Re: just how tough are they?

In Reply to: just how tough are they?
Posted by:  Norma Pruski
Posted on:  April 26, 2001 at 00:25:18

: Today I was playing fetch w/ bear & when the ball bounces off the fence in the back of our yard he leaps in the air in catches it. But today he missed the ball & went crashing on his right side into the fence, it made a really loud *SMACK* sound & I thought he'd hurt himself but he just got up (the inpact rolled him) & brought the ball back like it was nothing. Then another day he was running in the yard & wasen't watching where he was going & smashed head 1st into a tree he wasen't even dased! But if he gets a grass burr in his paw he acts like it's the end if the world. I was just wondering just how tough are these little guys? How much can they take?

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Hi, Norma,

Every Jack Russell is different, and as you've discovered, they can be tough about different things. My smallest terrier, Gritty, is definitely my toughest, and never complains about anything hurting him. He's been through surgeries to correct problems he has with his bones and esophagus, and I worry about the fact that he never expresses that anything EVER hurts. After having his leg operated on (a piece of bone was removed, and a rod and staple were put in place and the leg was made to heal together under a cast) he was ready to run as soon as the anesthetic wore off. Yet my favorite hunting terrier is a HUGE baby. Though he's generally a tough little guy, he can be quite a little drama king if he runs hard into something.

Overall, this is a pretty tough little breed, but every dog is different!