jack russell terrier with cats

hello everyone. I have a problem. my friend who loves her three kitties dearly has this obsession with getting a jack russell terrier. now we both have looked the breed up on the internet. they have various opinions on how to get them to like your cats. Jack russell's have been known to kill cats because they are hunters. she seems to think that if you get the dog as a puppy that they will be fine. my opinion is that it is in their instinct to torture or kill cats. she is stubborn and is still looking for a jack russell who likes cats. is there anyone out there who has positive or negative stories on these little dogs. i am really worried that she is just being selfish and not thinking about her kitties. i mean if it were me and i heard that the certain breed of dog that i wanted has been known to terrorize or kill cats i would never think ' well i can change them' i just wouldn't take the chance. please help me help her kittys

Boy, I've heard that before, and not just in one place. I don't have a personal story, but the prey instinct is very strong, and it's very possible that the dog will seem totally positive and then one day instinct would just take over. I would NEVER subject a cat to that. What is she thinking? There are other very smart dogs around that get along much better with cats!

My mother has had a jack russel for around 8 years. He is a very cute dog with a lot of personality. However, my mother has said she would never recommend the breed to anyone. First, he is very hyper, barks all the time (at thunder, invisible things outside etc), has peed on everything in her house, and is just a handful. She is moving to a new house in the next couple months and refuses to get new furniture in her beautiful new home because the dog will just pee on it.
He runs away any chance he gets (but always comes back).

For a period of time, we had a cat as well. The dog never did anything that made me think he would actually hurt our cat but he would not leave her alone either. He jumped on her all the time and generally p*ssed her off. It really got to the point where she would hide outside all the time rather than be around him. She was eventually hit by a car.

So, I guess you can tell that my advice is to not get a jack russel. Again, they are very cute dogs but take a lot of work and w/ 3 kittens, even if the dog didn't actually hurt them, he will certainly change their personality.

Mixing a terrier (bred to chase and kill small furry animals) with cats is not a good idea.

Click here, then click the 'Cats and Jack Russells' link under the 'Socialization Tips' section, and read the True Life Testimonials section.

Sure, they're cute, but if she wants to own one, she needs to know what she's getting into. A lot of them end up in rescues because they are high energy dogs, and can be very destructive, in addition to having a tendency to kill cats.

There are other breeds (or mixes) of dogs that are much better suited to keeping with cats, though any dog, no matter how gentle, should never be left unsupervised with cats. (We have two Lab mixes.)

I would personally advise against it unless your friend is 100% a incredible and experienced dog owner. And not only because they are working dogs that are bred to "go to ground" for badgers and the like..(a union of JRT and cat can be done but it takes a tremendous amount of work, effort and the right combination of personality...Its too much russian roulette for me)
The reason you see JRT's in rescue is because people think they are lapdogs.
These little dogs will bark and get into trouble etc, if the owners aren't doing right by them. They need to be trained, worked daily and exercised daily.