Jack Russell Rescue

Finn enjoyed his first Christmas on the farm.  He has become good friends with our two year old Rotti cross, Sandy, and the two of them spend hours playing.  Finn is also a real smooch, being the first to cuddle up on the lounge at night.  Also, despite knowing that he is not meant to come into the bedrooms, he has started sneaking in at 5am for a morning cuddle.  He is always the first to greet you at the door and is always so excited to see you.

Chris had told us that he was a picky eater and did not eat bones.  This was evident from his brown teeth.  But now from watching the other dogs, he is now consuming anything put in front of him and enjoys chomping on a bone and I am pleased to say his teeth are whitening up.  The first time I put some chopped up chicken necks in his dinner he turned up his nose at them, but this week he ate the two whole chicken necks I put in with his dinner.  He is definitely filling out, being very thin when he came to us.

 Finn is still a cheeky little boy and outside our yard we can still not trust him off the lead.  So he has to be content staying on a lead whilst we walk around the ten acres.  He has made a few escape attempts, the one which you know about which occurred the very first time we trusted to leave them in the yard whilst we did our shopping only to come home and find him missing.  Luckily some nice lady up the street found him.  When we collected him from the vets where he had taken him she actually called up to check on Finn so we heard the tale.  She had heard a car horn and went outside to find him on the road so she brought him inside.  He tried to fight her much bigger dog so she locked him up separately.  He escaped from her once, but she caught him again and then took him to the vets.  So he really is a little escape artist.  We had to buy him a harness and seatbelt for the car as his favourite trick was to escape after you opened the car door with arms full of groceries.  We had a few chases on our hands all over car parks and down streets here around Richmond.  We always caught him thanks to the help of friendly bystanders, but these days are at an end thanks to the harness.

At first we thought we had bitten off more than we could chew, but then I found his vaccination certificate and my heart broke when I realized that the poor thing had been in the kennels for over 6 months, so we decided that we should not give up too easily.  We have tried obedience, and he now heels, sits, stays and comes. However these lessons go out the window as soon as there is something more interesting.

 Finn has tried swimming in our dams a couple of times, and yesterday we took all the dogs up to the Colo River, and despite being a bit frightened where the current was strong, Finn had a couple of big swims (at the end of the lead of course!!!).

Most importantly, he has now stolen our hearts and has become a part of the family here.  He is sitting at the window right now as I type this.  My only hope is that he does not find any snakes, as he is a real hunter, spending hours running around the acre we have fenced off.  After losing my Winston to a snake bite it is my nightmare which was made all the more real when we found another dead baby black snake that had been hit by the mower right next to the washing line.  But that is the downside of living in the country.  The upside is the room Finn now has to run around and burn all that energy that he has playing with the other dogs.  He most certainly has energy and enthusiasm in abundance and we can see that he is well suited to living on a large property with other dogs.

 Kind regards, Monique

"Happy New year from Harvey"



Harvey's First Night

Waiting for tea with Daisy

 

(with friends Daisy, Rusty & Jimmy)

Harvey walked the entire foreshore and is excellent in crowds

Harvey Muppet

Dear Jill

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all at JRT Rescue.

We have had Harvey for just on 6 months now and he has come so far and learnt so much in that time.

Harvey was totally unfamiliar with being inside and definitely not housetrained. It was a week before he learnt how to jump up on the lounge and was generally very uncoordinated but obviously intelligent and willing to please. It only took a few days to learn how to use the doggie door but a while longer to learn what he had to go out for.

Harvey soon learnt walks were fun, and then learnt to pull like a sled dog against the harness. He now wears a halter as well as the harness when walking and appears happy to take it easier.

In the early days we lost numerous shoes, slippers, thongs, an x-box controller and just about anything else Harvey could reach and chew. The recycling bin was raided at every opportunity. He is a voracious chewer but has learnt he has his toys and other things are not to be destroyed. The toys generally do not last very long. His favourite toys are balls and any thing that can be thrown and retrieved. Squeaky toys send him into a frenzy which quickly culminates in total toy destruction.

Harvey’s education has been a hard road and it is pleasing now that we almost never have a bad day as he grows more confident and secure. He is a beautiful, sweet natured boy who appears happy with his place in our family and we are so glad we made the decision to meet him and bring him home.

Melanie Hopwood and family

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'ABBEY' (PEBBLES)

Hi Heather,

We can’t believe it’s 8 months since Abbey came to us. She has definitely settled in well and knows how to make herself at home. She and Toby are great mates and mostly stick together. Abbey appears now to be the dominant of the pair - surprise, surprise! They share Toby’s kennel at night, share mats inside and love playing tug-of-war with their soft toys, but to Toby’s disgust, Abbey still doesn’t get balls.

Abbey is a real scavenger and we have learnt not to leave any food within her reach. She is an expert at finding and unwrapping muesli bars, chips lollies & chocolate and anything else for that matter. We had a close call when she ate a large quantity of chocolate from Kate’s room, calling on a vet friend late at night for advice. Fortunately she survived with a very upset tummy, vomiting and diarrhoea. She has also recently learnt how to unwrap Christmas presents.

Abbey also loves investigating our back yard, but unfortunately we have lost 2 bluetongue lizards to her and are unsure how many skinks she has eaten. We have also had a large brushtail possum visiting at night recently, and had to bring the dogs inside for their own safety when they had the possum cornered up a downpipe.

Both dogs love their lap cuddles and often choose to be on the same lap – very crowded but sweet!

Abbey has brought us so much love and fun. She is so affectionate and sweet and great company for Toby. Everyone who meets her loves her.

We wanted to thank you for doing the work you do with JRT Rescue and wish you a very Happy Christmas.

Attached are Abbeys Birthday photo and the dogs Christmas Photos from Kate

With our Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year,

Louise, Brad, Stewart, Kate, Toby and Abbey.

 

 

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A Penny Update ("Terri")

Hi Jill,

Well its been several  months since we adopted Penny. As you are aware it hasn’t been all plain sailing for her. I am very glad to say now that she is well, happy and healthy. We often call her Princess Penny!  We live on the high side of the street and she loves sitting in the study looking out over her domain.

She is well behaved when we are not at home and loves to come inside when we are. Penny has her ‘spot’ where she lays.

As you can see from the attached photos she has settled in very well and the kids adore her. Its taken a while for her to get used to her new surroundings. Our backyard seems just the right size and with ball playing and walks she gets lots of exercise. Penny is quite friendly to other dogs we meet on our walks. Birds and cats are another matter though. There is a particular cat on our route she has staring competitions with, though the cat mostly wins.

We found out last week end that she enjoys a swim in pool. Thank you for your advice on how to teach her to get out safely.

She has brought much with her to our family. Responsibility and care for the kids and much needed exercise for the adults! Will keep you posted.

Thanks again, Dianne

Note: When "Terri" came into us at Jack Russell Rescue, we were not aware that she was a terrible tail chaser.  She was only with us a couple of days before finding her new home.  Then it started, thanks to Dianne and family for their patience and care of her.  We eventually had to have her tail redocked, thus the Elizabethan collar because some of the tail was dead and was probably what was causing her pain.

Dianne and family have worked with her as this can also become a habit which needs to be broken and now as you can see she is a happy dog with the BIG thanks of her new family.

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"OSCAR" (TUBBSY)

Well it's been a few months now and Oscar (Tubbsy) has settled in  well. He is called Oscar Tubbsy now - as affectionately named by us  and various cafe owners near our house who love oscar coming by so  they don't have to sweep.

Pippi is the brains and oscar is the braun  and together they make a great pair. We have managed to keep about 1.5 kg off Oscar since he arrived and that is hard work. He is so cute  you just want to feed him when he looks at you - but were holding  fast, and his activity levels have improved ten fold. He begrudgingly eats his dry diet food, and waits for the weekend Saturday breakfast were he gets a treat.

He starts grunting as soon as you bring the lead out, and sets a cracking pace down to the park. He plays especially well with all dogs and doesn't seem to have one bit of aggressive behaviour. He only barks if everyone else is just to go  along with it. Since the weight loss he can jump on the bed - where he likes to sleep with mum for a while, and SNORES like you wouldn't believe.

He loves his doggy donut - and has one in the bedroom and in the loungeroom and spends ample time there.  Still have to keep an eye on him cocking his leg (the clothes horse is a favourite for this - but he's getting there! People are amazed that Oscar is a rescue dog, and as i wonder, they always ask? who could give such a cute little man up? you're really lucky! and we are! thanks for all the great work you do to give these dogs another chance they deserve.

Linda Brett Pippi and Oscar Tubbsy.

 

 

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"Waggedy" (Maggie)

Waggedy is settling in really well. She and Jovey are best friends, and she's completed our happy family. Photos are from a recent trip to 10 acres in the Hunter Valley. She was very excited to go rabbit hunting, but stayed close to home.

She's taking a while to trust us - who knows what troubles she's been through - but is getting closer and more faithful every day. She's getting used to the lead and the city traffic, but that was certainly a big hurdle for her. She's learnt to sit, stay, and wait for her dinner till we give her the okay. She's had a bit of a gooey eye - probably allergy related - but it's responding well to cream. Apart from that, she's gaining weight, and dropping fur all over the house in true jack style.

All the best, Annette and Patsy

 

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'DELLA"

Hi Jill,

I thought it was about time I sent you an update on Della, the little pup we got from you before christmas last year. She has settled in very well and she and Oscar have become very good friends. Her training is going well, and she is a great little dancer! She loves her food and loves to chew - I've lost plenty of shoes to Della's little teeth. She is very affectionate and loves chasing Oscar (who looks remarkably like one of your recent placements - Brian, I think they are long lost brothers) around the yard.

We had a little episode where she decided that nurofen would be tasty to eat so she spent a weekend in the emergency vet hospital, but she is doing fine now. She loves going to the dog park and racing around the backyard chasing the soccerball with oscar (http://www.dogster.com/video/450755/Backyard_soccer)

 

If I hear someone is looking for a jack I always send them to your site - Good luck with all the other jacks you are trying to rehome :)

 

Mel (and Oscar & Della)

 

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"Brian"(Banjo) recent update

Dear Jill and Julie

As you know we've now had Brain in the family for six months.  He's slowly starting to grow up and be a bit more cooperative.  He occasionally seems to think about things before he gives new items the chew test or running around as fast as he can in the house when he gets annoyed or can't get his own way.  he has also finally decided that we are his family and now when he manages to sneak out the front door, he no longer just bolts straight into one of my neighbours houses but waits, sniffing around the door.  I think he's looking for the neighbours cats.  He's completely convinced that cats are to be chased on sight.  He still hasn't managed to catch one so is keenly waiting for the first opportunity to show a cat who's boss.  He continues with his goal to break out, now assisted by the neighbours dog who is also trying to dig holes under the fence.  Bundy is a Rottweiler so a little hole for her will allow Brian to escape.  We've spent most of the afternoon fixing the fence to prevent any escapes.  Brian was quite annoyed and ran along it sticking his nose under and in the fence and then started barking at it.  Which told me he didn't think he could now get out.

 

Brian's now met a snake by almost stepping on it.  I saw it as he got close and dragged him away, yelling at him to come to me.  The stress in my voice started him barking so I'm hoping he'll now recognise the smell and be a bit more careful in future.  Luckily the snake was as keen to leave us alone as I was to leave it to its own devices.  Unfortunately Brians not a very good hunter, relying on his sight over smell.  Every time  he goes to track something he infallibly tracks it back the way it came rather than where it's running to.  It's quite funny to see rabbits running down a track one way, Brian appearing at the edge of the track, turning and running the wrong way, realising it and turning around and bolting after the rabbit way to late.  At one stage we were invaded by a mouse who stole Brians dry dog nuts while he was sleeping in his bed not far away.  He didn't seem to notice or maybe he thought it was supposed to take his food.  Anyway he did nothing to stop it.

We take him to the beach every so often as he loves to chase seagulls and meet other dogs.  Anyway this weekend he got a bit carried away and chased them up into a car park and didn't come back or respond when called.  He had been doing so well up until then actually coming when called and not jumping on everyone in sight.  He's much improved at obedience class, that's when I have a chance to take him as work as been frantic, and is no longer the worst behaved dog there.  If I can get him to stay in the drop position longer than .5 second I've been told he'll be about ready to progress to the next stage.  My long term goal is to do agility with him as I know he would love it.  Being able to show off in front of lots of people and other dogs is one of his favourite occupations.  We've progressed to using one of the halti type head collars on him and it does work wonders.  He is forced to listen and can't pull although Brian can still be incredibly stubborn.

 

On a day to day basis Brian continues in his ongoing war with my partner over where he can eat his bone.  Brian is firmly convinced that the couch is the best place and my partner just as convinced that bones belong outside.  Currently my partner is winning but Brian's not giving up.  Brian is becoming a bit more food orientated and getting a lot of use out of his kongs, which is great as it gives him less time to destroy everything he can get hold of.  Unfortunately every so often he buries one of his kongs and has not yet dug up any missing ones for me.  He continues to destroy his outside bed 2 or 3 times a week.  I've just about gone though every type of liner on the market but he always seems to be able to find the weak point and rip it to pieces.  I've now got him one of those trampoline type beds to lay on and am waiting to see how long it lasts with destructo doggie.  I've started to buy him some of the tough toy range and the rubber toys for serious chewers.  Brian also likes chewing and chasing nice sweet apples and enjoys the occasional prune or date. 

 

I took him to the vet for a confirmatory heart worm test and he came up negative for this, although you need at least two people to hold him down when he doesn't want to be still.  He likes to climb up me and latches on with his dew claws which is quite painful.  He just doesn't understand that the stiller he is the quicker it will be, but Brian has trouble being still at the best of times.  Apart from that Brian likes his vet as he gives him a hug and a pat when we visit.

 

That's about it for now Brian seems to be happy and is always ecstatic to see us when we get home from work.  All the best with the rest of the dogs you're rescuing and once again thanks for saving Brian so he could come and live with us.

 

Cath and Brian

 

 

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"NICK"

Well, we've finally worked out how to download the photos of Nick so I thought I'd drop you a line and let you know how he's going.

Our first pleasant surprise was that he is totally house-trained - just as well as we did pick him up during the bad storms in June and were too soft-hearted to leave him outside in his kennel.  He distinguished himself on his first day by deciding to get even with a mean-spirited, much larger - and unleashed - dog that attacked him during his first walk.  Nick and I were walking away when Nicky obviously thought "Damn that" and turned around, pulled the leash out of my hand, ran back to the other dog and crash tackled him.  As a result, he has now been named Nicholas Leigh after former Hawthorn great [and current Brisbane coach], Leigh Matthews who didn't start fights [in AFL games] but didn't walk away from them either!

He has been having one-on-one dog obedience training and is responding very well - until, that is, his trainer decided that we should go to the off-leash park near our house.  He certainly suffers from the small dog syndrome - he wants to take on all the larger dogs and show them that although he may be small, he certainly isn't frightened.  We're working on his sociability [read:  lack thereof], but don't expect to make great inroads too quickly.

He's pretty stubborn, too.  He sleeps in the laundry and still bangs on the door each night as soon as he's put to bed.  It's almost as if he has to have the obligatory two bangs on the door just to let me know that I haven't completely won!

He's also a Swannies' dog - proudly sporting a red and white collar and sitting on my lap when the interstate Swans' games are televised.  To further ensure his loyalty, he has been nicknamed "Nick-Nick" after two Swans players [Nick Malceski and Nick Davis].

Nick-Nick is certainly doing his bit to improve my fitness.  He has a walk at 6am each day and, when I arrive home from work some 12 hours later, he makes sure he has me out walking again.  It's probably just as well that he likes his walks because, until Nick-Nick came into our lives, we always thought that Jack Russells were reasonably ambivalent about their food.  Not so!  However, he has learned to sit and wait by his full food bowl until specifically invited to "go ahead".  He even sat and waited to be given permission to begin his marrow bone on the weekend - much to my amazement.

He has certainly been a welcome addition.  He's been with us for three months now and seems quite pleased with the manner in which we've fitted into his routine!  I've attached some photos to show you how comfortable he is in his new home.


 

Whadda ya mean, Baz has been reported

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'ABBEY" (Pebbles)

Hi Heather,

At last we have some photos ready for you, as attached.

It is probably timely to email you now so we can reassure you that Abbey has survived our horrific storm. Both dogs were safely inside throughout, sleeping comfortably in our laundry at night complete with mattresses, PJ's, and wheatpacks. In fact, they have slept inside for the last 4 nights, and have barely spent any daytime outside due to weather.

We took Abbey to our Vet for a checkup last week after her registration papers arrived from council. She had a blood test for heartworm, which was clear, followed by an annual heartworm immunisation. She survived the ordeal and passed with flying colours.

She and Toby have become closer, as some of the photos show. They now tear around the house together, play tug-o-war with toys and share a bed near the fire each evening. Toby appears at times to be trying to teach Abbey the routine of the household but has so far failed in teaching his favourite passtime - playing ball. He regularly noses or tosses the ball to her, but she still has no idea and no interest in balls.

She has just arrived to sit on my lap for a cuddle and is as quiet, sweetand gorgeous as you told us.
We hope you are not missing her too much but we are so glad to have her.

She has become a part of our family now and very popular with our extended family and visitors. She does need a little more training, which will start after uni exams finish, but with her love of treats we're sure it won't take too long.

Kind Regards, Louise

 

 

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'MANDY'

We wanted to let you know how life is going with Mandy. We have now had her for 8 weeks. We reckon she only took about 24 hours to settle in, and hasn't looked back. She was our youngest son's choice of pet, and while he loves her to death, he's disappointed that she has no interest whatsoever in chasing a ball or playing with toys - perhaps she never had the opportunity as a pup.

 

Most of our friends thought we were mad to get a JR given their reputation as very energetic dogs, but Mandy is true to her advertised temperament - happy to spend the day in the yard by herself, without fretting, digging or barking. Mind you, she is more than happy to be inside with us when we are at home, and learnt quite quickly that she isn't allowed upstairs - a good move on our behalf given how much she sheds! Her favourite position is in her bed at my feet while I work at the computer.

 

She will happily accompany us on our 4.5km walk most days, but is also OK to go a few days without a walk. She was a horror on the lead, but we bought a gentle leader head harness and now she is no trouble - unless we see another dog - will have to work on that. It also turns out that she is closer to 6yrs than 2 as previously thought. The vet confirmed this when he checked her teeth and found one was rotten and had an abscess, and another was in bad shape. We had the worst one removed, and the others cleaned and not only is her breath a lot more pleasant, but she can go a lot longer between baths. The smell must have been coming out of her pores as well.

 

Her loving and patient nature means she is a much loved addition to our family. I was a bit hesitant to get a dog after having had a cat for 15 years, but now couldn't imagine being without her. Thanks for the great service you provide. I only regret that we aren't in a position to take another one.

 

Regards, Kerry

 

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 "JASON"

Hi Jill

Jason is fitting in well now. It took a week for him and Jess to sort things out, but now they play together, eat at the same time etc.  He is ok with Dennis too.  To me he seems really proud of himself that he belongs here.  We are still working on sit but he is starting to understand what we want when we say stay, get your ball, walk etc.

Thanks, Ros

 


 

update

Jason is sitting ok now.  I've got some better photos now of Jason in his new home. 

I think he is pretty happy here...he plays with Jess and he has his own ball now.  The photo of him on the grass is when they had a bone each on Saturday, we've been going for walks and they are getting better at walking together without getting tangled up.

Ros

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'JASMIN'

Hi Heather,

Just a note to let you know how Jasmin is fitting into our lives. Jasmin has adopted to our life style very well, finally we have been able to stop her escaping from our back yard (5foot high brick fence) by increasing the height by another foot. She is extremely friendly and has become very favourable with most of our friends.

She still loves her walk every night now increased to 3 klms. Have taken her camping several times and must say when she sees the car being packed she is first in,(she loves the bush and camp fire) we keep her harnessed in the back seat while travelling which she does not mind.
Once again thanks for rescuing her from the pound she has fitted in so well and brings us much joy. All our friends comment how happy she appears as the tail is always wagging and she is ready for a play. She is eating well and maintaining her weight, fitness and good health. Must go and will keep you informed on any further developments. Keep up the good work and keep saving those Jacks.

Regards,  Ian & Rhonda McKinley.

 

 

"Daizee" 

Hi Jill,

Thanks for your Email. I was just about to send an Email to you today to let you know that little “Daizee" is settling in well.  She is finally enjoying her full backyard now that we finished fencing on Tuesday. I think we have house training pretty much under control now and we started puppy classes last Saturday.  She is learning all her commands very quickly and from 6-8pm each night seems to be manic time for her so we are learning how to diffuse that without coming out with too many injuries!!!  I have attached a couple of photos and will keep in touch as she grows.

Thanks for your good work. We are so glad we found our way to your website and are able to give a Jack a loving home.

Cheers,

Louise Gooddy & Jon Barber

DARLIN (BILLIE)

Just a short note to let you know how our Darlin (now known as Billie) is progressing. She has become such a treasured member of our family, which she has entwined around her little paw - 

almost, but not quite, including the 24-year-old cat. He still treats her with disdain, as he has all our dogs over the years, but has accepted that she is part of the household. Billie has grown a lot

in confidence, and just loves her walks, which usually have to last at least an hour to an hour and a half, and at quite a brisk pace, which is good for our wellbeing as well as hers! We're so glad you

rescued her. Keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Pam and Bruce

 

"Daisy"