s bought a new home and her adult daughter lives with her.2785 Trebek Court
McDonough, GA 30253Not fenced yet. Planning to do that.
She wants a younger dog so she can teach them. She would consider older than 1 but not too much older.
05/01/2020: From Mike Young:
“ATTICUS” – born May 25, 2014 in Conway, SCAtticus is a splendid Airedale Terrier – intelligent, tall & fit, strong, extremely loyal & protective of his “turf” and his owners (especially my wife). He has all the zany Airedale behaviors including those times when we are playing and he gets so wound up he goes into those crazy spins and racing through the house. He is a joyful dog and we love him.
He loves to eat. I have never seen a dog so intense about his food. He will do anything for food and treats. He is at his best behavior of all when there is food about to be received. We feed him 2 cups of dry dog food with about a cup of hot water at 7am and again at 5pm. He sits obediently until we release him to eat with the word “free”. We test him by saying other words, some even rhyming with free but he’s smart and waits for the right word. In between feedings there are usually a number of small dog treats he loves and we give those for performing various tricks or tasks like bringing in the paper (see the video). He often lets us know when it is around dinner time by coming up to us and giving us that look or pressing his head into our hand or lap. I believe he would eat as much food as we gave him so we keep his food volume well controlled to keep his weight stable. He’s about 78 pounds normally which for his height is very fit (so says our vet). He always eats all his food quickly – every last morsel. Then he gets a drink of water and goes back to the food bowl to lick it clean again (I think he uses the water to wash up the last remnants of food flavor). Yes, food is quite important to Atticus!
His second favorite thing to do is go for a walk. He knows that phrase well and can tell when we are getting ready to go for a walk without us saying anything. He sees the shoes going on and senses that we are getting ready and he loves it. He is always ready to go for a walk. During the walk he likes to sniff (like most dogs) everything he comes across. He is obedient and will move along when we tell him to but he always has that nose going. Since I retired, I began taking him on longer walks – about an hour or so – and he likes that a lot and is ready to plop down on his bed when we get back to the house.
The main reason we are looking for the best possible home for Atticus is linked to the walks – he gets along with most dogs and has done fabulous at the Social Pet boarder the times we have travelled and needed to board him (goes into their dog yard with 30 – 40 other dogs and gets along just fine with them). But with us, he is protective and when we approach another dog you never know if Atticus is going to like the dog or not. When he doesn’t, he is aggressive and tries to go after the other dog – sometimes the other dog does the same. Even with his training we have done it hasn’t been as effective as we had wanted so we have to pull him away and move along. This has gotten a little more difficult for my wife – physically and emotionally. There have been a few incidents where Atticus has gotten out of the fenced area and got aggressive with another dog going by our house on a walk with their owner. Luckily, no dog has been injured beyond the usual minor scuffle results dogs get but we just can’t have that worry any longer. We truly believe the root of this is Atticus’ high level of protective instincts and his “alpha” dog nature. He does have some other dog friends and gets along with them just fine.
This is breaking our hearts. I don’t have the words to explain how emotional this is to my wife and I. We LOVE Atticus and he is such a loyal, sweet hearted dog with us all of the time. That has made this one of the most agonizing decisions we have ever faced. Like most dog lovers, we have made him a part of our family. We would only give him up to someone who understands dogs (and specifically Airedales) and will love & care for him like we have. We will never forget Atticus and will always have a special place in our hearts for him.
A little more about Atticus…He has a lot of balls – footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, and tennis balls. All the inflatable balls are punctured from him biting them but he loves to pick one up when a dog walks by and he shakes it vigorously. He does this instead of barking (thankfully) and apparently this is dog behavior for releasing aggression. But he loves to have you throw his balls into the yard so he can chase them – sometimes bringing them back and sometimes just laying down on the grass with it. His collection of balls is all over the yard and he’ll just run and scoop one up when he sees a dog or often times when he sees some of the many deer that wander through our neighborhood (yes – deer in the middle of Charlotte).
Atticus has a lot of “inside” toys, too. Among them are his favorites – Mickey Mouse, Goofy, the big tomato, and several squeaky toys. He has several others that from time to time he will select as his “go-to” for a time – he will have it next to his bed when he lays down for the night. But he always ends up going for one his favorites again after a while. It’s funny to see him go through that selection process. He will pick up one of the stuffed toys and gently wag his head back and forth with it – very cute – and then likes it if you play a game of tug-of-war with it. We do that but mildly so he doesn’t end up ripping up his favorite toys! Any playful game you come up with – Atticus will be on board. We play hide-and-seek with him all the time and that is one of his favorite games of all. We’ll hide behind a door of a bedroom and knock a little and he goes through the house looking for us until he finds us – I think I can see him laughing during those games.
He knows all of the usual “tricks” that dogs perform – shake (with both paws – just say “give me the other one” after he shakes with the right paw first), sit, “place” (he will go to designated spots that he knows are his place), down (lay down), “up-up” (sits up and gives both paws). He knows the words squirrel, chipmunk, breakfast, dinner, eat, treat, cookie, paper (newspaper), bed/beddie, company (when people come over to the house), outside, go for a walk, ball, toy, mom, dad, and probably a lot more I’m leaving out. Again – he is an attentive, intelligent Airedale.
Atticus always wants to be in the room with us – especially with my wife. She’s the first one he wants to go see in the morning and he follows her all around in the yard (she is an avid gardener and spends a lot of time in the yard). But he loves me as well – I’m just in second place compared to her! He seems to like women a lot.
He’s not really a swimmer – we’ve had him at the beach and we have a pool in the back yard. He only waded into the ocean about ankle deep and he never goes in the pool. He can swim – we had him in a lake one time and got him out into the water a little bit and he swam in just fine. But he wasn’t really interested in running back into the water.
He likes to be cool and doesn’t really like the heat much. When he was a puppy, he would lay down on the cool floor next the AC register. He still starts out at night on the cool hardwood floor and eventually finds his way onto his bed where he will be in the morning. First thing in the morning he is very calm and sweet and loves to roll over and have his chest rubbed and the side of his face stroked. Then, it’s time to go out and see what’s happening out in the yard (basically seeing if there are any squirrels, etc. to chase!)
04/30/2020: Tara emailed me after seeing the post about Zoey’s adoption online. She asked if she needed to fill out another application for a different dog since she originally was interested in Zoey. I responded that she did not, but that we still need to have a home visit for her and we have no one near her. And we’re not doing HV right now. We will keep her on our radar.
I’ll probably end up doing FaceTime for her home visit.
04/28/2020: Hi, Marcus. I spoke to your vet’s office, VCA Pets are People Too, and they told me about Moochie and about another dog that you had not mentioned, Bailey. Please tell me how long you had Bailey and what happened to him.
I also communicated with PAWS, and they told that Moochie was a very difficult dog and that they would recommend only a “bomb-proof” dog with no health or behavior issues.
I called your personal reference, Devon, but have not heard back from him.
I look forward to hearing back about Bailey.
Thank you,
Jackie
04/28/2020: ———- Original Message ———-
From: Information
To: Jackie Cash
Date: April 28, 2020 at 8:13 AM
Subject: RE: More – Reference on a former adopterHe did adopt a dog named Moochie. Moochie is not a dog for just anyone and does have some aggression issues in a home. With that said, Mr. McGaw seemed like a good dog owner, but I would only adopt out a very bomb proof dog to him. Someone with absolutely NO issues. No health issues, no allergy issues, no skin issues and definitely no aggression issues of any kind, no matter big or small. If you have a dog that is a great dog for a first time owner, that’s probably the dog I’d give him.
Hope this helps.
Michele
From: Jackie Cash
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2020 12:50 PM
To: Information
Subject: More – Reference on a former adopterIn follow up to my email to you yesterday re Marcus McGaw: I have learned that the dog he adopted from you was either: Mochi, a poodle-spaniel mix; or Bailey, a cockapoo. I hope you can respond to my query.
Thank you so much.
Jackie Cash
On April 26, 2020 at 3:31 PM Jackie Cash
Hello, Friends at PAWS. I’m with Airedale Rescue Group and one of our applicants adopted a “cockapoo” from your organization about a year ago or so, and had him for 8 months and had to return him. The cockapoo was a senior dog and had some health issues (ears and skin) and aggression issues. He told me it took over a month for the dog to allow him to touch him and even after would sometimes bare his teeth at him. The applicant’s name is Marcus McGaw.
Can you confirm the above? Is Mr. McGaw eligible to adopt from your organization again?
Thank you for your assistance and for all you do for all the animals in your care.
Jackie
04/27/2020: Spoke to Hillary at vet’s office. His pets were Always up to date, his papillons both died. Buddy & Susie were up to date and took very good care of them. He is very active. He had talked to her about getting another dog and she had suggested he not get terriers bc they’re so active and can be a handful. She suggested he get an older dog, maybe an older lab or lab mix. He’s on the small side so not a huge dog.
Spoke to Jose Vargas. He was neighbor to the Fowlers when they lived in Atlanta. Nice people, good to their dogs.
Ready for HV.
04/27/2020: Had a nice long conversation with Malcolm Fowler and found him to be a really nice, thoughtful man who has loved his animals.
My first question: how’s your health? He said it’s great. I asked if he has any chronic illnesses; he has Type 2 diabetes under control; he walks and he gardens and is able to do whatever he wants to do. I asked if his living situation (his son lives with him) is permanent:
Craig Fowler 59 years Permanent situation. However, Malcolm is thinking of moving into another home on his own. Their house is small, 2-1/2 bedrooms and one is reserved for his 22-y-o Granddaughter who will graduate from Clemson next year and is engaged. He anticipates a repayment of debt to him which is sizeable and may get a different home. Malcolm has the master bedroom. The house would be nearby but outside the city limits. Doesn’t like restrictions of cities.Re: Fencing his yard, he said he wasn’t sure what was allowed.
Have you determined what’s allowed yet? Another person has suggested a long line. Having a quarrel with his son who wants it open without fencing. Thinking about a long line: 50-ft lead for training, not a tie-out. He does not leave his dogs outside. If it’s outside he would be with it. We talked about long training lines and I asked if he had experience with an Airedale off leash.He said he’s never let an Airedale off leash. He had one and he and family were in a park trail and had him a 20-30 ft lead and the ‘dale was out in front of them and and some people were walking toward them with a little dog on leash. His Airedale picked up their little dog and Malcolm told him to drop it and he put it down. I told him about Gizmo, who attacked the papilons.
His first Airedale was always playful, brings joy to your heart, tricksters, likes to be with you, interactive with you (Velcro dogs). First ADT had a backyard with picket fence, chewed off the top of the pickets. Defending his turf from garbage men. He would nip at the back of his wife’s legs and would take her hand and put it on the doorknob to get out. He didn’t like being alone. He left him alone and came home to the Curtains torn down and window sill was torn off. They never left him alone again. He was laughing about it. Loved that dog.
He has a chicken coop, completely enclosed in the backyard and tends them daily. They are protected from everything and the dog would be on leash.
He said the LR and other bed rooms would be off limits. I asked where do you spend most of your time when inside? He rarely goes into the LR; his son works there during C-19. Dog can go into the LR but not running in there. Malcolm mostly stays in his big bedroom when he’s inside, works on his computer, and his dog would be with him.
He has a heart for dogs but doesn’t want to be a caregiver to that degree. His granddaughter can do that; she works for a vet. He would prefer a dog from a happy family home that doesn’t bring a bunch of problems with it. Not a puppy. But a dog that is comfortable and well trained and sweet dog.
I explained to him that just because someone gives up a dog because of a “problem,” it doesn’t mean that the dog was the problem. It could just be the circumstances. Example, Gizmo was fine living with her mom and dad. Then mom died. Dad got a new girlfriend and moved to another state. The GF has papilons. So, now Gizmo is competing for his dad’s attention not only with a new GF but with papillons. In a different situation, with no competition for attention, she could be a wonderful dog. So I told him don’t think that a dog can’t be a good companion with you just because it was not with someone else. It may be that they didn’t provide the mental or physical stimulation the dog needed and it was acting out. He thanked me for telling him that.
I liked him and will check his references. Still, I would be hesitant to place a young dog with him. He wants one that is “standard” sized.
04/27/2020: I’ve emailed PAWS Atlanta and called them today. They are closed due to C-19. I sent another email (as suggested in their voice mail) with the possible names of Marcus McGaw’s dogs to make it easier for them to respond. I’ve also called his personal reference and got voice mail and left a message.
04/27/2020: Called VCA Pets are People Too:
2 pets with them
Saw Bailey 2017 cockapoo m/n 13 yo for sick visit, records from Gwinnett County Welfare and Enforcement.(Shelter)
Mochi seen in 2018 poodle-spaniel seen for flea meds ear issue. Had been seen in 2017 as well for eye issues. Other records would be with PAWS.Marcus told me only of one dog – cockapoo who had ear and skin issues and was from PAWS.
04/20/2020: Spoke to Marcus McGaw after playing phone tag for a couple of days:
How long in Atlanta?
In 2017, he purchased a home. Did a lot of renovations. 6 years in Atlanta?
Working at home, probably be able to stay home.
His only experience with an Airedale is: When he purchased the house, he purchased furniture from a woman who had an Airedale; he wasn’t familiar with ADTs, dog was so friendly and nice. He decided he wanted one. We talked about their history, their prey drive, their need for training, for mental and physical stimulation, their not being trustworthy off leash.He’s athletic, walks, runs, hiking. He’s pretty active and would be nice to have a dog who can keep up. Normal circumstances, he works 8 am to 5 pm and comes home for lunch. Lives close to work 7 min. Walks or hikes Immediately after work or in the am and after. A bit before bed.
He has not had a big dog as an adult. He had a cockapoo. He was very special and needed a lot of patience bc he was older and had some health issues as well some aggression. Shelter recommended no kids. He took a month or 2 to be able to touch. They’d go to the park and get home and try to get out of the car, and he’d bare his teeth. Had him 8 months. He was fully trained. Marcus returned him to the shelter, Paws Atlanta. 1 year ago and the dog has been adopted again and back and he’s back again.
He had to have his ears cleaned and had skin tags.Vet was VCA in Midtown.
Devon Bernard , 678-629-4800 reference.
JMC has emailed PAWS for a reference. Will call vet and personal reference.
Marcus sent short videos of each room of his home. Very neat and clean; uncluttered. Video of backyard – small with a chain link fence and grown up bushes/trees on the outside of the fence.
04/27/2020: I have emailed and texted Bree but gotten no response about Maggie-Moo.
Moved to Waffling Parents.
04/26/2020 Stephanie Osborne wants to adopt Zoey!
I spoke to Kelly Mizgorski and she is thrilled. Zoey will have her crate (if they need it), collars and leash incl choke collar and prong collar because she pulls so bad. I told Kelly to put the prong collar on her for the trip so she doesn’t try to bolt. She will also send Zoey’s bed and some of her food. No toys because she destroys them. She’s also sending a muzzle if they need to take her to the vet and she sees other dogs. She will dig holes.Kelly & her father can drive halfway to meet Stephanie!
On April 24, 2020 at 5:52 PM Jill’s Gmail wrote:
Hi Jackie!
I‘ve been thinking about you and the Dales lately.
I’m sad to say we lost Dixie a few months ago. I miss her terribly and think about her every day. We wanted another Sparedale, but didn’t see one, so we now have Dixie’s cousin, Summer (Dixie’s breeder lives not far from here). She was the runt of her litter and no one wanted her. She is tiny but delightful.
Summer needs a sister and I’ve been keeping an eye out. I would consider some of the available dogs, but they all need to be only children. Gizmo is adorable and will have a home in no time.
In the meantime, I have a couple really nice medium crates I can donate to the cause. One is an airline crate and the other is metal. They could fit a Dale up to 50lb or so.
I hope everyone is staying well and healthy!
Best regards,
Jill HeskeOn April 24, 2020 at 5:52 PM Jill’s Gmail
Hi Jackie!
I‘ve been thinking about you and the Dales lately.
I’m sad to say we lost Dixie a few months ago. I miss her terribly and think about her every day. We wanted another Sparedale, but didn’t see one, so we now have Dixie’s cousin, Summer (Dixie’s breeder lives not far from here). She was the runt of her litter and no one wanted her. She is tiny but delightful.
Summer needs a sister and I’ve been keeping an eye out. I would consider some of the available dogs, but they all need to be only children. Gizmo is adorable and will have a home in no time.
In the meantime, I have a couple really nice medium crates I can donate to the cause. One is an airline crate and the other is metal. They could fit a Dale up to 50lb or so.
I hope everyone is staying well and healthy!
Best regards,
Jill Heske
