Parson Russell Terrier

In 1819, a man by the name of John Russell bought an adorable female Terrier from a passing milkman and named her Trump. Trump was mostly white with patches of darker fur on her head and rump areas and while she closely resembled the Wire-haired Fox Terrier of the time, she was said to have shorter legs and a broader head. John, also known as Jack by some, was so enamored with his new dog that when he returned home from studying in Oxford to be a reverend he used her as a foundation for a new breed of fox hunting dogs, a dog with long enough legs to keep up with the hounds and a more aggressive nature, yet small enough to flush a fox from their bolt holes. These dogs were known as Jack Russell Terriers. After the death of Reverend John “Jack” Russell, breeders of these dogs differed on their priorities and preferences and two distinct varieties became available: one bred to specific physical standards and the other bred for temperament and ability. The group that preferred governance by physical standards became the Parson “Jack” Russell Terrier, later shortened to just the Parson Russell or Parson Terrier. The result is that the Parson Russell Terrier is a square dog that is longer-legged than the Jack Russell Terrier. Neither the Parson Russell Terrier nor the Jack Russell Terrier should be confused with the Russell Terrier, a third variation with even shorter legs that was developed mainly in Australia. While the Parson Russell Terrier and the Russell Terrier breeds are both recognized by the American Kennel Club, the Jack Russell Terrier, the most commonly known of the three, is not. The Jack Russell Terrier Club of America has resisted having the breed recognized by the American Kennel Club in favor of retaining its working dog status.