Parson Russell Terrier Did You Know?

• The Parson Russell Terrier is AKC's 145th breed.



• The Parson Russell Terrier was first bred in the south of England in the mid-1800's to hunt European red fox, both over and underground, for the sport of kings.



• The breed got its name from the most renowned of British huntsman, Reverend John Russell, "The Sporting Parson," whose passion for fox hunting, hounds, and working terriers is legendary.



• Arthur Heinemann, who founded the Parson Jack Russell Terrier Club in 1914, drafted the first Jack Russell breed standard in 1904.



• After John Russell's death, the name "Jack Russell" was misused to describe all mix and manner of working and hunt terriers, many of which bore little, if any, similarity to Russell's own terriers.



• To date, the Parson Jack Russell has been recognized under the F.C.I. umbrella by News in Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, and Australia.