Judy Taylor
Originally known and popular as the Jack Russell Terrier, the breed was split in the summer of 2001 into two separate breeds that are now no longer allowed to be bred to each other: the long-legged original type now called the Parson Russell Terrier, and the smaller, almost always short-legged type, which now alone bears the official designation Jack Russell Terrier. Breeders not only welcome this division, but it also narrows the breeding base.
#1 The triumph of this breed was always viewed with a crying and a laughing eye by the inveterate lovers.
#2 It was feared that this tough working dog, previously bred purely for performance, would eventually become a pretty but useless show dog.
#3 The dogs of both sizes are still quite inconsistent in type, which certainly has its appeal. But it is precisely his reputation as a nonconformist, daring individualist in a handy and pretty package that has almost made the Jack Russell Terrier a modern status symbol.
