The Airedale Terrier is the largest of all the Terrier breeds, and known as the "King of the Terriers" for good reason. Developed by poor farmers along the Aire River in Bingley, England about 200 years ago, men who could not afford a herding dog, a hearth dog, a hunting dog - the Airedale was created to be all those things. Today it is widely held that an Airedale can be trained to do what any other breed was developed to do. For example, you couldn't take an Australian Shepherd and expect to track bear or mountain lions - an Airedale can do it! You wouldn't expect a Labrador Retriever or a Golden Retriever to herd sheep, but you could train an Airedale Terrier to do just that and retrieve water fowl as well! As Teddy Roosevelt said, "The Airedale can do anything any other dog can do, and then lick the other dog if he has to!" The Airedale Terrier is the dog for all reasons.

These traits and more make the Airedale a wonderful companion - but definitely not a dog for all people or families. They require regular grooming. They require regular exercise. They require lots of human contact - not being dogs that can be shut out in the backyard. They MUST be a member of the family.

I have been showing and raising Airedale Terriers since the mid-70s. My first Airedale, Starmist Copper Cosmo, was purchased as a pet. With the help and encouragement of of my Aunt Cynthia, and cousins Pam and Toni, who had been breeding and showing Miniature Poodles for years, it was not long, however, before I began following the show circuits with her. In the beginning I didn't have the courage to go into the ring myself, and Pam did the showing. Monty Pearson (the stripping knife guy - and the person who helped me build this awesome website!) taught me how to groom. When he saw how sincere I was about learning, he offered me a beautiful little bitch from a litter that he had just whelped. This little girl became Starmist Wil'o Wisp (aka Twiggy).

Twiggy did NOT like the show ring. When I finally got the courage to take a dog in the ring myself, she did every possible thing a show dog could do to embarass and horrify when we went into the ring: carry her ears back like a Whippet, let her tongue hang out of the side of her mouth - the judge's side of course! - carry her tail straight out behind her like a sporting dog, sit when she was offered treats (even though she never did this at home). We called her our "backyard champion" because we were the only ones who got to see how lovely she was when she used herself the way an Airedale should. After a short time, I decided that she should be bred and perhaps she would prove herself in the whelping box.

Twiggy was bred to Ch. Ernie's Jack Flash who was not only the #1 Airedale in the country at the time, but the #1 Terrier Dog. That litter produced my first champion, Am. Mex. Can. Intl. Ch. Blackheath's® Dragonslayer. "Basil" as he was called, was my closest companion for 17 years.

Basil's litter sister, Am. Mex. Intl. Ch. Blackheath's® Isadora became my first top-ranked Airedale. She was the #1 Airedale bitch in 1985, #3 Airedale bitch in 1986, and tied for #2 producer in 1989. What excitement she generated for me. "Sybil" was also a constant companion for myself and my son for nearly 15 years.

Sybil was bred three times, but it was her third and final litter that gave me the best results. That litter produced five pups, Sonny, Delilah, Flame, Ruby and Burgie. Sonny, Delilah, and Flame all attained their championships with style - Sonny at the Chicago Specialty, Delilah with a Specialty BOS win (to her brother, Sonny, who went BOB!), and Flame with a BOB win over a Best in Show Specials dog. Ruby was shown as a puppy but was never taken into the ring as an adult. However, she did produce a wonderful daughter (Ch. Blackheath's Double Dare) that went on herself to become a champion and a producer. Although Burgie had the makings of a great show dog, he became a family pet, and unfortunately never made it to the show ring.

All the puppies that arrive here now are in some way distantly related to these early dogs of mine. With each new litter, our love for the breed renews itself, along with the commitment to keep the breed strong and healthy.

Our puppies are home-raised (under our feet!), and socialized with children, other dogs, vacuum cleaners, doors slamming, hip-hop and rap music booming, visitors coming and going...in other words - in an environment that will produce sound temperament. We have only one to two litters per year. The effort to properly socialize the little pups is so time consuming, that once or twice a year is more than enough! Visit our Puppy Pre-School - or click here to see puppies in action at the puppy amusement park - and view some of the activities we use to build strong minds, confidence, and strong bodies.

Please look through our Photo Album and our Just for Fun page, and see the type of dog my breeding program has produced over the years. I hope you like them. I DO!

Blackheath® is located in Henderson, Nevada

Blackheath® is a REGISTERED Kennel Prefix with the American Kennel Club, Inc.