And this is where the legends begin. The main and very beautiful legend, known to all: "God created Parson Russell, and he created his terriers. Although until now the influence of the priest himself on the development of the breed remains under question.

And this is where the legends begin. The main and very beautiful legend, known to all: "God created Parson Russell, and he created his terriers. Although until now the influence of the priest himself on the development of the breed remains under question.

What we know for certain is that John (Jack) Russell was born in Devon, England, on December 12, 1795. By this time, terriers with a predominant white coloration were already known. John Russell had chosen the path of a clergyman, as had his father. But unlike the common image of a priest, Parson ("Parson" in English means "Priest") Jack was a flamboyant, unbridled athlete, an excellent boxer, and was not averse to skipping Sunday sermons to hunt with his beloved fox terriers. His menagerie included hounds, ferrets, and, of course, terriers, which he always favored.

According to legend, around 1819, Russell saw a terrier-like bitch of white in the Oxfordshire area. It had a coarse coat, had dark brown spots around its eyes and ears, and the same spot was at the base of its tail. It sat on the milkman's cart and her name was Trump. It must have been love at first sight, for Parson, whose passion for working dogs was legendary, immediately made a deal on the spot with the milkman and bought the dog. With his inner canine sense, Russell sensed that Trump possessed the qualities he so valued in working hunting dogs: courage, endurance, bravery.

It is believed that Trump was the ancestor of a future new breed of Parson's terrier. Whether this is the case is unknown. Perhaps this is just one of the legends. It is known that Russell favored compact, coarse-haired, vigorous white terriers with narrow shoulders, strong legs, 35 cm high at the withers, weighing 6.5 - 7.2 kg

Today, looking at images of Trump, one can hardly recognize in her today's Russell Terrier. The only thing about her appearance that meets the breed standard is the white color with markings on the head and at the base of the tail. Otherwise, it is a rather poorly-boned, small-skulled dog with a hooked tail.

Pastor Jack Russell did not recognize aggressive dogs that maimed or killed foxes on the hunt. He believed it killed the spirit of the hunt. In Russell's opinion, the ideal terrier was a brave, intelligent, fast, tough little dog whose job was to bark and chase the fox out of the hole. Parson also strongly disapproved of his colleagues who mingled bull terrier blood with terriers to keep them rough and ruthless.

Russell was one of the most famous breeders as well as a terrier salesman of the time. It may be true that he preferred dogs with stiff coats, but he was known to keep smooth-coated dogs in his kennel as well.

There are two opposed versions about John Russell as a terrier breeder. According to one, he never registered his dogs, did not keep pedigrees, and sold his dogs indiscriminately. According to another version, he meticulously kept pedigree books. Whether this was the case is unknown. However, none of his pedigree books have been found. It is known that Parson Russell had regular financial difficulties, which caused him to often sell his dogs and then buy new ones. Anyone could claim to own one of Parson Jack's dogs. But while there is no obvious genetic connection between Parson Russell dogs and modern Russells today, Priest's influence on the type and size of dogs is undeniable. It is also undeniable that the Shepherd did much to popularize the hard-haired Fox Terrier, now one of the most popular breeds in England.

In addition, in 1873, Parson Russell was one of the founding members of the English Kennel Club. And in 1874 he judged the first official Terrier show. This was his first and last judging. He never exhibited his dogs. According to the gossip of the time, Parson thought his dogs were superior to those he saw in the ring. He famously said of his dogs, "They (my dogs) are true terriers, but they differ from modern show dogs as a wild briar differs from a garden rose." Jack Russell and his followers maintained the breed strictly for robotics, not for show, because they sincerely believed that terriers were working dogs, not show dogs.

John Russell died in 1883 and the 4 dogs that remained after him were sold. After his death, predominantly white terriers with specific markings became associated with the Parson Russell, and the name "Jack Russell Terrier" was born. As a result, all types of working hunting terriers were dubbed "Jack Russell Terriers," even if they bore a distant resemblance to the terrier's Parson Russell kept and bred.