Parson Russell Terrier

The Parson Russell Terrier is a small, mostly white English terrier, the type that was the original Fox Terrier of the 18th century. It is named after the Reverend Jack Russell, who is credited with creating it, and it is the form of the Jack Russell Terrier recognized for conformation shows.

History

The Parson shares its history with the Jack Russell Terrier up to the early 1980s. The Reverend John Russell was born in 1795. In 1819 he bought a small white and tan terrier bitch called Trump from a milkman, and she became the foundation of his breeding. By the 1850s his dogs were seen as a distinct type of Fox Terrier.

In 1894 Arthur Blake Heinemann founded the Devon and Somerset Badger Club and wrote the first standard for the type. Later renamed the Parson Jack Russell Terrier Club, it folded just before World War II and was re-formed in 1983 to seek Kennel Club recognition. After several refusals the Parson Jack Russell Terrier was recognized in Britain on January 9, 1990, as a variant of the Fox Terrier. The United Kennel Club followed in 1991, and the American Kennel Club recognized the breed as the Jack Russell Terrier from November 1997.

The Kennel Club changed the name to Parson Russell Terrier on August 1, 1999. The FCI recognized the breed in June 2001, the AKC took up the new name in 2003 and the UKC in 2008.

Appearance

The Parson has noticeably longer legs than the Jack Russell, about as long as its body, giving a fairly square outline. It also has a longer head and a larger chest. It stands 33–36 cm (13–14 in) at the withers and weighs about 5.9–7.7 kg (13–17 lb), a narrower range of sizes than the Jack Russell.

The coat is mostly white with black, tan, mustard or tricolor markings. It may be smooth, rough or broken, a broken coat being a smooth one with some longer hair on the head, face, legs or body and just a hint of eyebrows and beard. The ears are small, V-shaped drops. The nose is black.

In the show ring a judge spans the dog’s chest with two hands behind the elbows to feel for the correct shape.

Temperament

The Parson is a feisty, energetic terrier. It does well at sports such as flyball and agility and needs vigorous exercise, without which it can become bored and destructive. The AKC describes it as single-minded, tenacious and courageous at work, and exuberant, playful and affectionate at home.

It can live with children but, like most terriers, will not put up with rough handling. It can be playful with other dogs and gets along with horses. Few Parsons are worked today.

Care and health

The coat is easy to groom. The breed’s health problems mostly involve the eyes. It is one of the breeds more commonly affected by primary lens luxation, caused by a recessive mutation. Juvenile cataracts, corneal dystrophy and progressive retinal atrophy also occur, as do deafness and patella luxation. An inherited ataxia, often with muscle twitching and seizures, has been known in the Russell terriers for more than 50 years.

A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 13.8 years.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.