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| puppy photos (before his eyes had opened in Oklahoma) |
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with his two siblings
(Orbit on the left) |
6 weeks old
(day 1 on the road and first time on grass) |
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| 7 1/2 weeks in Florida |
in Mount Dora, FL |
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10 weeks old
with Dilly at home |
1 year old
San Antonio, TX and somewhere in Florida |
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all grown (1.5 years)
at home |
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I had wanted a Jack Russell for about 20 years. I decided this time I would stick to my guns and get one. I pounded away at Petfinder and all of the Russell Rescue groups for months. The only ones that were available were either seniors, Chihuahua mixes, or clear social issues. With my active lifestyle and the adventure that I can provide, I like to adopt new dogs when they are about a year old. With COVID-19 in 2020, small dogs at shelters were in short supply. And the shelters were even more selective: no apartments, must have a backyard, no other dogs, must do home visits, no out-of-state adoptions, must sign paperwork that you will never let the dog off-leash. I even sent videos and photos of my lifestyle but no dice. The constant rejection was ridiculous and painful.
So, much to my shame, I started looking at breeders. I have always gone the rescue route. California breeders had two-year waiting lists. I finally found a breeder in Oklahoma and took the plunge. I was driving to Florida anyway (see the roadside part of my website) and made the arrangements. I picked him up at six weeks of age and he joined up for about a month on the road. A great experience for him since he got to see 10 states and experience all kinds of sights, sounds, and different environments during what's known as the "fear period" in puppies when it's best to expose them to all potentially scary things.
I hadn't had a puppy in 40 years and really could have lived without another one. Orbit is now about four years old. He easily learned a bunch of tricks since he's very food-motivated. The other dogs were terrified of him at first but now everybody is great friends.
I had been looking for a long-legged, smooth Jack. I like smooth coats and athletic dogs with long legs. However, this guy turned out to be a "shortie", which is fine. His feet, head, and nose are oversized in proportion to the rest of his body. He's all muscle now from lots of exercise. He gets to run every day at the beach, schoolyard fields, and local trails. He is obsessed with our remote control racecar and chases it for about 40 minutes twice a week. He loves people and other dogs. He is crazy about squirrels and other wildlife. He also likes to eat grass and seaweed.
Here are a few videos at Instagram taken during his first roadtrip to Florida in 2020: first time running outside; learning to wait in the van; and snacks.
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Why buy or breed when you can