John Hathaway

Jack Russell Terriers were bred to dig foxes out of their holes. But in the absence of foxes, they’re quite happy to chase pretty much anything that moves. Compared to her days in San Francisco, our Charlotte has a much broader variety of prey here in Vieques, including chickens, lizards, and the occasional horse. But a few weeks ago she found her new absolute favorite: crabs.

As soon as we get to the beach, she’s on patrol looking for crab holes. They’re plentiful, so it doesn’t take her long. She’ll dig frantically for a few seconds, then stop and stick her head down the hole as far as it will go to sniff out the crab. Dig, dig, dig. Sniff, sniff, sniff. Dig, dig, dig... this may go on for several minutes until over half her body is in down the hole. (JRTs do NOT give up. Ever.) Eventually, she’ll get to the little crab. (They’re 1-2 inches.) Often it will escape and scurry toward the water with Charlotte close behind. We try to let them get away if possible, but she’s usually too quick. Twice she’s got a good pinch on the nose, but that only deters here for a few minutes.

Occasionally Charlotte will take a break and swim with us. She’s gotten much better at it over the past year. The first time she went to the beach she’d just bark and snap at the waves. But as soon as she’s done, it’s right back to crab patrol.