Bingo Bango

We had lost our old Jack Russell Terrier, Scooter, aka “Doot” in March of 2006. He was fourteen years old when he died. Doot had been a rescued dog. We were greeted with “There goes Scooter” when we went to see him. We had enjoyed him so much that when a friend had a huge litter of Jacks and was having trouble finding homes for all of them, we took one and called him “Junebug”. He joined Doot and a rescued German Sheppard named “Honey Baby”. Unfortunately, we lost Honey to a brain tumor after not enough years.

In May of 2006, we got word that there was a “Jack” at HART. Pam went to look at him and fell in love. She said he was so affectionate and he was all white except half of his face was tan. She said it was like Bingo and Bango with the division of color on his face. Since you can probably tell we are not opposed to strange names for our dogs, it stuck and he became Bingo Bango.

Junebug had retired to the couch since March and was known by the nickname “29 Pounds of Love”. The new guy changed all of that. Games, hunting in the garden and wild chases (in the yard and through the house) soon had Junebug down to a very fit 24 pounds. With a regular diet, Bingo Bango was able to increase his weight during this time from 13 to 16 pounds.

Bingo Bango had only been at his new home for three days when we loaded him up and went camping on the North Shore of Lake Superior so Pam and I could do a shorebird nesting survey. With our canine field crew on leashes we scrambled over rocks and along beaches in search of Piping Plovers. The first evening, Bingo Bango slept in his crate. By the second evening, he was in a huge “puppy pile” with his “Uncle Buggy” and the humans that were a lot of fun to snuggle next to. By the end of our trip, the bonding was complete and the new pack was established. The picture shows Pam with Junebug and Bingo Bango by the lupines at Beaver Bay on the North Shore.

The rest of the summer was a massive learning experience for “Little BB”. Questions like, “Why can’t I do it in the house if they can?” were finally worked out. All of Junebug’s old toys became his. Words like “Come here” and “Good Boy” started to connect. Threats to his very existence by his “Uncle” and his humans became less frequent. Then there was the horse show…

Pam had started Bingo Bango in the Beginning Obedience Class with the Brainerd Kennel Club. His first class was not very noteworthy except for the part where he tried to kill all the big dogs in the Amory. That weekend we went camping at a horse show in Iron River, Wisconsin to see old friends. He transferred that “blood lust” from big dogs to horses. You know, there are a lot of horses at a horse show.

We decided to take Bingo Bango and Junebug off the show grounds to see if we could “calm The Bing” down. We went to a little wayside park with lots of trees and a lake. After about an hour or so of birding and looking at rocks he was calm and his “Uncle” was bored. Bingo Bango was able to maintain his new attitude for the rest of the weekend so we all had a great time at the show. The picture was taken at the horse show while he was waiting out a rainstorm in our Scamp.

Ken & Pam Perry

Parson Russell Terriers (formerly Jack Russell) are not the right dog for everyone. They are high energy and very much have a mind of their own. They require consistent training and an owner with dog experience.

Read more at the AKC site.