One very wet agility class later....
So, we got Medley when I was 9. We chose the breed mostly because I had a lot of allergies when I was younger (and a little because we saw them on Westminster and thought they were cute
). We got him from a breeder in Rochester, NY, who still sends us Christmas cards every year, 18 years later. It was to find a breeder then, and he was certainly the most expensive dog I knew at the time - $500. I assume it is still an expensive breed to purchase, as I don't think their numbers have gone up much.
The absolute best thing I can say for our Bedlington is that he adapted beautifully as our lives changed. He had no issues staying home all day when we were in school, dealing with a move, etc. He was very loving to the family, good with cats (after our 24# cat took him down a few times), and good with most other dogs. They are a nice size, and the no-shedding is wonderful.
The less-great things. Taking them to the groomers. You really have to, every 6 weeks or so. It's hard to find someone who knows how to do it. I will say we adapted his cut a bit over the years. For instance, the family hated the shaved rat tail, so our groomer just scissored it shorter.
They are terriers. I chuckle when I read that they are "softer" terriers. Medley was as scrappy as any JRT I've met. He routinely treed squirrels, dug up the yard for moles, and killed any skunk that came on the property (lovely). He also had what I would now consider moderate issues with resource guarding. We still chuckle about how we couldn't even enter the room if we gave him a Frosty Paws without him getting stiff and growling. It never really presented a problem, so we didn't do anything about it.
I don't think we ever gave him as much credit as he deserved for his trainability. We did puppy class and that was it. I taught him a bunch of tricks when I was younger, but we didn't really work with him for years. When he was about 12, I started teaching obedience classes in the evenings. I would come home with a bunch of leftover treats in my pockets, and taught him a decent emergency down, and also practiced "come" from room to room. After a few months of that, he was outside killing a chipmunk, and I could here it squeaking, so, without really thinking about it, I opened the door and called him to come. AND HE DID. He dropped the chipmunk and ran to the door. And got a whole lot of cookies.
He was a strong and lively as ever right up until the end. He went downhill very quickly due to multiple organ failure - basically old age. We hung out the last few days and shared McDonald's french fries, which were pretty much the only thing he'd eat at the end. He made the end as easy as he made the rest of his life on us. We had blood work done on Thursday, and he actually seemed a bit better on Friday. The results came back, and the vet said there was no way he'd make it though the weekend. So, we gave him that last good day, and had him put to sleep Saturday morning.
Now I'm all teary. Wow, that got really long. Let me know if you have any questions - I'd be happy to help. And finally, one more picture of Medley:
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