Facts About Jack Russell Terrier Origins
Part
Two
I am here sharing some excerpts from a book that tells
the real facts about Jack Russell Terrier history. The name of the book
is...
The
Complete Jack Russell Terrier
by D. Brian Plummer.
As I said in the previous page, I found this book to be
the most concise book I've ever read on Jack Russells and do recommend
it highly to anyone who is looking for a non-sensationalist view of the
origins, care and facts about Jack Russell Terriers.
I hope the excerpts posted on the previous page as well as those that
follow here will give the reader a flavor of Mr. Plummer's
knowledgeable expertise.
These excerpts are taken from the first chapter that
deals with the facts about Jack Russell Terrier history. But the book
does indeed explore every aspect of this unique breed of dog.
Now for more from this fine book that can tell the story so much better
than me...
"Russell died in 1883, and his kennels were dispersed,
some reputedly passing to Squire Nicholas Snow of Oare.
These became the foundation stock of one Arthur
Heinemann, who is often cited as the last of the breeders of the true
Jack Russell terrier.
If Russell was a bizarre character, Heinemann was even
more of one, and in addition to using his terriers to both fox and
otter (he was Master of Hounds at Cheriton), he used his team to dig
badger.
Heinemann died in 1930, after reputedly squandering a
fortune of 70,000 pounds, and his strain of terrier was dispursed
literally to the winds." (The Complete Jack Russell Terrier -
Facts about Jack Russell Terrier History)
The Facts Behind
the Legend
"Having decided that the present-day white-bodied hunt terrier is not,
or at the most only slightly, connected with the dogs of the Reverend
John Russell, what are the dogs that we today call, for want of a
better term, Jack Russell terriers?"
Well the reader must first dispense with the notion
sadly perpetuated in a great number of books that God created John
Russell and terriers came into being.
A
Memoir of the Rev. John Russell and His
Out-Of-Door Life
For as long as man has been plagued with 'earth-living'
or 'set-living' types of vermin, there have been terriers bred to cope
with them.
We know for certain that, during the sixth century,
terriers were given as a gift by one Germanic king to another, and it
is likely that Britain also had dogs capable of going to ground at
subterranean quarry even before this date."(The Complete Jack
Russell Terrier - Facts about Jack Russell Terrier History)
"Most early prints and illustrations which show terriers - including
those of the earth-stopper depicted in Sparrow's delightful book "The Terrier's Vocation" resembled
mongrels 'twixt Cairn and terrier, undocked and rough and ragged of
coat.
The reader should now immediately dispense with the
notion that these terriers were in any way standardized like the
terriers of today.
Travel was difficult and slow, so each district tended
to breed its own kind of terrier - many of which were the ancestors of
such breeds as the Norwich, the Norfolk, the Cairn, the Bedlington and
so forth." (The Complete Jack Russell Terrier Facts about
Jack Russell Terriers)
The
Terrier's Vocation
"Yet another trend destined to alter the appearance and
structure of the British working terrier was the popularizing of the
sport of competitive rat killing, for the brown rat, which appeared in
our islands in 1720, give or take a few years, had established itself
in such numbers as to become not only a major health hazard, but also
the staple sporting quarry of the working classes.
Henry Mayhew actually describes the sport of competitive
rat slaughter as 'the last remaining poor man's sport'.
For the arena, a pit was made - usually between six and
ten feet square of either netting or boards - and a dozen or so rats
were tipped into the enclosure, where they milled about and pitifully
awaited an ugly death.
They did not have long to wait, for as a bell was
sounded a terrier would be placed in the pit.
The dog who killed the greatest number of rats in the
shortest period was deemed to be the winner." (The Complete
Jack Russell Terrier - Facts about Jack Russell Terrier History)
The author elaborates on how the native British terrier was not bred
for the big league rat killing competitions, where not just dozens, but
hundreds to thousands of rats would be slaughtered.
So the native British bulldog was crossed with the
terrier to produce a more vicious dog for the rat-pit contests.
Listen to how Mr. Plummer describes these bulldogs and
how this is a part of the facts about Jack Russell Terriers...
"Let the reader at once dismiss the notion that these
bulldogs were the same monstrosities that we see today, puffing and
panting after any minor exertion.
The real bulldog, the bulldog of the 1800s, was a devil
incarnate.
He had been bred for baiting bulls, for holding the bull
by the nostrils or face and holding with such tenacity that his grip
became a legend, as did his courage.
He was also fought against other dogs, monkeys and men,
and even once or twice against a lion, and his courage and tenacity did
much to delight the rabble who relished such feasts of gore.
As to his courage, well no one could question it, it was
bottomless.
All he lacked were the nimble qualities, the agility
that a good badger-baiting dog and rat-pit virtuoso required.
Hence a judicious blend of terrier and bulldog, having
the terrier's speed and agility and the incredible guts of the bulldog,
provided the ideal dog.
Let the reader at once dismiss the notion that these
bulldogs were the same monstrosities that we see today, puffing and
panting after any minor exertion.
The real bulldog, the bulldog of the 1800s, was a devil
incarnate.
He had been bred for baiting bulls, for holding the bull
by the nostrils or face and holding with such tenacity that his grip
became a legend, as did his courage.
He was also fought against other dogs, monkeys and men,
and even once or twice against a lion, and his courage and tenacity did
much to delight the rabble who relished such feasts of gore.
As to his courage, well no one could question it, it was
bottomless.
All he lacked were the nimble qualities, the agility
that a good badger-baiting dog and rat-pit virtuoso required.
Hence a judicious blend of terrier and bulldog, having
the terrier's speed and agility and the incredible guts of the bulldog,
provided the ideal dog." (The Complete Jack Russell Terrier -
Facts about Jack Russell Terrier Origins)
Does that
mean my little Jimbo has that vicious bulldog DNA in him?
Oh my.
No...not my sweet Jimbo.
Surely not.
Surely not?
Oh well let's hear more about the facts about Jack
Russell Terrier origins and what the author has to say...
"...another ingredient was sometimes added to the potent mix of bulldog
and terrier: namely, the beagle.
The Earl of March, in his Records of the Old
Charlton Hunt mentions a poem advocating the mating of
beagles with very hard terriers to produce a dog with both nose sense
and voice; and since beagles are predominantly white-bodied, the
white-bodied working terrier was not greatly altered by this cross,
except that the progeny were decidedly more useful as hunt terriers.
It was from this morass or mixture that the modern Jack
Russell arose together with the fox terrier (many of which have hound
markings so similar to those of the beagle that hound ancestry is
obvious).
That was how the mongrelly, so-called Jack Russell
terrier remained until well into the twentieth century, and the first
hunt terrier shows I attended in the 1950s were indeed extraordinary
sights, with the most amazingly variable types of dog being proudly
shown as genuine Jack Russells.
Some of them displayed hints of collie, or, not
infrequently, dachshund, in their lineage.
Many were quite hideous, but handsome is as handsome
does, and some of those monstrosities proved to be incredibly good
workers." (The Complete Jack Russell Terrier - Facts about
Jack Russell Terriers)
Now beagle
blood I can handle.
In any case, let me end these pages about the facts
about Jack Russell Terrier origins by repeating my love for The Complete Jack Russell Terrier
by D. Brian Plummer.
I hope you'll give it a read as well as the other fine books he
refers to within these excerpts.
As I said before, I left the book with a much keener
understanding of what a fascinating and unique history is behind this
truly unorthodox breed of dog, and that the real facts about Jack
Russell Terriers are really more astounding than the fiction that's
been written afore-time.
I now see more clearly what it is that makes up those
wiley little 'tics' that give me pleasure to watch in my little Jack
Russell Jimbo every day that I have known him.
One more excerpt will I share, and it is taken from the
back jacket that will tell you, besides the facts of Jack Russell
Terrier history, the other excellent information that is featured in
this great book...
"A very thorough and enjoyable study,
The Complete Jack
Russell Terrier includes an accurate, factual history of the
breed's beginnings and its subsequent development.
There are chapters on Choosing a Terrie, 'Rearing a
Puppy, and Entering a Puppy to Quarry, Rabbit Hunting, Breeding,
Inbreeding and Outcrossing, Working Terrier Shows, Ailments and
Diseases, and an Appendix which includes a provisional standard.
The writing is always personal, often humorous and
graced with 36 superb illustrations that show exactly what the Jack
Russell is about.
It is a 158-page look at an amazing little dog that
makes friends easily and keeps them for a long time." (The
Complete Jack Russell Terrier Facts about Jack Russell Terriers)
...A long time.
Yes.
Absolutely.
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