History of the Parson Himself

John Russell was born in Dartmouth; South Devon on December 12, 1795 of a fox hunting family and it was inevitable that he should develop a passion for fox hunting. While at boarding school and at the tender age of sixteen, he kept a pack of foxhounds in secret with the help of another pupil and the village Smith. He hunted the pack to the delight of the local farmers but not his Headmaster. When the truth became known, John Russell was lucky to escape with a thrashing while his friend was expelled.

At Oxford, John Russell found the center of a great hunting world and seized all the opportunities his finances would allow. It was while at Oxford that he acquired his first terrier, called Trump, who was one that Russell had only seen in his dreams. After gaining his Bachelor's and Master's degrees Russell became a deacon and was subsequently ordained in 1820. Returning to Devon as a curate, his yearly stipend of £60 did not prevent him from keeping his own pack of hounds. Even his marriage in 1826 was no hindrance to hunting, for his bride, Penelope Bury, was as keen a hunter as himself.

Shortly after his marriage, the Reverend took up the curacy of his father's parish where he remained until 1832 when he moved to Swymbridge. He died at Black Torrington, on April 28, 1883. Thus it was that the country best known and hunted by the Parson was that of the wooded slopes, green fields, rock outcrops and moorlands of Devon. The terriers he bred, mostly white, long in the leg, rangy and racy, with the stamina to run with hounds best suited his needs as a fox hunter and the country he hunted.

History of the Parson's Terriers

Having acquired his ideal terrier in Trump, Reverend John Russell continued to breed fox hunting terriers, with a clear purpose, until they acquired the distinctive characteristics which enabled them to be referred to, in his time, as Parson Jack Russell’s - all sound working terriers. These terriers were essentially practical in their function. The white color distinguished them in the field. Their conformation and height gave them flexibility and their harsh double coats withstood exposure to wind and weather. The Parson condemned "riotous behavior" in his terriers and expected them to bolt the fox from its earth or hold him at bay rather than to kill. Thus the Parson Russell Terrier is descended from the fox hunting terriers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It is almost impossible to find documented pedigrees before 1860, but we do know, from his biographer E.W.L. Davies, that John Russell acquired Trump, his ideal terrier, in the spring of 1819.

While the modern Fox Terrier was emerging, the old foxing terrier remained and it is from these foxing terriers that the descendents of the Parson Russell Terriers of today may be traced. By the time of the Parson's death in 1883, three recognizable types of white working fox terriers were in evidence. Firstly, the Fox Terrier as an elegant smooth-coated animal with a long fine muzzle. Secondly, the Wire Fox Terrier in the form of a more robust wirehaired dog, which became very popular in North America. Thirdly, the Reverend’s own Parson Russell Terriers, which we are promoting. There was also an abundance of crossbred hunt terriers, indiscriminate in size, referred to as “Jacks”. These ubiquitous animals were not the same terriers bred by the Parson for the story behind them is quite different.

John Russell had a kennel man, Will Rawle, and a relative of his, Annie Harris, also bred and sold terriers. She found that if these were sold as "Jack Russells" they went more easily but what she actually sold was the crossbred working terrier without necessarily the length of leg of the Parson Russell Terrier. At the turn of the century, Arthur Heineman, who was the secretary of the English Parson Russell Terrier Club of the time, had terriers going back to the Parson's original breeding. He also had a great passion for badger digging and for this, the terriers he used did not need the length of leg. He even introduced Bull Terrier blood to produce a ‘harder’ terrier more able to confront the badger. In spite of this, the Parson Russell Terrier has thrived in specific areas and is very much valued by those people who appreciate the practical and purposeful qualities of the dogs which have been recognized and bred true to type and true to standards laid down by the Parson John Russell himself.

History of Canadian Terriers

For years and years, there have been small white terriers in Canada often referred to as Jack Russell Terriers. Most are out-crossed dogs that bear little resemblance to what Rev. John Russell had in mind. Even the Jack Russell Terrier Club of Canada (est. 1989) calls them a ‘type’ of terrier rather than a pure breed. This club has also been very much opposed to having the Canadian Kennel Club recognize Jack Russell Terriers as any kind of pure breed.

The Jack Russell Terrier was, for a short while, on the CKC List of Breeds to be recognized but was removed from that list in September 2002. The only real Kennel Club in the world that does recognize the short-legged type of Jack Russell Terrier is in Australia and these are most often referred to as Australian Jack Russell Terriers. Australia also recognizes the longer legged Parson Russell Terrier just like everyone else does. In 1990, the Kennel Club (England) fully recognized the Parson Russell Terrier as a pure breed. Nine years later, the American Kennel Club also recognized this breed but made a big mistake and called it a Jack Russell Terrier. All other countries call it the Parson Russell Terrier so the AKC has now corrected that little error and has renamed them Parson Russell Terriers.

As of March 2003, the Canadian Kennel Club has now added the Parson Russell Terrier to their List of Pure Breeds to be Recognized. Our Club, the Association of Parson Russell Terriers is a National Breed Club promoting the full Canadian recognition of this fine dog. The CKC is now the last Kennel Club in the world to recognize Parson Russell Terriers so most of our breeders have to register their pure bred dogs with the American Kennel Club. Meanwhile, Canadians can show their Parson Russell Terriers in AKC events, Miscellaneous CKC Classes and at Rare Breed Shows.

All our Breeders abide by a Breeder’s Code of Ethics.