by Stella Coles

Created on: November 18, 2009   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

The Jack Russell Terrier was developed by a parson named Jack Russell who lived in Devonshire, England in the nineteenth century. He was an avid sportsman who developed terriers that were the forerunners of the wire-haired Fox Terrier as well as the Jack Russell. He bought a white terrier who had a patch of tan over each eye and a dot on her tail, whose name was Trump.

It is thought that it is Trump who started off the line of the parson's working terriers. Trump was paired with the dog of Parson Russell's father, which was a black and tan Devonshire Terrier. The parson wanted to breed terriers that would be able to chase foxes out of their hiding places. The height of the dogs was around fourteen inches and their weight was around fourteen lbs.

Although there is no evidence of any direct genetic link between today's Jack Russells and the original stock owned by the parson, his influence is undeniable. While today's Jack Russells are at best, a relation to them, the dogs do resemble the appearance of Russell's dogs. The majority of Jack Russells who were brought into America were of the shorter - legged variety who were associated with ratting or badger - baiting. People fell in love with their adorable appearance.

Arthur Heineman was a breeder who died in 1933, and any dog claiming to be descended from the original Jack Russell stock can generally trace its ancestry back to his line. These Jack Russells had the longer legs and stood around twelve to fourteen inches in height. The shorter - legged variety standing between nine and twelve inches in height are very popular in the US.

Jack Russells are white and can have tan or black markings in places over their heads and bodies. They are very strong and tough with almond - shaped eyes. Their tails are around four inches in length when docked. However, UK legislation was passed in April 2007 which banned the docking of tails unless for medical reasons and for certain working dogs. According to the RSPCA, the Jack Russell is classed as being exempt.

Jack Russells love to have space to run around , but it is a good thing to remember that first and foremost, they are hunting dogs, and lots of exercise will do them good. They do make good pets and are very trainable, but do bear in mind that if they see a rabbit or another dog they can just speed away from you before you know it. For this reason, don't have your dog running lose while you're out in public places as they could either get run over or perhaps they

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