Mr. Bean came to New England Airedale Rescue before his third birthday.  A list of "issues" were given why he didn't fit into the family any more.  He kept escaping from the fenced yard, he was marking in the house, he barked when excluded from the family, he scratched at the wall by the gate that was keeping him away from them.  In fact, the bottom line was that the man in the home just never connected with him, thinking Bean was a "wimp", not feisty like their other Airedale.  The wife had to admit that Bean was the sweetest dog she'd ever known, and the harsh tone of her husband struck fear in Bean's heart.  The more the man yelled and heckled, the more Bean freaked out.  Meanwhile, Bean was gentle and loving with the infant twin girls.  In foster care, Bean was afraid of everything, we had to learn to do things slowly and quietly, such as closing the oven door or folding up the recliner, just moving quickly to go pick up a ringing telephone.  For a few weeks, all we saw of him was a tail-tucked streak from one room to another, as he sought safety from whatever demons he was sure surrounded him.  Slowly though, bubbles of Airedale courage came to the surface, and two years later, he twirls and dances and entertains us with typical Airedale joie de vivre.  He adores children, so visits to school groups is a favorite "job" for him, where he is the model for lessons in responsible dog ownership.  He loves hosting foster dogs in his home, he loves leading the weekly walk for the local shelter, he loves everything...except thunder, gun shots, and fly swatters.  When he was ready to "go public" he was enrolled in an obedience class.  The teacher, not a "terrier person" seemed most surprised at how gentle he was (for an Airedale), needing encouragement instead of restraint!  When it came time for his CGC test, the distraction test was going to be the hurdle...but Bean's new courage got him through a few scary moments with aplomb that would once have sent him right out of his skin.  Now he is Mr. Bean CGC, a title once unthinkable.