Around 1999, I was on the look-out for a tiny Jack Russell terrier pup.
I had the exact image of what I was wanting:
White body
Red head, with white blaze from nape to nose
No more than 10" at the shoulder when fully grown, but preferably 8" maximum.
This proved very hard, but I knew they existed as I had seen a dog of this description in 1994, with a black bitch of the same size (and she was heavily pregnant).
I had my heart set on a tiny Jack, but then a good friend, Paul "Worzel" Raistrick, a true terrier man (who sadly passed away in January 2001), told me of his friend's Border Lakeland pups. So I went to see the 5 month old pups. He had 2 bitches left, 1 was black & the other was tan.
I fell for the black one, but my wife preferred the tan.
A bit of gentle persuasion, and I bought the black bitch and named her Ginny.
At 6 months old, I took her on her 1st hunting trip on a local farm that lets me hunt the rabbits.
As usual, the farm's 2 Border Collies came noisily to meet me, but Ginny was having none of it, and saw them both off with their tails between their legs.
I worked the top part of the land, well away from the farmhouse, and she happily followed the rabbit runs under the Gorse, Brushwood, Heather & Brambles.
We didn't catch any rabbits, but I was pleased with how she worked the land.
A couple of weeks later I took her out again, I went to Malham, North Yorkshire, with a couple of friends George, Dennis & Rammy.
George took his .177 Theoben Sirocco 2000, 2 ferrets & his purse nets.
Dennis took a ferret.
Rammy took Doc his lurcher, 2 ferrets & purse nets.
I took Ginny, my .22 BSA Mercury S, 3 ferrets & my purse nets.
As we worked the land with the ferrets, Ginny was watching the pile of rabbits build up, and guarding them from Doc, George, Rammy & Dennis. Every time they came near, she would snarl at them, or chase Doc away.
One rabbit bolted from an un-netted hole, and Ginny set off after it. Doc spotted her in chase, and set off in pursuit, soon over-taking her & snatching the rabbit. So Ginny chased him back, and then went back to guarding the pile of caught rabbits.
Dennis & Rammy went in one direction, and George & I went another. After about an hour of ferreting, with Ginny being a shadow (she walked in every footprint I made, and even followed me over a 6' wall as if it was a 2' staircase), we met back up & set off home with our large catch of rabbits.
That was Ginny's 1st expedition, and at 11 month old, she was entered to rat. Ginny has a real fire in her belly, and wants to kill anything that moves, regardless of its size.
In August 2001, a friend's terrier bitch had a litter of 5 pups, she had been mated to Ginny's Uncle. I went to see the pups, and I chose a dog when they were 5 week old.
I brought him home at 8 week old & I named him Tak, at 10 weeks old I took him on his 1st hunting trip to the local plantation.
I shot a grey squirrel with the air rifle, and presented it to Tak, who licked it and sniffed it for nearly 10 minutes. I made it move with my foot, and he pounced on it as if it were going to escape. After a game of toss & fetch, with the distance gradually increasing. Tak carried the squirrel readily.
Tak has developed a keen nose for squirrel, and will find any squirrel droppings in the plantation and roll in it with excitement. When a squirrel is shot in the trees, he runs for it as soon as it hits the floor. He has proved himself as a bushing dog, being self-taught by searching the Brambles & ferns for squirrels.
I eagerly await the day he will catch a squirrel himself, without me having to shoot it first.
In late Summer 2002, I bred Tak & Ginny, and got a litter of 6, all with homes waiting before they reached 5 week old. And in Autumn 2002, I had Tak castrated.
Ginny readily works rat, but Tak hasn't met one yet, I am currently looking for permission where I can work Ginny, and enter Tak to rat. Once he sees Ginny in killing mode, with rats running for their lives, I hope it will kick in with him too. I don't see why it shouldn't.
On 28th December 2004, I decided to resume my search for a tiny Jack Russell bitch pup, we visited our local pet store, there were 2 litters advertising.
I took the contact details, and gave them a ring.
The 1st got a reply of "Sorry, they're all gone!"
The 2nd was a discontinued number.
At home, I decided to search the Internet.
Straight away I found breeders with pups on, so I narrowed my search, and found a litter about 6 miles away.
In the morning, I was straight on the phone, there were 2 bitches (ready to go on 6th January 2005)
An hour later, I was viewing the pups (1 dog & 2 bitches), I spotted the bitch I wanted straight away. But checked the other 2 first.
Then I had a look at the parents, the Dam was a tiny Jack, about 8" at the shoulder, the Sire was a little bigger, around 10.5"
The pups were advertised at £100, and I readily left a deposit for my pup, and waited in anticipation for the 6th January.
The 6th January finally arrived, I double checked the advert online.
The price had increased to £130 :(
I went to collect my pup. I'd already chosen a name for her: "Midge"
The bloke said the pups were £130, but the male was going for £150.
Even though I had seen the advert stating £100, I didn't argue and paid the £130.
Within 2 days, I had Midge virtually paper-trained, and within 1 week, she has learnt her name, "SIT!", "FETCH!" & "RAG IT!"
When Midge was 13 weeks old, I took her on her 1st outing to the local plantation in search of squirrel & pigeon.
At 5.5" at the shoulder she followed me over fallen logs, through Bramble stems, and over tiny streams. She only struggled at 1 log, but soon found a way over it.
I was stood by a tree, trying to pin-point the Woodpigeons' locations, when 1 noisily landed in the tree in front of me.
I slowly raised the rifle, took my shot, and the Woodie fluttered to the ground.
Midge ran towards it growling & yapping, but kept her distance.
After a few words of encouragement, she began to worry the dead pigeon, and started to pluck its chest.
In November 2005, my wife bought my Christmas present, a small Jack Russell dog from a local terrier man.
She'd secretly been visiting the litter while I was at work, and took me to see him when he was 5 weeks old, and Digger came home just before Christmas when he was 7 weeks old.
He settled in very well, but being a male terrier, he became boisterous and headstrong as he neared 1 yr old.
This is one of the reasons why you see a lot of adverts for young terriers looking for a new home, it's like they are 110% energy, and it can be too much for some people to cope with.
