David, Helen and Lulu gave me the scoop on life with a loveable Airedale as the first volunteers for our new category “Four Paws and Me”.

When and where did you first meet Gerry?
David: We met Gerry at a breeder’s in Mandurah, (south of Perth) when he was just eight weeks old. Actually, the breeders made sure that we also meet Gerry’s dad and uncle to see if we’d make “good parents”.
Helen: Yep! We had to stand out the front while the breeders brought each pup out to us one by one and watch how we interacted with them.

How did you decide that Gerry was “the one”?
David: We wanted a boy and there were just two to pick from out of the litter. Both of them were playing with this ball and after a while Gerry lost interest and went back to lie in his bed. He came across as being this independent little puppy.
Helen: This is going to sound cheesy but we both looked at each other and knew straight away that he was the one!

Why did you decide that it was time to have a pup in your life and why an Airedale?
David: Helen wanted one! (Laughs) She and I have always been dog lovers.
Helen: We’d gotten engaged and I’d lived down the road from an Airedale Terrier called Moo. I knew then and there I wanted a dog just like her. She looked just like a big, cuddly teddy bear.

How would you describe Jerry’s personality?
Helen: The longer his coat gets, the goofier he gets!
David: He gets like Hairy McClary! It’s true! After he’s come back from grooming he thinks he’s a bit “top of the town”, you know like he’s wearing a tuxedo.
Helen: Yeah, he kind of thinks he’s a bit of a slick operator and sticks his chest out.

What do you most love about him?
Helen: He’s big and cuddly!!
David: I really love his big, long groans.

What’s Gerry’s favourite activity?
Helen: We like to go for a big walk as a whole family at least every weekend.
David: We might go down to the creek or walk over to the gardens behind the bowling club.

What’s his favourite food?
Helen: He loves pumpkin skin…
David: Broccoli stalks! He loves broccoli stalks.
Helen: And capsicum. He’ll get into a mandarin and will leave just the skin.
David: And watermelon, he eats a lot of fruit and veges.
Helen: We could never have a compost! He eats all the stuff that would normally go in there. You know, the ends of carrots that you chop off, all sorts of stuff.
David: He also likes “4 Legs”. We give him half a packet (about 400g) every morning and night. He wolfs it down.

What’s the most difficult time you’ve had to go through with them?
David: For the first six months, he gave Helen a really a hard time, a much harder time than me. He was always nipping at her ankles.
Helen: David was obviously bigger and had a much deeper voice than me. It was like he was testing where his place was in the pack.
David: We needed to put in a lot time with training and discipline. He had “Time Out” training in the laundry and we also gave him a lot of Treat Training.
Helen: We used this great book that helped us out at the time called “The Dog Man” by Martin McKenna. He is the Irish guy that grew up with a pack of stray dogs and it showed us how best to communicate with him.
David: Jerry’s also got very sensitive skin which gets irritated. In his first years with us he itched so hard he tore big holes out of his jowl. When his skin gets itchy we treat him with Lucas’s paw paw cream and also Vet’s All Natural Dermal Ointment which works very well.

From your own experience, what advice would you give to anyone with a pet like yours?
David: Ideally it’d be great to have a bigger house and bigger yard, but if you don’t, then it’s good to be close to parklands and give them lots of company. It’s also important to be ultra diligent with their training early on. We put in a big effort prior to Lulu coming along didn’t we?
Helen: Yes we did, and Gerry is great with her. Lulu’s also really aware of what she can and can’t do with him.
David: Airedales are very territorial which means that Jerry is a superb guard dog. When we first met the breeders they told us that whatever an Airedale sees within coo-ee of their front porch they claim as their territory.
Helen: It also means however, that you need a house with strong perimeter fencing.

Is there anything special that you do with Gerry to add value to his life?
David: Helen gives Gerry chiropractic adjustments when he needs it. She’s actually given all kinds of animal’s chiropractic adjustments. She even looked after a kangaroo for quite a while.
Helen: In Perth I looked after a little fella who kept on hopping around in circles. His tail was out of alignment and once I started working on he began hopping in a straight line.
David: I also give Gerry a bit of Reiki when he gets over excited. All I do is sit him up in front of me, hold my hand on his chest and gently rub it for a while. Then he starts blinking which is a sign of relaxation and then he heaves some big sighs. It seems to work really well.

A bit about Airedale Terriers
Having been bred to hunt and retrieve over land and water, the Airedale is highly versatile and has been used as a ratter, herder, police dog, guide dog, messenger and First World War sentry. Airedale lovers call them “The King of Terriers” and they seem to know it. They walk with a swagger and exude a regal air.

Airedales are also noted for their courage, swashbuckling attitude and infinite patience, particularly with children.

With their own family, the Airedale is renowned for his deep-seated loyalty, engaging personality and sweetness of disposition. Just don’t keep one in a home with another canine of the same sex – Airedale’s prefer to be king of their own hill and the competitiveness between two dogs or two bitches will drive you crazy.

Airedale love exercise, require combing on a regular basis, and will need their coat professionally trimmed every four to five months.

About David Cronin, Helen Alevaki and Lulu Cronin

Helen Alevaki has been practicing chiropractics in Melbourne for over 15 years. She specialises in family care, pediatrics and pregnancy.

David Cronin is a Melbourne based Life coach and psychotherapist. He specialises in wellness care and is a trainer in stress management and best balanced decision making.

At 19 months, Lulu is enjoying peeling bananas, reading and giving big cuddles!

Helen and David have been together for just over eight years.