Re: Further Concerns About My JRT

In Reply to: Further Concerns About My JRT
Category:   Aggression
Posted by:  Sarah Lemire
Posted on:  November 20, 2002 at 07:16:49

: Hi again,

: Thanks for your response to my question regarding my JRT and her authenticity. I have taken her to the vet and had samples done, and as far as they can tell, she's very healthy. After reading more of the Q & A's on this forum, I think the shaking is usually attributable to being cold or excited and isn't a non-stop thing, so that was my mistake.

: After posting my question yesterday, I did more reading on JRT's and read the testimonials on this site about JRT's and cats. Which I hadn't read previous to getting our dog.

: Both my husband and I freaked out since we have a cat that we love dearly, and upon asking the person who sold us the dog (A pet store rep) if there any problems with these dogs and cats, she replied no, that this wouldn't be a problem.

: Please tell me how to handle this, we can keep the dog and cat seperated--but can't be sure that one day one of us won't rush out the door without making sure the dog and cat are seperated in all the years we have her... and I don't want to come home and find my cat harmed or worse. Did we make a huge mistake? I'm panicked, I've already seen our pup go after our cat in a way that seemed to be a bit more than "play."

: Please give me some direction on this.

: Thank you for your time and response!

: Sarah

Response:

Dear Sarah,

I'm glad the Forum has been useful to you. Also glad your pup is in good shape.

It is a well-known fact that JRT's in general view cats as legal quarry. Many a cat has met its death in a confrontation with a Jack.
Of course, there are exceptions, and some households have cats and Jacks living in peace. The bad thing is, the tables can turn with no warning. We try awfully hard to council people who have never known Jacks before, to read every bit in information about these dogs, before they purchase one.

All you can do is be vigilant about keeping the cat in a safe place when you aren't home, and watch for signs of impending trouble.

By the way, pet store employees usually know zilch about dogs, much less Jack Russells, and will tell you anything in order to make a sale. Better to ask someone who breeds and lives with Jacks.

BEst of luck,

Carol