Question:
: A friend of mine knows a lady who has 10 8 month old
: Jack Russell Terriers. My family is looking for a dog
: for our son. He is eight years old and very active.
: We currently have a 4 year old male Dalmation. The Dalmation is my 14 year olds dog, he is all so very active. However he is quite large and my son doesn't
: play with him much because he is so big. My son want's a dog more his size to run around with and play.
: We live in the country and we have a fenced in yard and a electric fence system too. We are only away from the house about 6 hours a day. We have installed a doggie door so that our Dalmation can come in and out as he pleases. Do you think a Jack Russell Terrier would get along with our Dalmation? Do you think a Jack Russel Terrier would be OK in the yard with our
: Dalmation for an adverage of 6 hours a day with the proper training?
: Thank you,
: Elizabeth McClure
Response:
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Hi Elizabeth,
No one here can tell you if this situation would work. It will depend greatly on the temperament of your Dalmatian (btw Dalmatian is spelled with no Os, all As) and the terrier. It is not reccomended to leave two dogs of any type unattended and lose, and leaving dogs with access to a yard is not always a good idea. JRTs can be escape artists, and dog thieves to exist. Depending on what you mean by "active" in your son, that may be a concern. If he respects animals, but has the energy and responsibility to keep up on the dog's care and exercise for the next 15 years, it could work.
The main "red flag" I see in your post is that this "lady has 10 eight month old JRTs." Why does one person have 10 JRTs all the same age? Is she breeding them like crazy? Why is she placing them in homes now? Are they already spayed or neutered? Do they have a good medical history?
From what you've told us here, I can't say "no, this isn't the breed for your son." It may work out well for you. What I would strongly caution you on is making sure you get your JRT (if you decide to get one) from a responsible breeder or from a reliable rescuer. It may be best for you to get an older dog, say closer to two, so that you know it's adult personality better and will know better how it will fit into your household. Make sure you get the opposite sex to your Dal; same-sex aggression is very common in terriers. Please browse the site articles, posts on the forum and use the search to find out what makes a reputable breeder. Supporting disreputable ones with any amount of money doesn't help any dog.
Good luck!
Heather
