Briaridge Jack Russell Terriers

Parson John Russell; born in South Devon, England on December 12^th 1795, a member of a fox hunting family and it was inevitable that he should develop a passion for hunting himself, being a man of his class and time. His family had lived in Devon since 1549 when Lord John Russell was sent to Devon to suppress the Prayer Books riots. Jack’s father was also a Clergyman and he was a noted sportsman who took tremendous interest in Hounds, Terriers and the working and hunting of both. Already when he left for Tiverton for studies his interest in hunting had began.
It was at the end of his time in Oxford that John bought his first terrier. During a walk on a lovely morning in May he met the milkman and he had a terrier walking a long with him. In John’s eyes this was the perfect working terrier! She had all that he could ever wish for and he bought her right on the spot. Later he made attempts to find her pedigree. Jack was successful in finding the name of the milkman, who was well known for breeding excellent terriers, but the lines that she was bred from were never found. The immortal Trump is said to be the foundation of John Russell’s strain of working terriers.

“In the first place the color is white with just a patch of dark tan over each eye and ear, while a similar dot, not larger than a penny piece, marks the root of the tail. The coat, which is thick, close and a trifle wiry, is well calculated to protect the body from wet and cold, but has no affinity with the long, rough jacket of a Scotch terrier. The legs are straight as arrows, the feet perfect; the loins and conformation of the whole frame indicative of hardihood and endurance; while the size and height of the animal may be compared to that of a full-grown vixen fox.

Trump

Parson John Russell was a founding member of England’s Kennel Club in 1873, and in 1874 he judged fox terriers for the KC. In his day John Russell was called ‘The Father of the Wire Haired Fox Terrier’, at a time when it was thought that wire coats were a passing fad. John Russell’s bloodlines are found in the pedigrees of early Smooth Fox Terriers, for as a breeder of broken coats he often bred to smooth-coated fox terriers to improve coat quality. His bloodlines are also found on both sides of the wire-coated bitch, L’il Foiler, dam of the well-known wire champion, Carlisle Tack. Many Jack Russell Terrier breeders today regard Carlisle Tack as the ideal Russell type. The Jack Russell is the original white fox terrier and is the foundation stock from which today’s modern Fox Terrier was developed.
Fox hunting in the southern parts of Great Britain was and is today comprised primarily of mounted hunts riding over the fields of the countryside. Terriers working these hunts were required to be baying dogs. Parson Russell demanded that his terriers be “steady from riot”, for the hunt ended if the fox was attacked underground. If the fox did not bolt, the terrier man, listening to his Russell bay down in the tunnel, dug to the spot and released the fox. In the south, hard Russells who tried to kill the fox underground were suspected of carrying undesirable bull terrier blood (hence the brindle disqualification in the standard). In the northwest of England, near the Scottish border, foxhunts are not mounted, and man and dog follow the fox on foot over rocky terrain. Northern terriers are often expected to be hard dogs who can latch onto their quarry and drag it from the earth, as the rocks and hills make it difficult to dig. In the north, hard Russells were suspected of carrying Lakeland or Fell terrier blood (hence the faulting in the standard of a curly or wavy coat that does not lie flat). The Jack Russell was, and should remain, a baying terrier whose job was to bolt, not kill, his quarry.

The Jack Russell's Personality

The Jack Russell is a happy, bold, energetic dog; they are extremely loyal, intelligent and assertive. Their greatest attribute is their working ability, closely followed by their excellent qualities as a companion. A Jack Russell can be equally contented bolting a fox or chasing a toy in your living room, or equally adept at killing a sock in the living room or a rat in your barn. Their funny antics will continually amuse you, their intelligence seems to know no bounds and their assertive nature and boundless energy can at times be overwhelming.
The fun loving personality of this feisty little terrier is capturing the hearts of many, but they are not a dog for everyone.. While adaptable to a variety of environments, they are first and foremost bred to be hunting dogs. City or apartment living, or a confined or sedate lifestyle, do not meet the needs of a Jack Russell. These little dogs require what may seem to be an extraordinary amount of human attention, outdoor activity, exercise, discipline and an understanding and acceptance of their hunting nature. They have been known to train their owners more often than not.
Jack Russells can be very aggressive with other dogs, it is imperative that prospective Jack Russell owners understand this part of the terrier's nature. Their natural hunting instinct may also bring out aggression towards other small animals such as cats, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc. although many can learn to get along with other pets with encouragement and training. It is said that the courage of the Jack Russell is never in doubt; surely a true statement, as they have often been known to take on an adversary twice (or more) their size. They require firm, consistent, responsible handing; they are very intelligent, determined and bold (sometimes to the point of abandon, which could be fatal).
While outdoor activity and exercise is essential, caution should be used when letting a Jack Russell go free to roam unattended, even in the most remote country setting. The Jack Russell is, above all, a hunting dog- and some will go to ground at every given opportunity, to any quarry-they are afraid of nothing. Many a Jack Russell has been known to stay in an active earth for days, even weeks, without food or water because of the strong instinct bred into them to stay with their quarry. It can be very frightening experience to lose your terrier and an impossible situation to the untrained owner inexperienced in earthwork; the results could be tragic.

The Jack Russell can make a terrific family pet, and gets along well with well behaved children. One of the Jack Russell's most surprising qualities is a kind and gentle nature. He is usually friendly with small children, provided the child understands how to properly handle the terrier. Having the natural assertive terrier characteristics, however, the Jack Russell will not put up with even unintended abusive nature from a child. This should be carefully considered, particularly with children under the age of six.
The Jack Russell has been a popular breed in England for many years, and is now attracting a variety of followers with varied interests in other countries around the world. The Jack Russell is a very special breed; it has been kept sound, functional, intelligent and relatively unchanged because of responsible people who have cared about its heritage.