Vlakfontein Jack Russell's

10/05/2026

Happy Mother's day.

10/05/2026

Ons is opgewonde oor ons nuwe lid van ons kennel.

Justjack Chai of Vlakfontein.

22/04/2026

A BREEDER (with a capital B) is one who thirsts for knowledge and never really knows it all, one who wrestles with decisions of conscience, convenience and commitment.
A Breeder is one who sacrifices personal interests, finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture, and deep pile carpeting!
They gives up the dreams of a long, luxurious cruise in favour of turning that all-important Show into this year's "vacation".
The Breeder goes without sleep but never without coffee! in hours spent planning a breeding or watching anxiously over the birth process, and after-wards, over every little sneeze, wiggle or cry.
The Breeder skips dinner parties because that litter is due or the babies have to be fed at eight. She disregards birth fluids and puts mouth to mouth to save a gasping new-born, literally blowing life into a tiny, helpless creature that may be the culmination of a lifetime of dreams.
A Breeder's lap is a marvellous place where generations of proud and noble champions once snoozed. A Breeder's hands are strong and firm and often soiled, but ever so gentle and sensitive to the thrusts of a puppy's wet nose.
A Breeder's back and knees are usually arthritic from stooping, bending, and sitting in the birthing box, but are strong enough to enable the breeders to show the next choice pup in a Championship show.
A Breeder's shoulders are stooped and often heaped with abuse from competi-tors, but they're wide enough to support the weight of a thousand defeats and frustrations.
A Breeder's arms are always able to wield a mop, support an armful of puppies, or lend a helping hand to a newcomer.
A Breeder's ears are wondrous things, sometimes red (from being talked about) or strangely shaped (from being pressed against a phone receiver), often deaf to criticism, yet always fine-tuned to the whimper of a sick puppy.
A Breeder's eyes are blurred from pedigree research and sometimes blind to her own dog's faults, but they are ever so keen to the competition's faults and are always searching for the perfect specimen.
A Breeder's brain is foggy on faces, but it can recall pedigrees faster than an IBM computer. Its so full of knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse: it catalogues thousands of good bonings, fine ears, and perfect heads... and buries in the soul the failures and the ones that didn't turn out.
The Breeder's heart is often broken, but it beats strongly with hope everlasting... and its always in the right place! Oh yes, there are breeders, and then, there are BREEDERS!!

Author unknown.

15/04/2026

11/04/2026

Baie waar woorde.

THE DECLINE IN TERRIER COATS

Christine W. writes:

“Is a proper wire coat easy to lose with careless breeding? After looking at many pictures of old terriers from 50-100 years ago, it seems they've gotten much 'woollier' than they used to be. For instance, the old Wire Fox Terrier looked like it had a coat very similar to a JRT in it's earliest days, but now it seems much longer haired. Is it the result of breeding for 'beards' and other points other than a natural short, hard coat?”

My reply:

Yes, you have it exactly.

A really hard coat that sheds water and briar is what you want on a terrier in cold country. A hard coat is somewhat brittle, and the hairs will naturally break off if they get too long. Dog show judges, who have no idea what is actually important in a working dog, generally judge on all the wrong things. Chest size alone is more important than everything else that can be judged in the ring, but one of the few important visible things you want in a working dog (other than chest size) is a decent coat. A long curly coat is a soft coat, and a soft coat cannot shed water, ice and dirt like a hard one. I much prefer a good smooth coat to a woolly coated dog.

The best coat on a working terrier, in my opinion, is what is called a "slape coat." Not sure of the origins of the word (apparently northern slang for 'slippery' and for slate roofed), but I have been using it for more than 35 years and everyone who works dogs in the UK knows what it means as well. It's a hard coat, and pretty short, and it lays down with hard guard hairs on the outside. You will see it on a good working Patterdale or Fell, and sometimes on a Jack Russell of the right sort. Border terriers often have terrific slape coats, but we are seeing those get ruined by the ring as well.

I put coat a distant second to chest size in importance when looking for a working terrier, but when you are out foxing and the temperature is 15 degrees and its 20 mile-per-hour winds, you want a coat that is hard, and which the wind and water and ice cannot blow through. A linty coat or a long and woolly coat will generally not do.

10/04/2026

Seun se liefde vir sy hond.

Didi geniet die aandag.

03/04/2026

Vlakfontein Frikkie en sy groot vriend Kromdraai Ben wil net saam met die bal speel.

01/04/2026

Vlakfontein Frikkie.
Amper 6 maande.

Danksy Kromdraai Jack Russell's se hulp kon ons die mooi reuntjie teel.

31/03/2026

Oud maar nog nie koud.

Didi

31/03/2026

I came across an interesting piece in the True Grit newsletter (JRTCOA) from August 1989, Volume 13, Number 4.
(Thanks to Karen Daily for sharing the newsletters)

JACK RUSSELL TERRIER
Sir, The Parson Jack Russell Club are
pushing or may have pushed the Jack Russell as they see it into the Kennel Club. It is ironic that they have taken the name of a club that was basically formed in 1894 by Arthur Heinemann for a particular form of terrier work backed by some of the immortals of the old-time terrier man of his era. It is under such a flag of convenience that they are going to seek recognition when the bulk of opinion is against them.
Now to me terriers have always been the "foot soldiers" of the hunt - not for them the horn or scarlet coat but a cold earth or wet drain. They have been bred for gameness not only my preference which has always been J.Rs, but Lakeland Borders and Fell Types, two of which are KC registered. In my opinion they have suffered because of it, while the non pedigree workers are as strong as ever, so l ask all genuine terrier people to have nothing to do with this small minority.

G. BURNHALL
Martock, Somerset

The writer thinks this is ironic because the original club (formed in 1894 by Arthur Heinemann) was created to support working terriers — dogs bred specifically for hunting and real field work.

The writer believes most terrier people are actually against this move toward Kennel Club recognition.

Then they explain their personal view:

To them, terriers are the “foot soldiers” of the hunt — meaning they do the tough, dirty jobs (going into cold earths and drains), not the glamorous side of hunting.

Terriers were bred for gameness (courage and determination), not for looks or show standards.

They prefer working types like Jack Russells, Lakelands, Borders, and Fell terriers.

Two of those breeds are already registered with the Kennel Club, and in the writer’s opinion, they have suffered because of it (meaning they may have become more focused on appearance than working ability).

Meanwhile, non-pedigree working terriers (not KC registered) are still strong working dogs.

The writer ends by urging “genuine terrier people” not to support this small group pushing for Kennel Club recognition.