I need help ASAP - Problem with my JRT (f)

[Shmee]

This morning, while preparing the leashes/harnesses and dogs for their daily walk, I noticed my female JackRussell was outside in the yard playing with some sort of ball. After realizing that there were no balls outside, I then saw what it was that was in her mouth and being tossed about. It was a baby sparrow. The badnews is it's still alive!!! After throwing my female off this poor creature and seriously scolding her (I know, she's just doing what comes natural) I assessed the health concerns of this tiny bird. Tail feathers severly damaged, severe respiratory distress (porbably due to it's little chest cavity being crushed) and the worst and most horrific malady was, after counting the number of legs, I could only come up with a grand total of #1. The other was nowhere to be found and I shudder to think that it lies within the stomach of my jackrussell who is now known as, "The Devil Kaytee". The poor thing's leg had been snapped off at the top of it's thigh. It can no longer standup, but 2hours have passed and it's still alive in the little open shoebox I have provided for it that now sits out of doggy reach ontop of a trashcan and out of immediate sunlight. It is within reach of the mother sparrow that keeps flying overhead.
Does anyone know what the chances for the survival of this bird would be given the description of it's condition? There was no blood visible save for what was at the mutilated stump of what's left of the leg and it seems to have stopped bleeding.

I have an older birdcage that I used 2 summer's to nurse a baby robin back to health, but this is a different predicament with much more serious conditions.

Furthermore, is there anyway to condition this behavior out of my Jack for good?
My male will sniff small animals but leaves them be. He will chase what runs from him but wont harm the smaller critters. (Squirrels and rabbits are his arch enemies for now, but I don't think he would know what to do with one if he were to actually catch it.)

Any help with this would be great,

Thanks!
-Shmee

[Ritz459]

Sad to say, but even if the baby bird lives through its injuries, I don't think it will make it on its own. Healthy and fit birds have a hard enough time of it; there is a reason you don't see any disabled birds in the wild. They just don't make it. If you have a wild life rehabilitator near you I'd give them a call. They may know what to do.

As for your JRT, you can't train preydrive out of an animal. Rose will snatch up any small animal that she can. She loves to hunt and does so. Nothing I can do has changed that. You can manage the preydrive (Rose has a wonderful recall, knows "drop it", and also "leave it"), but Rose will hunt if given the opportunity. Frankly, I don't really mind...she keeps the rodents out of the garden better than a cat could.

[Sentry]

Ritz459 is right on the money, you can't take the prey drive out of a JRT. About the only thing you could do is redirect it onto a toy or ball but it's still not going to stop one once they get ahold of a critter. Poor baby bird most likely won't make it. I'd just limit the time your JRT has outside and unsupervised or we just learned to accept JRTs are gonna do these things. We watch as much as we can but at least once a year ours kills something.=(

[Cassiepeia]

Yup, your dogs are Terriers. That means they were bred specifically to kill small animals. It was always their job and you can't train it out of them. You just have to accept it as part of their nature. I have no doubt your male would do the same thing if he was motivated enough.
I agree, just limit the time outside unsupervised. Other than that there is nothing you can do.

As for the bird. It should have been taken to the vet the moment you got it out of the dog's mouth. Only a vet can save it or determine its fate, but a good guess would be that it will not make it.

Cass.

[Shmee]

Updates:
After checking on it this morning, our unfortunate sparrow chick was "foot" up to the sky with eye's glazed over within the little open topped shoebox we prepped for it. We did see the parents caring for it as best they could several times, but I suppose it succumbed to the obvious. I feel better knowing the poor thing isn't suffering anymore and I'm honestly glad I don't have to be in the situation. Shades of 2 years ago with a baby robin we adopted. If I would have blinked he would have been food for the lawnmower, but, to his good fortune I noticed him before "John Deere" did. That was a 2month affair of constant care and feedings and was comparable to the care of a premature infant.
Incidentally, to those that were wondering... In the State of New Jersey, it is ILLEAGAL to care for any wild animals without proper licensing and permits. So, as far as taking the baby bird to the vet, it would have been turned away. I actually have a friend that saw a "cute little duck" get hit by a car. It was a glancing blow off a windshield, but, he, like myself an animal lover, decided to do the standup thing and take the small duck to the local vet's office. Well... To make a long story semi-shorter, the duck turned out to be an endangered species of woodduck and when the duck was delivered to the vet's office, the Commission of Wildlife/Endangered Species of NJ was contacted and dispatched to the scene. They aquired my friends address and he was charged in court with handling an endangered species that brought with it possible jail time and a $1000 fine. The judge said he would be kind to my buddy and not require him to serve time behind bars. The fine, however, was a different story and he had to pay it. I think I speak for all that read this forum that we probably all would have all acted in a similar manner.
In regards to my little robin chick, I had to drive 2 and a half hours into PA just to deliver it to a rehab center that was up to standard. When I finally arrived, I was met by the equivalent of a Nurse Ratchet type of receptionist who only asked me why I treated the bird myself. I realize domesticating wild animals isn't a good idea, but the thing would be dead today without my care. Not to toot my own horn, but I kind of felt slighted in that there was zero appreciation that I brought this creature in to be cared for.

Anyway, bottom line to all this is that my little sparrow friend is in a better place and no doubt in that place he'll be fitted with a little prosthetic sparrow leg as well. R.I.P. lil' friend

I will try to supervise the future fence runs when I'm able for my 2 Jacks and do my best to deal with the prey/agression thing.

Putting up signs that read, "CONSIDER THIS YOUR FINAL WARNING" for the wildlife,
-Shmee

P.S. Thanks to all for the support and suggestions!!!