Fans of the Airedale Terrier will converge on Bingley from all over the world next weekend - to the valley where the breed began 150 years ago.

More than 1,000 owners and breeders are expected to attend the Airedale 2000 event at the Jarvis Bankfield Hotel. People are coming from as far afield as America, Canada, Norway, Chile and Japan for the love of this distinctive dog.

The hotel will be a pooch's paradise - with conference rooms converted into grooming parlours and dogs being granted special permission to stay in the rooms with their owners during their stay.

An hotel spokesman said: "We're all looking forward to it. The Airedales will be taking over the whole hotel. It will certainly make a change from our usual two-legged guests!"

Event organiser Michael Sarjeant said it was like "coming home'' for admirers of the breed.

"The fact the show has attracted people from so far away shows how important it is.

"There are pockets all over the world where the Airedale is really popular - such as Sweden, Argentina, Australia and the USA. And the owners always like to come when there's a big international show.

"It has taken us three years to organise it and make sure everyone around the world knows about it. But it has been well worth it."

Events planned for the weekend include a fun day on Saturday when Airedale clubs from around the country will compete against each other in series of canine contests.

The Airedale Terrier Training Club of Rushmore will also give a display of the breed's athletic abilities.

But the serious business begins on Sunday when the hotel hosts the millennium championship show to find the UK's best of breed. There's a record 146 entries.

One lover of Airedales who will be at the event is former breeder Alan Fox, 66, of Wibsey, who has kept Airedales all his life.

Alan, who has a 12-year-old Airedale called Sammy, said: "It's a great idea to come back to the Airedale birthplace for the millennium.

"I'm not surprised they're so popular - they're lovely dogs and great companions."