16-year-old Madeleine has passed. She was a Jack Russell belonging to my aunt and uncle in North Carolina.
She was born in Arizona to English parents.
And she was the mother of three litters of pups, and she was a great surrogate mother to both Cammie and Rhodie and to Willie.
And she was good dog.
When she would come to West Virginia to visit, she could be trusted off-lead, and she was very close friends with Kizzy, the golden boxer. I remember watching young Maddie follow the big black dog around as if she were something to be admired and emulated.
I also remember stocking pheasants with Maddie. I couldn’t get them out of the quail cages fast without her trying to grab the bird as it came out.
She was a good dog. She was generally gentle and well-behaved, but if another dog trifled with her or one of the puppies she was caring for, she would fight like a small grizzly bear. I remember when Willie was a small puppy, another Jack Russell tried to pick on him, but Maddie would have nothing of it. She sailed on the other dog, who was a male JRT and somewhat larger than she, and soon had him routed.
I will miss her.
She is the last of that dynasty of Jack Russells that I came to know in my teenage years. They were not these hard-driving, game dogs of the JRTCA-type, which are much more common around here. These were dogs that were scrappy, but they were still good companions.
She is sort of the end of an era.
Many Jack Russells from England have a bit of other blood in them. I’ve always suspected that she had a bit of border terrier in her– just from her head shape and her hard, thick coat. When she was younger, she had the border terrier’s markings, too.
That’s the thing about “Jack Russells,” there is still of lot of anarchy among them.
But even now, they are slowly turning into closed registry breeds.
Both Cammie and Rhodie are technically “Russell terriers,” a breed that didn’t even exist until just a few years ago. In the 1990’s, they would have both been called Jack Russells.
Maddie lost her eye to glaucoma a few years ago, which made her look particularly vicious.
But I will always remember her gentle face and tenderness with young puppies.
It doesn’t matter if they live to be 16 years old.
Dogs just don’t live long enough.
Please keep my aunt and uncle and their two daughters in your thoughts this week.
This is absolutely devastating.
***
Maddie’s final resting place will be next to her mate, the much celebrated and perhaps legendary Timmy.
My condolences to Maddies family, my jack russell is white with black patches, she is a such a bully! But if I raise my voice she attacks whoever I’m yelling at.
Loyal, protective and very, very smart. Sixteen years is a lot of memories.
Such a beautiful and heart-rending eulogy. Thank you. I had a Jack once upon a time, and he was the best. RIP Maddie, and I hope you’re hanging with my Dweezil in that sunny meadow across the bridge…
Oh, Scottie, I’m sorry to hear that. You are right, they don’t live long enough. 16 is a good age; we’ve got two very oldies (15 and 16) and they’ve reached the stage where they have enough problems that we know they make not make another year. I’ve lost enough dogs with their lives only partly lived to appreciate the oldies we have now, more than ever.
This is visually the type of jack russell one meets up here in the chiltern hills every day of the week. Despite the many crosses from them ( they’re sexy beasts who tend to pay conjugal visits) that type in your photograph seems quite dominant. Typically, as we all know, they are tough often scrappy little guys but conversely many can be very sweet natured too; always full of character. Notwithstanding the occasional show types with longer legs, those ‘farm dog’ types informally bred with shorter (but not usually achondroplastic) legs are the most commonly encountered. This type of terrier could be there alongside the last man standing at the end of time, I think. Most common are those with plenty of white on them; so that when they are off getting into trouble at least they can be more readily seen and, hopefully, aprehended.Of course they can always be heard as well!
Oh it’s so sad to lose a dog, and unfortunately most dog lovers will lose a number in their life time, we just live too long. Bless maddie.
Yes these types are still the main stay in many parts of the world, South Africa even longer than America and growing they are becoming very poular in parts of Asia too. I do however lament the introduction of the Australian pedigree one in so many home bred types, this is sad as they tend to be somewhat more dour steady types which is not exactly what the breed is generally liked for. We want a JR but we don’t wants its character or traits? A JRT with no spontaneity? Hmmmm.
The other extreme….
I noticed in the UK despite the ban on fox hunting with dogs is the longer legged narrow shallow chested working parson type JR being carried round in boxes on quad bikes following after horses and hounds. This looks to be an extremely focused prey driven seasoned hunting dog. Mostly white with the odd ear or spot coloured, just a tiny bit of whiskering and beard, lovely looking dogs, the eyes are marvelous and intense. What they are doing when its illegal is anyone guess??? But I imagine these wouldn’t make good pets in most homes as their prey drive is extreme much like the little lithe game English pitbull terrier not much found anymore except to produce plummers.
Yes plenty of types to work with. Long may they thrive. It seems the JRTs whatever they are are not easily parted from their character outside of showing and this is a marvelous thing.
By the way anyone know why a dog used to flush foxes from dens needs long legs?
Thats to say they dont run with foxes anymore ever. Carried on quad bikes with a call from the master of hounds on his horse using a mobile phone?
That’s a lovely capture of a sweet face. I think I can still see the border terrier in the brown on her head.
May the anarchy remain among the Jack Russell people forever.
thanks