Ron really loves food
Jack Russells are renowned for being just a little bit greedy, and their tendency to eat basically anything is certainly something that Ron Weasley and his Patronus type have in common. One of our favourite Ron food moments from the books is when Nearly Headless Nick, ‘seemed glad of a reason to turn away from Ron, who was now eating roast potatoes with almost indecent enthusiasm’. And in the films, we just loved it when Hermione asked him, exasperated: ‘Do you ever stop eating?’ His reply: ‘What? I’m hungry.’
We reckon that’s exactly what a Jack Russell would say if it could talk.
Ron is loyal at heart
The Jack Russell breed is known for loyalty. Ron might have had a few missteps, but fundamentally he was as loyal a friend as Harry and Hermione could have wished for. Our favourite examples? In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Ron was willing to sacrifice himself in a chess game so that Harry could get to the stone. And don’t forget that moment when he ended up eating slugs because he was sticking up for Hermione. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ron said of Dumbledore choosing to give him the Deluminator: – ‘he must’ve known I’d run out on you’. But Harry had it right when he replied: ‘No… He must’ve known you’d always want to come back’. We’re not crying, you’re crying.
Ron loves the limelight
And who can blame him? As the youngest Weasley brother, Ron was often given hand-me-down clothes and even hand-me-down pets (Scabbers). With Bill being perfect, Charlie being cool, Percy being – well – Percy, and the twins being hilarious, Ron must have felt like he had to fight to be the centre of attention. And let’s not forget that he was best friends with ‘The Boy Who Lived’ and the brightest witch of her age. No wonder then, that Ron enjoyed it when the limelight occasionally fell on him. Remember when he was the one who saw Sirius Black in the Gryffindor dormitory?
“Though still severely shaken by the night’s events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked, what had happened, with a wealth of detail.”
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Ron enjoys making a bit of mischief
Jack Russells are notoriously mischievous, and Ron definitely shares this character trait with his Patronus type. A huge fan of Zonko’s, and his brothers’ shop Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Ron was always up for a laugh. Even at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when he’d grown up and had children of his own, Ron showed off his sense of humour:
“Why are they all staring?’ demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students.
‘Don’t let it worry you," said Ron. "It’s me. I’m extremely famous.”
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Ron is always up for a game
If you like a dog that loves to play you can’t go wrong with a Jack Russell, and just like his Patronus type, Ron liked a game or two as well. He was an ace at wizard chess – so much so that at the end of his first year he was awarded crucial fifty house points ‘... for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years’ after beating McGonagall’s giant chess set. And of course, he loved Quidditch, particularly his favourite team – the Chudley Cannons, and he was even prouder to make it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Keeper. He might have had a shaky start but in the end, Ron pulled the Quaffle out of the bag and really was our king.
Ron has a tendency to be stubborn
When it came to arguments, Harry, Ron and Hermione were all pretty stubborn about their points of view. But if we were giving house points for stubbornness, we reckon Ron might just win the House Cup for how he behaved in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He managed to keep up his feud with Harry through quite a chunk of the story, adamant that Harry had entered himself into the Triwizard Tournament without telling Ron – his supposed best friend.
We agree with Hermione on this one: ‘‘You two are so stupid!’ she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front’. Honestly. This is another characteristic Ron shares with his Patronus breed – Jack Russells are known for their tenacious and dogged (get it?) ways.
Ron is brave, not fearless
Jack Russells were originally bred as hunting dogs, and would chase foxes, rats and other small animals into their underground holes and burrows. This meant Jack Russell Terriers often had to launch themselves into the dark unknown of another animal’s territory. Ron is undeniably brave too, but he isn’t fearless, and we think this made him one of the bravest Gryffindors around. He was afraid of spiders, and yet he still went with Harry, following them into the Forbidden Forest. Ron was also terrified of letting down the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Keeper, but he went out onto the pitch anyway, even amongst sarcastic Slytherin choruses of ‘Weasley is our King’.
Ron Weasley and his Jack Russell Patronus sure do make a courageous pair. Woof woof!