A friend of mine tells a story about a mission trip he and his wife took to South America. While there, a huge spider, common to that region, was in their quarters. As everyone gathered to get a closer look, one of the locals called out "They jump!" I think of this story every time some one meets Runtly, the Jack Russell Terrier, for the first time. I have to warn them....... he jumps.
Runtly has now passed the age of 6 months and is nearly full grown. He is true to his breed, full of endless energy. He can go from zero to 60 mph in under two seconds and when he kicks in the turbo boosters, he looks like a white bullet. And.......he jumps.
He not only jumps straight up and down, he has now mastered being able to ricochet off of a counter stool to land in the middle of the kitchen island. While all this is quite humorous, it also causes some panic.
The guide book, Jack Russell Terriers for Dummies, states that this breed of dog has a tendency to forget where they are. If they are on top of something high and their focus is distracted, they can literally walk off the edge and fall.
Our back deck, where I do my domain surveying, is about eight feet wide by ten feet long. Not huge, but just the right size for four chairs and a small table. A 2x6 graces the railing on the long sides and its main purpose is for Tigger, the cat, to have a place to lounge. It also provides Tigger with an escape route when he has had enough of Runtly, or when he simply wants to drive the dog crazy while waltzing around the deck, just above Runtly's head.
We were sitting out on the deck the other afternoon when the grip of panic happened. Runtly got into one of the chairs, jumped and landed on top of the railing. This would not be such a big deal except for the fact that the top of the railing is nearly nine feet off the ground. Fortunately, my husband was sitting close by and was able to catch Runtly before he exited stage left, into thin air. About five minutes later, he did it again and I caught him that time.
We tried moving the chairs to the center of the deck, which totally ruins their function, and that did not work. Now, they are stacked up, one on top of the other, and placed far enough away from the railing to keep Runtly from taking flight.
The above mentioned book also states that if a fence is put up to keep a JRT within a certain area, it needs to be at least five feet tall and buried twelve inches in the ground. I do not relish the idea of having to make the back deck look like a giant baby crib, but I do not relish the idea of having a dog with broken legs either.
We have discussed many options as to what to do, from chicken wire (bleck) to lattice (double bleck), none of which sound appealing to the eye, or very user friendly for Tigger. Hopefully some idea will come to us soon.
The weirdest part of this whole thing is that there is a two foot tall baby gate that keeps Runtly from going down the steps from the deck. He never jumps over it.
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