Thursday, August 20, 2009

BOSTONS KISS AND BOSTONS SLEEP




There are lots of people out there who do not like doggie kisses. Some find it offensive and others can't get past the thought of germs. This is their right and privilege and the Boastful Boston respects their right to be kiss free. But.....


If you don't like doggie kisses, maybe a boston is not your best breed selection. You see boston terrier's kiss almost as often as they breath. It is just a reflex and a way of saying "Welcome Home, I've Missed You, Thank You, I Love You, I'm Hungry, I'm Tired," and so forth. Many don't have tails that can wag and even those that do cannot create the table clearing frenzy of their golden retriever friends. So one theory is the kiss makes up for the lack of tail action! Yes yes, you can train them not to kiss if you must, but it's kinda like teaching a child not to laugh! In both cases, there will always be something missing.

Pictures of bostons kissing are rare because it is difficult to hold the camera while you are receiving your kisses but you can get the visual.

All dogs sleep or at least we hope they do, the sooner the better usually, but bostons sleep anywhere in any position. The same dog you wanted to send to play out in traffic 15 minutes ago for trying to eat you shoes - while they were on your feet - becomes your adored angel when their eyes are closed and their heads are down.

Here is Harley, much loved foster and now forever family member with his new fur sibling, Zoe. By the way the dot on his head does not turn him off!





Lucy sleeps with her eyes open.





You get the idea. Bostons kiss and bostons sleep and in between they fill those lucky enough to live with one with love, laughter, a little frustration and a whole lot of fun!

Thursday, August 13, 2009



MAYBE THEY DIDN'T KNOW




Suzie as we now call her is about 10 years old. We can safely assume she had a home and a family who loved her or she probably would not have reached senior status. She is also over weight so someone was certainly feeding her.




Maybe her people lost their jobs and their home and couldn't afford to keep Suzie any longer. Maybe her person died and there was no one left to take her. Maybe her family knew she needed vet care and could not afford it. Maybe she got lost from her family too far for them to find her and someone else found her. Maybe they couldn't face the animal control workers and hand their pet over.




Maybe they didn't know that the shelter wasn't open on Sundays. Maybe they didn't know that heat is dangerous to any animal and even more so to a dog with a short nose like boston terriers, pugs and boxers.




Maybe they thought they were doing the right thing by putting Suzie in her crate and driving her to the local shelter and leaving her outside on the sidewalk. Yes, they thought that would be better than turning her loose or giving her away to someone they didn't know with bad intentions.




Suzie was eventually found in her crate by a shelter worker. She escaped but was quickly caught because she collapsed from the heat and had a body temperature of 106 (normal is 103-104). She was dehydrated and suffering from heat exposure. The shelter worker found her in the nick of time, cooled her off, gave her fresh water and some food and contacted BTRNC who quickly moved to take her into foster care.




Suzie does have some medical issues but what can be fixed has been such as bad ear infections. She has become playful in her foster home. She gets along well with other dogs and loves to chew on hooves. Her foster Mom reports that she is a very sweet and loving girl who seems happy again.





Suzie is listed on our available dogs page. Maybe you are the one to give Suzie a second chance at a forever home....






Sunday, August 02, 2009

THE PAIRING

Perhaps the scariest part of adopting a second dog into your home is the fear that your harmonious family may be turned upside down if the dogs do not get along. This is also true if you are adding a dog to a cat home. You love dogs and want to rescue another homeless fur baby. You think, I've already got 1, so might as well go for 2. Then you look at your precious little boston sleeping for a change and you think about how your life and home have a routine now. Then your mind wanders to visions of flashing teeth, growls, yips, bites and trips to the emergency vet. Suddenly you are not so sure that 1 is not enough.

These fears are perfectly normal. Don't over think it, just follow your heart to the second fur baby waiting for you. The good news is that dogs get along with each other far more often than not. Dogs at BTRNC and other rescues have been exposed to other dogs, sometimes several within the same house. Their foster homes know and will tell you if a dog is aggressive towards other dogs, cats, children, or all three. Sometimes if everyone lives closest enough, you can actually meet a foster dog in the presence of your dog first. If the dogs are instant friends, you will feel this sense of relief wash over you like a shower.

If you cannot do introductions before the adoption, introduce the dogs in neutral territory and on leashes. You should have someone helping you so that each dog has their own human at the end of their leash. Neutral territory ensures that neither dog will be territorial about visitors on his turf. Let hem sniff and watch their body language. Some dogs immediately try to play while others take awhile to warm up. Yes dear friends, dogs insist on getting to know one another by sniffing in the most inappropriate places.

Here is one rescue pairing that went really well. Meet Spice and Domino who seem to be telling their own story of meeting.

0.k. - we met, we like, now can we have a biscuit?




Let me tell you all about my life!





Now let us break bread together and seal the deal!

Cheers to Domino, Spice and all of our other successful pairings. Give it a shot, you may just be uniting your dog with their new best friend for life!