We hear fashion bible Vogue is saying the fashion pack has declared the Jack Russell terrier as its breed of choice for this season. Quite rightly our friends at the Times say this is bad news for us as we are not really bred for the catwalk. We could not agree more.

We have to hand it to author Jane Shilling who threatens to make a citizen’s arrest if she sees a Jack Russell looking miserable in a handbag this season. As far as we are concerned there is no if about it.

If this isn’t bad enough we are apparently the successor to those itzy-bitzy dogs like shih-tzus, chihuahuas and pugs ‘on whom the fashionista’s fancy previously fell’. This had us reeling and we just had to chip in with our say on this matter.

We are real dogs. Never forget that our purpose in life is to do a real job. We have a life.

And don’t even think about carrying us around in a handbag. If your owner ever has the audacity to do so we suggest you use your highly developed ripping and tearing skills and trash it. Of course, you could always call Jane and ask her to make a citizen’s arrest.

Pirates has just been rescued from a shelter in Quebec and her new owner has welcomed her with a fabulous new winter coat. Our editor just knew we would love it..definitely the JRT must have item for the winter, we think.
Preparing for the shoot

Striking a pose …or two

and how long before there’s a waiting list we wonder….

Our editor was sitting back enjoying the lure coarsing at Albion Hills when a gathering around a certain JRT got her attention. After making his catch Feisty Forest showed her the book on JRT determination.

NoNo

and No

He did finally let go and our editor was curious to find out more. We hear he has needed every ounce of his feisty character for almost all his life. His current owners very much appreciate his fine character and say he has highly developed hunting instincts. They rescued him from the abuse that he only knew for the first five years of his life. Now we are sad to hear he has to fight another battle - having found wonderful caring owners he was diagnosed with Lymphoma just last week. But will this slow him down ? A resounding

NO

from his owner and our editor saw it with her own eyes.

Our HUGE JRT hugs go out to this amazing guy!

The Frosty Funday kept our editor busy last Saturday. Frosty it was and but that did not cool our editor’s enthusiasm. There’s lots of pictures to show with the usual cast of great JRT characters. She’s even included a few cameo features with a model photo shoot and a monumental tug of war!

It seems word is getting around on all the fun. Cameras from The Weather Network showed up. That may explain our editor’s greater than usual interest in watching weather forecasts these days. So far she reports no luck but you never know - if someone has a clip please send it along! In the meantime you can enjoy the stills of the event here!

Could we be getting a visit from the Yaparazzi next?

Now here’s a JRT who lives up to her name. 9-month old JRT,  Angel came to the rescue of a nine year old girl in Palmetto, Florida. Her father said Angel, never seemed like much of a guard dog — at least until Friday.

We think someone forget to tell him that we are big dogs in small packages.

We were checking out the latest stories in JRT world the other day. One began with “They are dogs who go where few dogs have ever gone before”. We were compelled to read on suspecting JRTs could be involved.

” They are dogs who, like their human partners, sometimes seem to defy gravity.

They are dogs who don’t let their lack of opposable thumbs prevent them from going straight up a canyon wall. They can scamper up rocky cliffs that would make an experienced climber think twice.

They are rock-climbing dogs, an elite group of extreme canine athletes who are rewriting the books on what dogs are deemed capable of doing.”

At this point we’d gone from suspecting to knowing. Sure enough JRT Biskit has found fame and is a legend in the world of rock-climbing dogs. She made her public debut in the 2003 Peter Mortimer climbing movie, Front Range Freaks. Audiences loved her so much that she appeared in a second Mortimer movie, Return 2 Sender, along with her son, Felix. The film went to TV, was featured on Good Morning America, and was the ESPN ‘Play of the Day.’
We were sad to hear that Biskit died in 2005 when she was killed by a mountain lion but her legend lives on with son Felix.

Mike Carr, a longtime adventurer who has climbed mountains the world over, endorses JRTs, believing athletic-type dogs, especially breeds that do well in other canine sports, have those special qualities to make them good candidates for rock-climbing.

Is dry wall rock climbing the next JRT sport we wonder?

Our editor had only just announced the Festive Funday at the end of November and now we have a frosty funday organized by those wonderful people at JRTCC. Things just get better!

The Funday at Albion Hills holds a special place in our editor’s heart because it was the very first JRT event she attended. We will be bugging her to put up the photos. In the meantime we just know she will be at the 2007 event.

Fun day November 3, 2007: Albion Hills!

Mark your calendar for a frosty fun day to be held at Albion Hill.

Racing, GTG and lure coursing (weather permitting). Racing starts at 10:00. The park opens at 9:00, More details will be available soon. For details on the location see http://www.thehillsofheadwaters.com/albionhills/

We heard there could be another JRT event this year and so there is. Our editor is looking forward to the final Funday of the year to be hosted by the Jack Russell Terrier Club of South West Ontario on Saturday November 24 between 11 and 1pm.The venue is at Hyde Park Feeds and Country Store, 1830 Gainsborough Road, London - Map here
You’ll find more details here Spectators are welcome, and you can check out unique gifts and pet products at Hyde Park Feeds and Country Store.

We were talking about the latest news in JRT world the other day and came across one that made us do a double take. Is Prozac for Dogs just barking? asks The Times of London. We’ll say. They suggest if your pet has lost his va-va-voom, he may need a happy pill. It gets worse. Our editor mentions one-year-old Jack Russell, Suki who was prescribed an 18-month course of Clomicalm by dog psychologist Tracy Gudgeon. Apparently it has cured Suki’s anxiety and compulsions which included displays of aggression, and not responding to conventional training. We are not sure what they mean by ‘conventional training’ but we could have told Suki’s owner we are feisty souls who just never lose our va-va-voom. Is it the owners who are barking mad?

Our editor was was admiring Charlie’s Toronto Maple Leaf jersey thinking now this is a JRT who is ready for hockey. She later heard that Charlie has cancer. With true JRT fighting spirit she is doing very well. Our very best wishes and JRT hugs go to Charlie - a Stanley Cup winner all the way…