# Tell me about the Jack Russell terrier
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 12, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471 "2009-02-12T02:08:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/21 "2010-04-28T22:59:22Z")
My next door neighbor has one. Besides being one of the most irritating dogs in existence, they live forever. The neighbor’s is 17 years old. It’s deaf and blind, but that doesn’t stop it from barking. I friggin’ hate that dog.
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### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/22 "2010-04-28T23:10:01Z")
Is it a Jack Russell or a Parsons Russell?
They are dogs who need physical and mental stimulation to keep from driving everyone around them nuts. Also, they all tend to act like they have ingested far too much caffeine.
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### Author:  [@NBYodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NBYodo)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2010, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/23 "2010-04-29T09:24:09Z")
Uh, hello, McFly?? Where are photos to support all these alleged Jack Russell claims??
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### Author:  [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/24 "2010-04-29T14:32:33Z")
A zombie thread! 🙂
We ended up adopting [Sadie](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/AuntiePam/Quilts/Sadieat3months.jpg) last July. She’s a retriever-poodle-lab(?) mix. She’s a big bundle of energy interspersed with hours of lap-napping, and she gets along great with the cats.
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### Author:  [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/25 "2010-04-29T14:58:19Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#):
>
> Is it a Jack Russell or a Parsons Russell?
>
> They are dogs who need physical and mental stimulation to keep from driving everyone around them nuts. Also, they all tend to act like they have ingested far too much caffeine.
I thought the two were the same and that the Parsons Russell is just the new name they’re using?
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### Author:  [@Shark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/26 "2010-04-29T15:08:32Z")
Usually, the Parsons Russell is referring to the short legged variety.
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### Author:  [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/27 "2010-04-29T15:54:49Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#):
>
> Is it a Jack Russell or a Parsons Russell?
>
> They are dogs who need physical and mental stimulation to keep from driving everyone around them nuts. Also, they all tend to act like they have ingested far too much caffeine.
Are you asking me? If so, it’s a Jack Russell.
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### Author:  [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/28 "2010-04-29T16:07:57Z")
A little known fact about Jack Russells – they can apparently [contract STDs from humans](http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/529344.html?nav=742).
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### Author:  [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/29 "2010-04-30T04:40:19Z")
Yippee small dog. Cute but a lot of work.
I wouldn’t get one but then I love Bostons. Quiet, silly, little, alien faced mutts. I’m older and can’t take on a high energy dog, especially a barker.
[http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/jackrussells.html](http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/jackrussells.html)
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### Author:  [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/30 "2010-04-30T15:58:38Z")
A visitor to work the other week brought a- I kid you not- Jack Russell/Australian shep cross with her. The first thing I said was ‘You’re pretty much screwed as far as sleeping, aren’t you?’ Her responding laugh had a little too much of a manic edge to it. 😃 Cute as hell dog- a little longer-legged than a traditional Jack, with the weird bat-like ears of the AS- and very friendly, but I was exhausted after 10 minutes with him.
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/31 "2010-04-30T19:03:01Z")
> [@Shark](#):
>
> Usually, the Parsons Russell is referring to the short legged variety.
Parson Russell Terrier is the AKC and UK Kennel Club name. It has to do with fights between the AKC and UK Kennel Club on the one hand and breed clubs on the other.
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### Author:  [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/32 "2010-04-30T20:28:43Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#):
>
> A zombie thread! 🙂
>
> We ended up adopting [Sadie](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/AuntiePam/Quilts/Sadieat3months.jpg) last July. She’s a retriever-poodle-lab(?) mix. She’s a big bundle of energy interspersed with hours of lap-napping, and she gets along great with the cats.
I do believe that’s one of the cutest dogs I’ve ever seen!
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### Author:  [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/33 "2010-04-30T22:11:28Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#):
>
> I do believe that’s one of the cutest dogs I’ve ever seen!
Thank you! She’s a lot bigger now, but she’s still cute, and she has a wonderful disposition. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Mrs\_Johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Johnson)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/34 "2010-05-03T16:53:25Z")
Glad to see that the OP made a good decision. I’ll add my story just because I’m bored at work.
I had a JRT, Princess, for 13 years. She was a firey ball of energy for the first 8-9 years, then finally calmed down into a sweet, gentle, respectable dog for the last few years of her life. I miss her but I would not get another JRT. I was 10 years old when we got her so I had plenty of time and energy during her hyper years. Nowadays I wouldn’t have the time or patience.
She had a very high prey drive - caught squirrels, birds, moles, opossums and almost had the neighbor’s cat a few times. Her favorite play-mate was the old Kirby vacuum. She’d bark and pounce at it - so cute! She was brave to the point of stupidity. She also tried to pick a fight with my ex-boyfriend’s German Shepherd.
On the fighting note, we also had a male JRT for about 3 years before we decided we had to give him away. We trained him from the time he was a pup but he turned out to be very aggressive - a bully. The final straw was a bad fight that left the female bleeding badly from right above her eye. We gave him to a family with acres of land, a few kids and 2 dobermans that showed him who was boss. He lived a long happy life there.
Princess lived to be 13 years old. The last few years were by far the best.
Anyway, that’s my JRT story. 😉
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### Author:  [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/35 "2010-05-03T19:25:36Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#):
>
> They can be funny and delightful, but like every hunting dog breed, they need outside time to run off their steam. If you were inclined to take intensive training courses, make him a working dog by doing indoor things like agility classes and contests
Yes, you see JRTs in agility and other dog sports. [Flyball](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyball) teams in particular are often anchored by a JRT, valued for their zip, focus, and, strangely enough, short legs (a flyball team has to cross hurdles based on the length of leg of the shortest participating dogs, and having a short fast dog who can still leap the hurdles is a big help to the other dogs).
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### Author:  [@Ozzzy3z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ozzzy3z)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/36 "2013-09-01T13:43:51Z")
Don’t judge a breed by description alone. I adopted a 6 year old Jack. He is sweet, calm, never barks, and loves dogs & cats. He walks great on a leash and his favorite activity is snuggling.
Why did we adopt a Jack? A friend of ours has one and she is an equally amazing dog. I won’t speak to all Jacks because I am sure the breed description fits most, but my Jack and my friend’s Jack are very respectful of their home and can be trusted alone for extended periods of time.
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### Author:  [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/37 "2013-09-01T13:50:36Z")
I’ve never owned a dog, but a neighbour has a pair of Jack Russels. They’re nasty little creeatures who bark at all strangers when out for a walk. I imagine not all are like that though - I’ve heard they can be quite friendly.
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### Author:  [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/38 "2013-09-01T13:50:56Z")
I’m guessing that since this was started in 2009 the OP has made a decision about a dog already.
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### Author:  [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/39 "2013-09-01T14:02:23Z")
> [@saje](#):
>
> I’m guessing that since this was started in 2009 the OP has made a decision about a dog already.
:smack::smack::smack:
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### Author:  [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-the-jack-russell-terrier/485471/40 "2013-09-01T16:12:06Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#):
>
> It’s only been about two months since we lost Boomer, and we weren’t thinking about adopting another dog until summer. But friends of my daughter have rescued a Jack Russell terrier from an elderly couple who can’t keep her, and the friends can’t keep her either – they have three large dogs and they’re not accepting the newbie.
>
> All I’ve been told is that the dog is female, six months old, and she’s crate-trained and housebroken. I haven’t met her yet.
>
> So I’m looking for advice and your experience with this kind of dog, especially how they are with cats. We have two older cats. They got along fine with Boomer (he came later) after a few days of hissing and one scratch on the nose from our cranky cat (who incidentally has mellowed considerably).
>
> We’re both in our 60’s and (especially in the winter), a dog wouldn’t get a lot of outdoor exercise. Our yard isn’t fenced but it’s big and right next to farmland (acres of alfalfa). The dog would be on a leash when he’s outside, but we’d never tie a dog up and leave him alone outside. (I never understood people who do that.)
>
> So basically, a dog living with us would get lots of petting and cuddling, rides in the car, and a bit of outdoor exercise (walking), but would be indoors 90% of the time. (But not alone – one of is home almost all the time.)
>
> Does this sound like a good match to you? I don’t want to adopt a dog who’s not going to be happy here.
Nope.
Do not get a Jack Russell Terrier, it will not be happy. They are high energy dogs that require owners that can match it’s energy and are really active, outdoors a lot.
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