Jack is one of the speediest Manchester terriers in the country, ranking in the top ten for his breed and size in Fast CAT—which, despite how its name sounds, is a 100-yard race for fast dogs (“CAT” stands for “coursing ability test”). He’s also a conformation champion and a distinguished flyball competitor. But Jack’s humans, retired Houston-area couple Mike and Veronica Hahn, are most grateful for his love and companionship—which gave them comfort during a dark period of their lives. Mike was kind enough to share his story with us.
“I would like to get a dog to get me through this.”
Jack came into Mike and Veronica’s home early in the COVID pandemic, as Veronica underwent treatment for breast cancer. “One day she walked out and said, ‘I would like to get a dog to get me through this,’” Mike says.
Veronica and Mike had gotten used to being able to travel on a whim in their retirement. “We knew that [getting a dog] would kind of hog-tie us,” Mike says, “but it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done.”
“That’s her baby,” Mike says of the bond between Jack and Veronica. “At night, he sits on mama’s lap and we watch TV—and when we go to bed, he sleeps next to me.”
Jumping Jack Flash
Jack’s registered kennel name includes “Jumping Jack Flash,” a reference to the Rolling Stones song and a fitting moniker for such a quick canine. His average speed is more than 25 miles per hour, which would have been good enough to win the 100-meter dash at the most recent Olympics if only dogs had been allowed to compete.
Mike says that Jack instinctively showed enthusiasm for sports, and in particular for Fast CAT. “I saw it on TV,” he remembers, “and said, ‘this looks to be exciting.’” So he gave Jack a chance to chase a lure, and found that he took to it immediately. “Either they’re going to want to chase it or they’re not,” Mike says of dogs’ varied prey drive and desire to run—and Jack wanted to chase it. Mike attributes this in part to the fact that Manchester terriers were originally bred to hunt rats, and for coursing.
Soon, it became apparent that Jack was so fast that Mike would not be an adequate running partner. “He would be bored to death chasing me,” Mike says. “So I needed something that was fast.” That’s when he and Veronica bought a foot-long remote control car, which did the trick.
“We put it down in the field, and he went nuts,” Mike remembers. “He twisted and turned and chased it. We still train with that remote control car—but he’s faster now, and he catches it. That’s the only problem.”
Keeping it positive
Mike’s biggest piece of advice for those who’d like their dogs to get involved in sports: “it’s got to be fun,” he says. “They’ve got to like what they’re doing—and if you make it negative, then you’re gonna lose them.”
Whatever sport you choose, your dog needs to have an inclination to participate in it—and you can’t be harsh when you train them. “You can’t get upset at the dogs,” Mike says. “You’ll see people that yell at them and jerk them, and that doesn’t work.” Instead, you have to find a way to motivate your dog to do what you’d like for them to do—give them a reason to think that something good will happen if they follow your lead. “You’ve got to be so patient with them,” Mike says. “You need a lot of patience and positive reinforcement.”
Mike says that Jack loves to run, and it shows when he trains and competes. Describing Jack’s excitement as race time approaches, Mike says: “He barks. He scratches me. He pushes up against me. He can’t stand it… it’s funny.”
Sports are also a chance for Jack to bond with his favorite people, as Mike and Veronica are both key parts of his routine. “She races him in flyball like I do,” Jack says, “and when we do Fast CAT she releases and I catch him on the other end. So it’s definitely a family. Our kids think it’s hilarious—I call him their brother, and my daughter laughs at that.”
In addition to looking after Jack’s mental and emotional health as he competes, Mike takes care to protect his body. They give him joint supplements, take warmup jogs, and stretch and massage him to avoid injuries. And they prioritize nutrition, including by feeding him The Farmer’s Dog.
“She held onto that dog”
No matter how many accolades Jack racks up in sports, nothing will top what he did for Mike and Veronica as she fought cancer during the depths of the COVID pandemic. “She’s clean now,” Mike says of his wife’s recovery, “but it was scary.”
Mike believes that Jack was an important factor in helping Veronica endure her toughest moments. “She’s been through hell, and never complained—but she held onto that dog, and that’s what got her through a lot of it.”
