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Parson Russell terrier

AKC's 2025 Fast CAT best-of-breed sheet says 26 mph for Firecracker, a Parson Russell terrier, over 100 yards in 7.867 seconds.

A parson Russell terrier can run 26 mph (41.8 km/h), an official figure.

Also known as Firecracker
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Top speed

Published as 26 mphPublished as 26 mphPublished as 26 mph

AKC Fast CAT best-of-breed tabulation, 2025. Parson Russell terrier Firecracker, owned by Ed Mason & Nancy Mason. Time 7.867 seconds for 100 yards. The sheet's Speed in MPH cell is 26. Handicap 1.5 is a points multiplier, not a speed. This is a course average, not a stride peak, and it is not the greyhound's 1,201 feet (366 m) Guinness race.

OfficialAmerican Kennel Club (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • 1.1× Usain Bolt's 100 m world-record paceSourced · Usain Bolt, 100 m in 9.58 s. World Athletics, Berlin 2009. Averaged over the race
  • 40% of a cheetah's timed top speedSourced · Cheetah, 29 m/s. Sharp 1997, mean of three timed runs over 201.2 m
  • A football field in 7.9 sConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

Quick answers

People also ask

How fast can a parson Russell terrier run?

A parson Russell terrier can run 26 mph (41.8 km/h), an official figure.

Is that figure claimed or verified?

Parson Russell terrier is labeled Official. Ratified by a governing body such as the FIA, World Athletics or Guinness World Records.

What is the source?

The figure cites American Kennel Club, “2025 Fast CAT best of breed winners.”

Where does Parson Russell terrier rank?

Parson Russell terrier is 14th of 14 on Fastest Dog Breeds.

Mechanism

Why it's so fast

AKC's 2025 Fast CAT sheet says 26 mph for Firecracker, a Parson Russell terrier, over 100 yards in 7.867 seconds. The mph is that course average. It is not the greyhound's 1,201 feet (366 meter) race.

Dog
Firecracker
Time
7.867 s
Speed
26 mph
Course
100 yards, Fast CAT

  1. A 100-yard lure chase

    Fast CAT times a straight 100 yards while the dog chases a lure. Firecracker's 7.867 seconds is the clock, and 26 mph is 100 yards divided by that time. A radar on one stride is not the sheet. A Parson Russell terrier is a small earthdog. Firecracker's 26 mph in 7.867 seconds is the slowest breed best on this sheet and still a timed 100-yard lure chase.

  2. Not the greyhound course

    Star Title's greyhound record is 1,201 feet (366 meters) in 19.57 seconds. Firecracker's 100 yards is a shorter, different test, so the 26 mph is not averaged into that record and the greyhound's 41.8 mph (67.32 km/h) is not copied onto this breed.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 41.8km/h26mph11.6m/s22.6knRanked figure

    AKC Fast CAT best-of-breed tabulation, 2025. Parson Russell terrier Firecracker, owned by Ed Mason & Nancy Mason. Time 7.867 seconds for 100 yards. The sheet's Speed in MPH cell is 26. Handicap 1.5 is a points multiplier, not a speed. This is a course average, not a stride peak, and it is not the greyhound's 1,201 feet (366 m) Guinness race.

    The 2026 invitational, where it names this breed, was a later heat and is not this rank.

    Official
    American Kennel Club (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Dog
Firecracker
Course
AKC Fast CAT, 100 yards
Time
7.867 seconds
Speed
26 mph

Context

Background

AKC's 2025 best-of-breed sheet says 26 mph for Firecracker, a Parson Russell terrier. The time on that row is 7.867 seconds. Fast CAT is a 100-yard lure chase, and the regulations say the time is converted to miles per hour. The figure is the Speed in MPH cell. The handicap column is how points are scaled, and it is not a separate figure as a speed.

That 26 mph is an average over the 100 yards. It is not a radar reading of one stride. The greyhound's Guinness mark is a longer race and a different number, so this row does not replace it. A later invitational heat, when the 2026 article names one, is extra detail and not the figure.

Head to head

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