Jacks in the Spotlight Multiple Choice Quiz | Famous Animals

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Although there has been debate as to his true breeding, a Jack Russell type dog named Nipper was probably the first to make it into the spotlight. What was his claim to fame?

Answer: He was the model for the RCA Victor/HMV trademark dog.

Nipper's true breeding has not been proven and he is variously described as a Rat Terrier, a Fox Terrier, a cross breed and an early Jack Russell. However, subsequent "Nippers" used by HMV have been Jack Russells.

Nipper was born in 1884, and was the dog immortalised in a painting by Francis Berraud, his owner's brother, which pictured him listening to an Edison Bell cylinder phonograph. A modified version of this painting became the trademark of RCA Victor and gave rise to the slogan "His Master's Voice".

Nipper, so named for his habit of biting visitors in the leg, died in 1895.

2. From 1995-1998, a Jack Russell with the rather grand name of "Willowwall Soccer" was the star of which TV series?

Answer: Wishbone

"Wishbone" was an Emmy award winning PBS educational series designed to encourage children to read. The eponymous hero,a Jack Russell terrier, daydreams, imagining himself as the hero of such classic tales as Ivanhoe, Don Quixote and Robin Hood.

Soccer was born on May 17. 1988, and was so called because of both his coat markings and his love of soccer balls. Previously he had been the star of TV commercials for Mighty Dog and Chuck Wagon dog food. He beat over 100 other dogs to the role of Wishbone. He lived with his owner, Jackie Kaptan, on a ranch in Plano, Texas, and died of natural causes on 26 June 2001.

3. When a Jack Russell called Pooh disappeared on April 17, 1994, it was the subject of many headlines in the United Kingdom with both his owner and various newspapers offering rewards for his safe return. To whom did Pooh belong?

Answer: Prince Charles

Five year old Pooh disappeared while on a walk through the woods at Balmoral Castle with Prince Charles and his other Jack Russell, Tigger, who was Pooh's mother. Despite extensive searches by estate staff and the offer of a 1500 pound reward by the Daily Mail newspaper and one of an undisclosed sum by Prince Charles, Pooh was not found.

She was so named by Prince William after his favourite A A Milne character. Camilla Parker Bowles owned Pooh's sister from the same litter.

4. When he died at the age of seventeen, this Jack Russell named Chalky was well known on television, had his own range of merchandise and even had his own ale, Chalky's Bite. To which TV star did Chalky belong?

Answer: Rick Stein

A rough coated Jack Russell, Chalky was Rick Stein's devoted companion and filmed with him up to a month before his death. He was born in August 1989 and was so named because Rick's middle son, Jack, at the age of four, had an imaginary dog called Chalky who was small and white, with a patch.

When the family went to buy a puppy, he fitted this description to a T. He died on January 13, 2007.

5. At the 1983 Crufts Dog Show, a Jack Russell named Bothie performed a Circuit of Honour. For what achievement was he being honoured?

Answer: He was the first dog to travel to both the North and South Poles.

Bothie is the Polar Dog who was owned by Ranulph Fiennes and whose name is a colloquial term for an outhouse. He was the first dog to travel to both the North and South Poles as part of the Transglobe Expedition. He had a special polar suit and boots made for him to keep him warm while in Antarctica.

His exploits were detailed in the book "Bothie the Polar Dog" by Virginia and Ranulph Fiennes.

6. Eddie, the faithful companion of Martin Crane in the hit TV series "Frasier", is probably one of the best known Jack Russells in the world. What was Eddie's real name?

Answer: Moose

Moose was born in Weirsdale, Florida on Christmas Eve 1990. His first two owners put him up for adoption as he was too boisterous to control. He was finally adopted by Kathy Morrison of Universal Studios in Florida and was given to Mathilde DeCagny Halberg of Birds and Animals Unlimited to train when he was two and a half years old. He died at her home of natural causes on June 22, 2006.

Enzo was Moose's son and successor in later years on Frasier and was specifically bred to look like Moose so that he could take over the role.

7. In addition to Eddie on "Frasier", Jack Russells have featured prominently on TV shows. In the late 1980's "Hooperman" was a series where John Ritter shared the screen with which Jack Russell character?

Answer: Bijoux

Bijoux was played by a Jack Russell called Little Britches who was owned and trained by Cindy James, the step daughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of "Tarzan". Little Britches also had the main canine role in "Harry and the Hendersons" and appeared in TV commercials for Kibbles'N Bits. She died in 1999, aged fourteen.

Folie was the Jack Russell who was the stand-in for Moose in the earlier episodes of "Frasier".

8. George, a Jack Russell from Manaia, New Zealand, was awarded the PDSA Gold Medal for bravery, the animal equivalent of the George Cross. For what act of courage was this medal awarded?

Answer: He saved a group of children from attack by two Pit Bull terriers.

On April 29, 2007, George was accompanying a group of five local children aged between 3 and 12 years when they were attacked by a pair of Pit Bull terriers. George charged them and fought them off long enough for the children to escape. He was wounded beyond the help of medical treatment and had to be humanely euthanised as a result of his injuries.

The medal was hung around the statue of the brave dog which has been erected in the town in his memory. The PDSA Gold Medal is the highest honour for outstanding animal bravery and exceptional dedication.

9. Which famous Jack Russell has an autobiography entitled "My Life as a Dog"?

Answer: Moose

Co-written with Brian Hargreaves, this book tells the life of Moose, the Jack Russell, who became famous as Eddie on the TV Show "Frasier". Moose was also Jim Carrey's companion, Milo in "The Mask" as well as appearing in "My Dog Skip". He was also Sparky in the Rold Gold Pretzel commercials. Not too bad a CV for a Jack who started out life as a delinquent.

10. Jack Russells have also featured in various works of fiction, especially in children's books. In which of the following books will you find a Jack Russell?

Answer: All of them

"The Shandon Ivy League Mystery Series" is written by Karen Petit on whose dog Ivy, the heroine, is based. The books revolve around a motley group of animal characters including Hoover the hyperactive Jack Russell puppy, Ernest the English Pug, Spooky a homeless cat and Blitz the handsome police dog.

In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by JK Rowling, our Jack Russell character takes the form of Ron Weasley's patronus; a patronus being an insubstantial animal form created by the Patronus spell. It works like a shield and takes the form of an animal which is said to reflect the feelings or character of the creator. Harry's patronus is a stag and Hermione's is an otter.

"Pip of Pengersick : A Smuggler's Tale" by Jane AC West and Oliver Lake details the adventures of Pip, the Jack Russell puppy adopted by a group of smugglers in Cornwall. The same authors also have another Jack Russell character in the form of Tartu, the heroine of "Tartu's Close Encounter" and "Tartu and The Curse of the Pharaoh".

This quiz is dedicated to two Jack Russells who were never in the spotlight but who lit up (Gemma) and still light up my life (Kaycee).

Source: Author KayceeKool

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor DakotaNorth before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Jacks in the Spotlight Trivia Quiz

As anyone who has ever owned a Jack Russell terrier knows, they are extraordinary little dogs. I thought it would be fun to look at Jack Russells who have made into the spotlight for one reason or another.

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