Re: is he a pure bred? age?

In Reply to: is he a pure bred? age?
Category:   Breed Standard
Posted by:  beth
Posted on:  May 11, 2003 at 22:17:53

: We rescued an adult neutured male from the local animal shelter. He is white/brown, & about 15 inches tall. He has obviously been trained - "sit", "stay", crate trained, housebroke, plays fetch. We are working on getting him to not pull on the leash for walks. He is VERY well behaved. I don't understand why someone wouldn't want this dog! We also have two cats (with claws). The cats quickly let him know who's boss - yet we never leave them alone together!

: My question is, how do I determine if he's a pure bred? Is there anyway to get him papered, since we don't know his ancestry? (medical test?)

: also, is there a way to accurately find out how old he is?

: ~beth

: ps - I love your site! I went through it before adopting. It was a big help in what to expect!

Response:

Hi Beth,

I'm sorry but unless the previous owner of your adopted terrier dumped him with his pedigree, there really is no way to tell if your little darling is a JRT or a JRT-mix. I recommend you review the JRTCA breed standard and requirements for registration/recording; if you have any questions, please contact the club office (link below.)

A dog's age is most often determined by the condition of it's teeth and general condition. This is not an exact science but since it's generally pretty accurate, I suggest you and your family can easily pick a day to celebrate the "birth" of your dog.