Well Jack Russells were originally bred to hunt rabbits and rodents but how do they stack up against the domesticated cat?
Exactly what kind of pests are you dealing with? Cats are certainly capable of bagging rabbits, squirrels, big rats, etc. but in my experience the average housecat is much better at bringing down birds and mice.
My girlfriend and I met a fellow the other day who was walking a small, black fluffy dog - I can’t remember the name of the breed but they were bred as rodent killers, he says it goes absolutely nuts around rabbits, squirrels and rats.
I’ll hazard a guess and say it was a schipperke who were used to hunt rodents on ships.
Cats for City pests, dogs for Country. Simple.
Cats are much better (or just more interested?) when it comes to pests like spiders, crickets, and moths in the house. Our dogs ignore them, but the cats hunt 'em and eat 'em.
Mice and voles would probably be a draw. The cats have an easier time reaching into tight spaces and snagging their prey with those sharp little claws, but the larger/stronger jaws on the dog make for a one-snap kill on open ground.
As for the bigger rodents, our malamute/timber wolf cross was a master at digging out gophers and moles. He could dig incredibly fast and bag critters the cats didn’t stand a chance of catching.
The advantage definitely goes to the cats when it comes to getting rid of pigeons.
The dogs have the advantage in getting rid of pesky door-to-door salespeople.
I’ve always had terriers, and the one time we had a mouse problem when we tore up a guest bathroom floor one summer, we didn’t have a mouse problem for long. I’m sure he was at least as good as a cat; probably better, becuase the corpses he left us were whole. Does anybody really want half a mouse?
If the pest is door-to-door salespersons, I recommend German Shepherds over cats. Also effective on those trying to convert you.
Bingo, that’s the one.
Another related story, a friend of a friend had their snake get loose and crawl through a hole into the walls of their house. It didn’t come back out for a few months. It came out quite well fed and they didn’t have mice in the walls again.
Wait, you mean cats aren’t pests?