Saying No to a Jack Russell Terrier

Lucille Scurti, NJ - Winter 2011 True Grit

The question is, "How does one say NO to a Jack Russell Terrier?" The answer: you don't! You just go along for the ride and see what develops. They always seem to have a viable and creative alternative to the problem at hand. One may ask, how do I know that?

Georgia is my JRT character beyond explanation, not unusual for any of you reading this article. She came into our lives on January 18th, 2008 and into our hearts forever. She gets invited to all family functions and parties because she is miss personality and entertains all of the kids and the adults. She is loving and sweet, smart and sensitive and is a very good guest.

When not playing in the yard with her 60 toys or chasing rodents through the fences, down into holes and up into the trees, Georgia likes to spend her time playing fetch. She will graciously plop a toy into your lap or directly into your hand when she is interested in starting the game. She has greeted company, "potential playmates," with a toy in her mouth and her tail wagging. The game begins immediately and when Georgia says so. All participants must comply with her choice of a toy for that moment in time; sometimes it's an old tennis ball, sometimes a squeaky toy (that has had the squeak previously removed), sometimes an old chew bone and occasionally my son's chewed up old football. Georgia's rules are simple: my choice of person, my choice of toy, no changes and I also pick the duration.

Gentlemen start your engines because you are going on a JRT fetch ride. One must understand that there are really two games here. The fetch and the fight. Georgia will retrieve any toy any distance that it is thrown and bring it back immediately and lay it at your fee. BUT once you bend down to pick it up game #2 begins. She dares you to get to it before she does. As soon as you make a move towards the toy, she too counters the move - you move left, she goes right; you inch your way slowly, she crawls toward it; you move quickly and she pounces, all to the delight of everyone there. She actually looks up and into the faces of the people who are there fully aware of the fact that she is not only providing you with a job but entertainment for all. She loves to interact with people. This will go on until the person is exhausted or bored with throwing and then Georgia pleads, just one more time, with that gorgeous Jack Russell face tilted to one side with her smiling eyes asking for one more throw. No one can resist so she gets a few more throws out of it. She has been known to coax old people to get down on all fours just to play with her!

This past winter has been extremely challenging for her since throwing her toys in the yard means that they sometimes get lost in the snow. She enjoys the challenge of "hunting" for them but starts shivering along with her person playmate and so game ends and we come inside. She's very good at understanding which toys are allowed in the house although she does try to sneak in that old wet drippy football but once I remind her, she turns around and brings it back out. Her favorite house toy is a tennis ball. One night, after throwing it about 20 times, I finally told her that I wasn't playing anymore and that it was time for bed. No problem, she picked up the ball and headed upstairs.

Article from Winter 2011 True Grit

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