Jack? Jack Russell?

It truly surprises me, but people are always asking what kind of dog Henry is. He's a little white dog with black spots. Seems ordinary enough to me, yet one person stopped her vehicle in an intersection to ask his breed.

Usually my answer goes something like this:

“Well, he was a stray, so I don’t really know, maybe a mix of …” And depending on my mood I insert two or more of the following:

• Rat Terrier
• Mountain/Treeing Feist 
• Jack Russell 
• Beagle 
• Spaniel (I don't see it, but the vet mentioned it as possibly being in the mix.)

I’ve spent more time than I care to admit perusing photos of the above breeds and types. My best guess is he’s a mix bred for hunting, maybe some variety of feist. My second guess: he's the product of a romantic encounter between a rat terrier and a beagle.

What cracks me up, though, is that so many people have such strong opinions about whether he is or is not a Jack Russell. There are a lot of strong feelings out there about Jack Russells! I’ll give my standard answer about not really knowing, blah blah, and people will reply:

“That’s a Jack Russell right there. My < insert family member here> has one that looks EXACTLY like that.”

Then the next day someone will say, with equal conviction (sometimes bordering on rage):

“He’s not a Jack Russell. That’s for sure!”

So, who knows, but if you can figure it out and produce dogs that are similar, you might have quite a market for them here.