The AKC terrier is now called the Parson Russel Terrier. It is a very elegant terrier that is correctly up on leg. It cannot be over 15 inches in height or under 12 inches in height. It is a lovely dog.
The Jack Russel Terrier that has short crooked legs and a longer body is not AKC recognized. There are a lot of those out there and maybe this is what you have seen. This type of terrier is called "Jack Russel Terrier". The AKC breeders had the name changed to "Parson Russell Terrier" (which is what it is called in England) so that they could distance themselves from the incorrect short legged terrier.
There is tension between the two groups of breeders... each claiming they have the "correct" type.
