DOUBLE DIPPING ENCOURAGED!

Your Mom may have told you not to dip your chip back in the dip after you have bitten that chip but we at BTRNC are happy to have adoptive families come back for a second boston baby! We are thrilled at the number of times our families come back to adopt a sibling for their newest addition.

Brody's Mom came back and adopted Spencer (now named Jack) at the end of 2007. Isn't Jack a handsome man? We are sure that the cross bones on his bandanna are no reflection on his personality!

His new Mom wrote to let us know that he and Brody became instant and fast friends and the three enjoy walks together. Jack particularly enjoys meeting new people on their walks. Jack likes to say hello by doing his best imitation of a pogo stick! This makes it easy to pet him - no bending over required!

At the end of a long day, Brody and Jack get to sleep in a warm bed with soft covers. Jack was rescued and given a second chance at a most wonderful life.

Please check our available dogs and feel free to start with one, but if you find that is not enough, by all means double dip!

Sweet Dreams Jack!

SCOTTIE HAS AN ACCOMPLICE!

When reviewing our available dogs page, there is a category that answers whether or not the featured dog is good with cats. Bostons all have unique personalities like most dogs. Most are good with cats. Some unfortunately don't mean any harm but they cannot resist the urge to chase what moves! Your resident cat may not appreciate this game and will soon grow tired of spending his days moving through your house by way of all the high places, never touching the ground. And cat owners know that when a cat is not happy, they find very strong ways of letting you know and making sure that you are not happy either.

The Boastful Boston has a cat who will spend hours grooming the resident bostons and the oldest will take her turn and groom the cat back! They are best friends. My cat is an indoor cat but she went through a phase where she felt that if her siblings go out the front door each morning, she should as well. For about 2 weeks, she would follow them out and follow them in each morning. Unfortunately, this bonding experience had to end when she decided to take a detour up a tree for a better view of her canine siblings. After my next door neighbor had to climb the tree and throw her down to me, she lost her morning outing privileges.

Scottie, adopted in 2007 is also good with cats. So much so that they have apparently entered into a conspiracy. Scottie wants something on the counter - after a brief conversation between the two, the cat jumps up on the counter and knocks the desired object to the floor within Scottie's reach.

Scottie, his forever family of newly weds, another boston and of course the cat are living a great life. If you have a cat, please don't be afraid to try a boston who has either been cleared as good with cats or one who has not yet had the opportunity to meet a cat. As is the case in my house, some of our volunteers and Scottie's house - a new best friend forever could be the result!

It's Not Easy Being Gidget

As you can see, Gidget has a very hard life at her house. Her wonderful people are volunteers for BTRNC who have accepted their limitations....they fail fostering so they do not attempt it. Instead, they answer the call for adult bostons in immediate need for safety, home and love. It is not always easy to have multiple fur babies with medical and other special needs in the house at the same time. In addition to the need for routine and medication schedules, there is always the worry that the time will all too soon arrive when it is time for a beloved family member to cross the Rainbow Bridge. Once across the Bridge, it is the belief of most dog lovers that our beloved pets are free of pain and other health problems and the will be free to romp and play until the long awaited day when dog and owner are reunited once more for eternity. Gidget and her family had to face that day not too long ago. Although Gidget misses her siblings, she knows her family does too so she does her best to make them smile every day. Her small way of saying thank you and I love you. We hope Gidget lights her family's days for a long time to come.

A CHAIN OF THANKS

I hope that everyone who attended the 5th Anniversary Celebration Saturday had a good time. I know I did. I can honestly say I have never seen so many boston terriers in one place at one time and I was in heaven! All adorable, all unique, and all out of shelters, puppy mills, abandon houses, and other bad situations. I would have driven twice the distance for half the kisses.

I would like to start a chain of thanks for ALL of the people who made this event possible. Thank you Roberta, Betsy, Patsy, Laura, Dawn, Alex, Carla, Laurie, Elaine, Donna, Mary, Jen, Kate and the list goes on and on. Thank you for organizing the event, the adoption boards, the memorial table, the e-vites, website information, the silent auction, organizing the donations, coordinating transports with the event, and so much more. Thank you to all those who came with their hearts and wallets open with donations and purchases of all that was available to sell and to those who brought former fosters, now forever babies so we could see them one more time. Thank you to all those who open their homes to foster so we can continue to rescue those in need. Special thanks to those who become forever fosters to those babies who for age or health reasons cannot be adopted knowing that they will be the ones to help them over the bridge. Thank you to the families of our members whose lives are impacted in so many ways every day and their support to this rescue.

Sometimes we forget to say how much we appreciate those who do so much and who have a part in the amazing success of this wonderful group. So, if you would like to add to my short list of names and contributions, please post a comment so everyone, not just our e-mail list members can see, add to the names as I have only scratched the surface and add to the things that go on behind the scenes.

AND ALL THE BOSTONS SAY THANK YOU TOO!

FOR THE LOVE OF A SENIOR DOG

Buddy, age 14. Buddy is on Our Dogs Page!

Opinions vary widely on the age a dog becomes a senior. Many medical professionals use a sliding scale taking weight and breed into account to calculate senior status. Dog food companies generally classify any dog over the age 0f 7 as a senior. Many dog owners who have the honor of sharing their lives with dogs 10 years and up swear that their dogs are far from seniors regardless of chronological age. Whatever rule of thumb you accept, dog lovers know that a senior dog provides endless joy and love. Here, quoted with permission by The Senior Dog Project (http://www.seniordogproject.com/) are:

The Top Ten Reasons to Adopt a Senior Dog

1. Older dogs are house trained. You won't have to go through the difficult stage(s) of teaching a puppy house manners and mopping/cleaning up after accidents.

2. Older dogs are not teething puppies, and won't chew your shoes and furniture while growing up.

3. Older dogs can focus well because they've mellowed. Therefore, they learn quickly.

4. Older dogs have learned what "no" means. If they hadn't learned it, they wouldn't have gotten to be "older" dogs.

5. Older dogs settle in easily, because they've learned what it takes to get along with others and become part of a pack.

6. Rescued older dogs are good at giving love, once they get into their new, loving home, they are grateful for the second chance they've been given.

7. What You See Is What You Get: Unlike puppies, older dogs have grown into their shape and personality. Puppies can grow up to be quite different from what they seemed at first.

8. Older dogs are instant companions -- ready for hiking, car trips, and other things you like to do.

9. Older dogs leave you time for yourself, because they don't make the kinds of demands on your time and attention that puppies and young dogs do.

10. Older dogs let you get a good night's sleep because they're accustomed to human schedules and don't generally need nighttime feedings, comforting, or bathroom breaks.

The list could go on and on. The Boastful Boston would like to add two more:

The eyes of a senior dog hold such expression, such love and such a desire to please, that any person that looks into them feels as they have been given a great gift.

This older owner admits that she no longer has the energy to keep up with a puppy. A puppy who is not entertained is a destructive puppy. How grateful am I, when I can sit quietly and type with one hand and pet my senior baby with the other!

It is true that a senior dog's time with a forever family MAY be shorter than a younger dog. But please remember that the life span of any dog cannot be predicted, from the youngest puppy to the 19 year old that the Boastful Boston had the honor of adopting at age 6. And besides, no matter how long they live...... it's never long enough, is it?

Here are some of our senior babies, both forever and foster.

Nelly (in the front), age 11, with siblings from left to right, Tootsie and Diego.

Read more about Nelly on Our Dogs page.

Gus, age 9. Read more about him on Our Dogs Page!

Kelsey, the Boastful Boston's own 14 year old angel!

Sam, age 14. Adoption Pending!

Dixie, age 12, adopted!

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Dogs come into rescue and foster care into a loving temporary home. Some have already had homes and families. For some, foster care is the first real home they ever had. Some people worry that it is unkind to move dogs from a foster home to a forever home since it is one more adjustment. To all of you who have considered adopting one of our foster babies and who have wondered about this concept, the Boastful Boston wants you to know that dogs understand more than we can imagine.

At the end of the adoption process, when a successful match is made, the interaction between the new family and the newest addition quickly communicates to the fur baby that they are home for good. They do not forget their foster family or others in rescue who have helped them along their way, but when a dog is home for good, they somehow understand that their journey is over.

I could highlight an number of adopted dogs to prove this point, but for today, I choose Yoda. Seen at the top of this entry surveying his new home from the comfort of the sofa, he seems to be taking everything in. Yoda now has a sister Emma and his new 2 legged brother has just enough room to hold them both when they have had enough of the cold snow!

Yoda apparently enjoys a hammock pose as well.

And looking at the final picture.... do you doubt that he knows he his home at last? Sleep well Yoda, you deserve a rest!

SO MANY THINGS TO LEARN

Ripken is one of the BTRNC 6-pack. Please check out their story on our home page or click on the 6-pack link for Ripken or the other members on our available dogs page! These beautiful babies have so much to explore and learn! See, they've never known houses, or furniture, or carpet or life indoors.

Ripken's foster Mom recently shared with the group that among the things Ripken did not yet know is something as simple as a nap. Before coming in to rescue, Ripken had only slept in a crate! At the end of a long house cleaning session, "Mom" decided to take a nap. She gathered Ripken and the other 2 resident bostons on the bed. Ripken just stood there, confused as to what to do. She began to pet him and encourage him to lay down. Ripken has not yet caught on to this favorite boston pass time.

We hope that one day very soon Ripken will not only want to nap on a bed, that he will not want to give up the warmth of the covers on that bed.

Ripken's foster Mom also shared that he LOVES to see water. He gets to walk to the lake most days and is fascinated with the ducks. He also gets more confident each day enjoying all the attention and play his Mom can give him. Ripken was already handsome, now he is becoming a happy boy too!

Maybe you are the forever home Ripken is looking for and you can continue showing all the things that can happen in a loving home. While he is waiting, his foster family will continue to prepare Ripken for a long life of love and happiness.