Jack Russell Terrier

We inherited Jack about 10 years ago he was kept in a shed because the owner’s daughter preferred his brothers to him! Paul my boyfriend swapped him for some tarmac (the owner was a farmer and its quite common for them to need tarmac). Paul took him home and he lived with him and his mum for a few years until we got our own house and he’s been with us ever since.

About the Jack Russell breed
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The founder of the breed was Parson John (Jack) Russell. Who bred these great dogs in the nineteenth century. This terrier is supposed to have originally been crossed with a Devon hunt terrier. The breed varies in size and coat texture, I know some really skinny dogs but our Jack is a hefty 11kg! The recommended weight is between 5-8kg (oops!) Jack is a smooth coat but some terriers have a rough coat. The breed was originally bred to work as they have an excellent sense of smell, this is very true of our Jack, as he can smell strawberry milkshake a mile off! The breed are normally lively, active and alert, but if you could see Jack now you would think I’m lying! As a rule a Jack Russell will measure between 10”-15” at the withers. Jack Russell’s are generally not fussy eaters and should live to the age of about 9-15 years. The cost of a Jack Russell puppy would be between 300-500, but i'm sure its not the same everywhere and this is just a guideline price, i'm sure you can get them cheaper than this. They can be stubborn yet faithful. They are normally white in colour with tan, lemon or black markings. The Jack Russell Terrier is a generally a healthy dog however there main health problem can be ther eyes so check the breeders stock before buying. The terriers bitch average puppy litter would be between 4-8 puppies (awwwww!) There is also a jack Russell club you can join their website is www.jackrussellgb.co.uk.

About Jack
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Jack (imaginative I know!) is a wonderful dog, he is very faithful and he’s mummy’s little boy. People are so scared of him when they come to the door as he has got a scary bark and Jack Russell are notorious for biting and being nasty. I have to explain to people that he wouldn’t hurt a fly unless provoked and he has only ever gone for two people that was me and my dad and both times it was our own fault as we backed him into a corner and his defense mechanisms kicked in. Jack thinks he’s rock hard around other dogs and will have a go at anything in fact the bigger the better! This is mainly because he hasn’t been bought up around other dogs and does cause us some hassles, as we have to leave him at home if we want to visit people with other dogs. Jack is 12 years old now or 84 in doggy years and touch wood he’s in perfect condition. He had a slight accident a few years back when he escaped and we are not sure if he got kicked or hit by a car but he broke his leg and it was heart breaking at the time. Unfortunately we never really had the opportunity to train him from a puppy and for that reason he doesn’t know how to play, I’ve bought numerous toys for him to try and unless there is food involved he is not interested.

Jack is very easy to look after he is overweight but always has been so I feed him a pedigree pouch in the evening (he went off chappie) and he has a few biscuits in the morning. I occasionally give him a denta stick to help look after his teeth as he is getting old now and I can’t clean them. His favorite food is pedigree and chocolate and his favorite drinks are tea and milkshakes! But we limit them too not very often!

I walk jack every day unless it is raining as he hates getting his feet wet he’s gay I’m sure! He doesn’t need a lot of walking however he loves a good run especially if he can smell rabbits!

I bath jack about twice a year and blow-dry him afterwards, I brush him every other day cause he malts something chronic. I brush him first then hoover him off, he loves it!

Jack has been castrated unfortunately, as I would have loved him to be a daddy he has the cutest features and his pups would have been gorgeous.

Jacks main downsides are that he chews everything in sight, before leaving the house I have to remove all objects out of sight especially food and pens. Again I think this is down to him not being house trained.

He gets regular check ups to the vets and has just had his booster. I have him insured now and use sainsburys which are one of the few that will insure a dog after the age of eight but its necessary in my book and costs 14.99 a month but a vet bill can be very expensive so to me its worth it.

I love jack like he his a child and often spoil him rotten but would not be without him!

Please remember a dog is for life you have to be prepared to look after them like they are one of the family. Make sure they always have fresh water available and are fed a healthy diet. They need exercise and love. If you can’t be responsible don’t have one!

Thanks for reading and jack says hi!