Читать книгу Jack Russell Terrier: An Owner’s Guide - Robert Killick - Страница 21

The one major problem that has haunted the breed, since its superb working qualities were recognized, is the spread of what can only be described as ‘counterfeit’ Jack Russells, because few people adhered to a Standard. During Word War II, food was scarce and it was difficult to feed kennels of dogs, so many were forced to close down and numerous dogs did not survive.

After the war, when the servicemen started returning home, there was a renewed demand for puppies, and many dog breeders, who were quick to seize the opportunity, began their operations again, producing so-called Jack Russell Terriers, which were acvtually a mishmash of types.

Puppy farmers and backyard breeders, seeking only to make money, would mate any Terriers together and call the resultant progeny Jack Russells. Farmers bred Terriers with small sheepdogs and described the puppies as Jack Russells. Although some of these dogs could work foxes or rats with varying degrees of efficacy, in reality they bore little or no resemblance to the real thing, and their puppies would not reproduce the Jack Russell Terrier’s characteristic type. Anyone with a scant knowledge of the breed could recognize major type faults, such as heads that were too wide, weak jaws, too big around the chest, long coupled, short front legs (Queen Ann legs) with turned out stifles, together with a lack of balance and symmetry. Other faults might include protuberant eyes, incorrect coat texture and colour, big pricked ears and roached backs.