Jack Russell Story Jack Russell Story
Story Name: Taxi - King of Monhegan Island
From: Patrick Rowling
My Jack Russell Story:
Let me start by stating that I do not own a JRT, but this
story is about the dog that made me want to. I was the
head cook at a resaurant on the island of Monhegan, 12 miles
off the coast of Maine. The island is small, and has no
cars, the only motorized vehicles being 10 pickup trucks and
5 golf carts, none of which travel at more than 15 miles an hour
on the single dirt road that winds from the ferry dock, 2 miles
to the end of the village proper. The rest of the island is covered
with trees, rocky outcroppings, and traversed by single width
foot paths. Truely Jack Russell Terrier heaven! Anyway, my first
week on the island I was sitting on the front porch of the beach
house I lived in that summer, when a very small, but very serious
looking dog came around the corner. He had a rough coat, and great
markings that covered his face and neck but not any where else. He
stopped on the path as he approached, then bolted up the steps toward
me in one leap. I admit I was quite startled by the burst of energy,
but I didn't jump too bad. Before I knew it he was on my lap, nose to nose
with me and sniffing me out. "Who are you? What do you want on MY
island?" he seemed to ask. He decided that I was ok and could stay on his (my)
porch. Moments later he was hiding behind a dory, watching seagulls
land on the beach. Woosh! A white and brown comet streaked from where he was 
hiding
and as the gulls got to 3 or so feet in the air he lept up and caught hold of one and brought
it down, jumped away and cocked his head as it rushed to escape into the air
from this little wingless hawk that had just grounded it. I was blown away
by the sheer athletisism of this guy! Amazing! I learned later that
his name was Taxi, and it didn't take too long before we became good buddies,
especially after I introduced him to the wonders and joys of the Whammo Flying Disc!
He absolutely loved the frizbee! Many afternoons I would walk out of the small kitchen's
back door to find Taxi waiting with the frizbee in his mouth, telling me "Hurry up! We
have to throw and catch this weird bird at least a hundred times before you can even
think about going to your house!"
I definitely will get a JRT someday soon, and when I do I will name it Frizbee. But until then I will always think of Taxi - the king of Monhegan, and how a flying disc saved the seagull population from certain doom one summer!