Toomevara English Jack Russell Terriers

Testimonials from our puppy families
The bottom line: We will do everything in our power to make you happy with your experience with us.

A Pup for Kaleb
Haley was a pup from our 2010 Clare litter. Haley went to a very special little boy, named Kaleb.

A member of our family approached us with the story of a little boy, who suffers from leukemia. He was 5 years old and his only wish was to have a puppy, specifically a Jack Russell puppy.

Thanks to the generosity of many, we were able to place Haley from our Clare litter with Kaleb and make his dream come true.

Haley continues to be a joy to her family and Kaleb's mom says that Haley, now named "Rosie" brings much light and joy into Kaleb's world.

Click through the pictures below to see the card that Kaleb made for us, thanking us for his new puppy.

"I first befriended Jaimee and Don through our mutual love of Jack Russell Terriers. knew that they would commit themselves fully to the challenge of becoming responsible breeders. After much preparation and mentoring, Jaimee announced that Clare was to be bred. Since Clare has always been one of my favorite dogs, I jumped at the chance to own one of her puppies and a piece of Toomevara's inaugural litter. I placed a reservation and was first on the waiting list!

From the moment Clare's pregnancy was confirmed, Jaimee and Don were excellent at keeping us anxious puppy parents-to-be updated. We saw Clare's ultrasound pictures and watched her belly grow week after week. Jaimee even posted a video online of Clare's babies moving in utero while she was resting. On the night the puppies were born, Jaimee called me to let me know. Clare had delivered 5 girls and 1 boy in the comfort of Jaimee and Don's bedroom! I could hear the pride and emotion in both of their voices as they fussed over Clare and the puppies. I knew how much education, time, money worry and effort they had invested into breeding these dogs the right way...I also knew that their hard work was only just beginning.

For the next 8 weeks, Jaimee and Don ran themselves ragged raising Clare's puppies. They did everything they explain on their website and then some for these puppies, including weaning them to a raw diet and starting clicker and potty training. Myself and the other waiting puppy families were able to watch our puppies grow through the Toomevara blog, Facebook page, Shutterfly site and website. We also received frequent phone and email updates through Jaimee. Since she has waited for her own puppies, she truly understood the torture we were all going through and tried her best to alleviate it! Her efforts were much appreciated!

When temperament testing was completed, Jaimee spent over two hours on the phone with me discussing every aspect of the puppies' personalities. Since I already have three other dogs to consider, finding the puppy that would be able to blend into the pack most seamlessly was going to be challenging. With Jaimee's knowledge and guidance, I finally chose my puppy and felt great about the decision we had made together. Jaimee and Don immediately began calling my puppy by her new name, Saoirse (sare-shuh), so that she would know it by the time I brought her home.

When puppy pickup day came, Jaimee and Don gave me a folder of helpful puppy information along with the contracts and other paperwork relating to Saoirse. I also received a "new puppy take-home kit" with a puppy Kong toy, sample of Nupro, a fleece rope toy and puppy blanket that Jaimee had made, a bully stick and a few other goodies. Awesome! Although we worried about Saoirse being in the car for so long, Jaimee and Don's frequent car trips with the puppies had paid off. Saoirse slept almost the entire eight-hour ride home from Maine to New York! She was perfectly relaxed in the car and impressed everyone at rest stops with her calm demeanor and sweet face. Upon arriving home, her introductions to my other dogs went very smoothly and I breathed a sigh of relief. My new baby was finally here, and I was in love with her already.

Saoirse is now a little over four months old and is a truly perfect addition to my family! Just as Jaimee and Don said, her personality is such that she blends in wonderfully with my other three dogs. They act as though she has always been here, and indeed, I cannot imagine my life without her. Saoirse is steady, calm, curious, intelligent, sweet, playful and charming. Although she is a terrier and displays the wit and will of such, she is also highly affectionate and enjoys being petted and settling down on the couch next to me for a long snuggle. She is beloved by all who meet her and is the most well-adjusted puppy I have ever encountered. Nothing bothers her for long!

Although Saoirse is not my first puppy or even my first Jack Russell Terrier, I feel like a first-time puppy "mom" in many ways. She is my first fully raw-fed pup and also the first dog I have trained using exclusively positive, reward-based methods. Additionally, she is the first puppy I am following a minimal vaccination schedule with. In all of these areas, I have learned much from Jaimee and Don. Although they do not claim to be experts, they are committed to educating themselves about everything relating to dogs. Jaimee especially spends much of her time attending seminars on canine behavior and training, researching and reading. They are constantly updating and revising their knowledge of dogs and will gladly work with you to help you do what is best for your puppy.

In short, I am very happy to call Jaimee and Don friends of mine...but I am positively honored to call them my breeders. They are highly responsible, caring, ethical, professional, educated, sensible and wonderful people. If you are considering a Toomevara puppy to add to your family, I can assure you that it will be one of the best decisions you ever make!" ~ Sarah, New York

"I grew up with a menagerie of pets, the product of being raised by my mother who had grown up on a farm in South Dakota. Mom was so tolerant. She did say “no” from time to time (to a horse, and to a New Foundland puppy), but I grew up with some great pets.

The dog I grew up with was Corky, a lab mix, with whom I spent many many hours exploring the woods around the farm fields nearby. He was kind of ornery and willful in some ways, but he loved exploring. And when I discovered a really cool hemlock grove with a hidden ravine, we both had a common outlet. Corky passed away while I was off to college; I remember the night my mom called to tell me. It didn’t seem real. But there were so many other transitions taking place then, and, I was not home a lot by that time.

I graduated, found a job, moved….Then fell in love (lucky me!) and got married.

When Tony and I got married, we got a cat, Muffin, who lived 19 ½ years! A dog did not seem possible in those early years of working, starting our family… but when the kids started getting older, and we were always going to soccer and little league games, I found myself always playing with everyone else’s dog.

Eventually I decided to go the puppy route, and we brought home a Cardigan Corgi, whom we named Jack. Jack was a great fit for our family, at that time. I could bore you to tears with everything we did with Jack, and as I write this, I realize there is a place in my heart that still misses him. Jack was with us for many good years, through my kid’s school years. But in the way of dogs, his time came.

So I was suddenly dogless, at a time, when in a few months, my youngest child would be leaving for college. Empty nest syndrome looming bigtime, and I was not looking forward to this at all.

I began researching rescue dog possibilities immediately.. especially corgis and corgi mixes…. While my husband began researching puppies. I had not immediately opted for a puppy, since I no longer had after school kids who could help me maintain a schedule, as my son and daughter had with Jack.

But my husband was really focused on puppies. In particular, Jack Russell puppies.

“Are you crazy?” was my first response. When I had researched breeds before I got Jack, I had pretty much ruled out the whole terrier group. We still had an elderly cat at the time, and the impression I got from what I read, was that integrating a new terrier with existing pets was not the easiest thing to do. Plus, Jack Russells had a reputation for being HYPER.

Tony kept talking Jack Russell Terrior. I can be stubborn….my attitude remained Terriers = terriorists (of the dog world). Not an option.

Tony pressed on. I kept telling him that this breed was very hyper, too high energy for people with limited time (meaning, having to work!).

Finally, one day, he called me at work, 5 minutes before I had to go to this meeting. “Will you just look at this website, and read about these dogs?” ok ok ok! And after the meeting I did just that. On the Toomevara website, I read about the English Jack Russell Terrier lines, how it is distinct from the Parson’s JRT, how it is bred for a good temperament. So I said, Ok, Maybe we can consider this option.

Tony and I went to visit Jaimee and Don and their tribe of terriers, and we were happy with what we saw. They were busy bodies, very excited when we arrived, but also very people oriented. And, after a bit, they did settle. I got my fix of a dog happy to be in my lap… and some kisses to boot. I would have taken Gus home on the spot… so I said Ok. We made a reservation for the Clare X Duffy 2010 litter.

Over the summer we made our plans for bringing home our new pup; meanwhile I had the happy opportunity to visit the litter several times!

The most exciting day was puppy pick day. We ended up bringing not one, but two pups home from this litter (again, my husband’s brainstorm)! Phil and Bella have entranced our lives.

These puppies have been the perfect addition to our lives. Yes, being empty nesters, we can give them all our focus right now. But this has not been a difficult chore! They are bright puppies, very responsive to people and also very responsive to training efforts. They are doing well in training, both at home and in classes." ~ Cathy & Tony, Maine