Adopting a pet is an exciting, rewarding endeavor

"What is the most exciting and rewarding part about your experience in adopting a rescued Boston?  I know I sure have experienced a lot of joy, frustration, doubt, amazement, surprise, laughter, just plain fun. I do not think I have ever suffered from any boredom. Yes it can become all of these things and more, if you do your homework.

For those contemplating the possibility of adopting a Boston, we thought would be helpful if you read what several of our friends said when asked to answer this question.

"What is the most exciting and rewarding part about your experience in adopting a rescued Boston? 

Amanda Avery: "Well Odie came to us kinda as a surprise. I joined BTRFL(Boston Terrier Rescue Florida) last year when my first Boston, Gizmo, got sick. He was 9. Had inflammatory brain disease, fought a good year. We got Odie about a month or so before we finally lost Gizzie.  We have Ella who is almost 3.  Odie       coming in as a pup after Ella really not being able to play much for the past year was amazing! While we all mourned Gizmo passing in a ridiculous way, Odie gave us all some comfort and it was almost fate how it came together.  Odie needed a young family who knew how to pay special attention to his healing eyes and they (the rescue) picked us.  Looking back, it just was perfect timing and we are so lucky. Odie started as this timid 14week old pup w(ith) really bad cherry eyes. He was scared of a kitchen cabinet closing and would hide in our shower stall. Fast forward 6months and he is a proud little man who cannot wait to go outside and play ball or take a walk. Eyes healed beautifully and he brings an everyday smile to us. Literally couldn't think of a better situation. We didnt know rescue before Odie and don't ever wanna look back. Rescuing him gave us a new perspective on having fur-babies. We are growing with him everyday -The Moon Family
 

 Kathleen Marie Sělóover    "The growth. The bond that comes with time. This is Zoia... she has epilepsy Her owners could not afford the medical care.. And she was not socialized much either."

Donna Wilhelm Morris  "My little Trace came from the Humane Society after being found wandering in a state park. From the nature of his injuries they think he was tossed from a moving car and left to die. He had injuries to his feet and his face, broken teeth and his right eye was ruptured and horribly infected. He was a skinny 15 pounds. I got him about a week after his surgery to remove his eye and his neuter. Surprisingly he wasn't a bit shy, he was friendly, playful and loving, strutting around exploring his new home. But if I reached for him too quickly he would cringe like he was expecting to be hit, he was terrified to go in the kitchen where their food and water was, and if I got out the broom, he would run and hide. It was about two months before he came to realize that nobody here wss going to hurt him. And today he's happy and healthy and a friendly little love bug. And he now weighs a solid, muscular 27 pounds! But it breaks my heart thinking about how much pain he went through and how frightened he must have been.  The smiling little one-eyed dog in my Facebook photo is my Trace.Trace is such a sweet little guy, everybody falls in love with him.  I have no idea how old he is but I've had him for six years.  I was a foster failure."

Becky N Jerry Boyd: "Meet Penny. . This is our precious little girl. .. She has come so far from the poor little darling she was when we first got her 4 yrs ago ..She was in a puppy mill for the first 5 years of her life .. she never had human touch, and she didn't even know how to navigate stairs or walk on a soft bed ... she is very spoiled and she is a true blessing to our family."

  Amanda Burlingham: "The first pic is of Howie who I adopted from the local shelter. He was soooo skinny (the last pic is of him about a month after we adopted him). The second is of Tyson (my problem child), the third is Howie and his favorite soft blanket, the fourth is Pig and Howie playing, the fifth one is Howie trying to sneak up on Pig, and the sixth is Howie's "before" pic. He had a terrible intestinal infection and couldn't digest any food when I brought him home.
Tyson was adopted from the BTRSC and Pig was adopted from DART in TN, Howie came from the Catoosa County Animal Shelter here in GA."

BEFORE YOU GET THE WRONG IDEA not all rescued Bostons are "damaged"

IN FACT, I AM PERFECT!

Yes there is a couple of homework assignments you should do, that is if you really want to be successful and have a positive outcome. If you don't think the following is vital when considering adopting a pet, just ask anyone who has not done this.

Homework assignment one:

Answer these key questions. There is not a right or wrong answer.

How long is my family regularly away from home during the day? For example, puppies – especially those that are still being housebroken – need to be let out every several hours, depending on their age, while older dogs can often be kept inside for longer periods of time.
What is our living space like?

Do we live in an apartment?

Do we have a yard?

Is our home already pet-proof?
Does anyone in my family have allergies? Certain dogs and cats are more likely to shed.
Are we near a dog park or other public space where my pet could regularly exercise and socialize with other animals?
How experienced are we with having a pet and dog training?

Homework assignment Two:

Now that you and your family are starting to think about the impact a Boston could make on your lifes you need to answer these.

Where would we like to look for a pet?  

There are several places to look.

We do not recommend you just pick up a dog out of your neighbors back yard and we certainly do not recommend you purchase a pet shop puppy mill dog (A really bad idea).

There are several other places.  You could go to your local animal shelter. However most of these places do not provide you anything but a dog. no medical or behavior assessments and only rabies shots  and it is an AS IS  purchase. This is not to say in some areas there are volunteers that do provide adoption counselors at the shelter will also work closely with you to find an animal that meets your needs, so it’s important to have very open and honest communication about your situation.These hard working volunteers may even have foster programs which provide basic medical vetting and behavior assessments.

 We recommend that for most families and prospective adopters that they contact a local non-profit organizations in your area. If they are a solid organization they not only will have the dog in foster care all the necessary shots will be up to date (UTD). They will have dewormed, had eyes, ears, teeth checked out and in the process will have discovered most if not all of any medical conditions or behavioral concerns. 

Many of these organizations will have already spent many hours and a lot of money addressing any of the issues they come across so an adopter be able to adopt dog with a medical and behavioral history (good with kids and or cats, good with other dogs). The rescues we deal with will also have the dogs spayed or neutered before they are offered for adoption.

Here are a few questions you should ask them about the Bostons you’re interested in:
Is this dog more high energy or low energy?
Are they good with other animals and children?
Are there any medical needs we should be aware of?

Before visiting your Local Boston Rescue, peruse their websites and are on social media. Most rescues have both, they post pictures and information about  available, adoptable animals as soon as they arrive. This way, you can identify a few pets you’re definitely interested in meeting even before you enter the shelter. We also regularly feature monthly adoption promotions.

The adoption counselors will work closely with you to find the perfect pet for your family. They are there to help and are experts in their field. They can direct you to certain pets you saw online and can also connect you with other pets who might be a great fit.

After finding the right Boston Rescue to adopt from, you’ll receive an adoption application with several questions about your home situation and your experience with pets. All of the Rescue partners we work with will also require a vet reference and a home visit. The process is relatively short and simple, but it’s important that we spend as much time finding the right potential adopters. 

Boston Terrier Network provides to prospective adopters many articles that will be great resources including new dog care tips, medical information every thing from feeding to behavioral training, crate training and lots of subjects often discussed among Boston owners.

If you think you might want to adopt a Boston from one of Boston Terrier Network's partner rescues, or if you would like to know more about adopting a Boston or would like to verify if a Rescue, we will be happy to assist.  We often aide in locating a Boston Terrier Rescue's in an individual's area.

When you make contact with a Boston Terrier Network (BTN) partnered, Boston Rescue you will know in advance that this is a real rescue and not a scam. All of our rescue partners provide spayed or neutered, vaccinated Up-to-date shots with full medical  or behavioral concerns addressed. Most Bostons are also microchipped before joining their new family, This directly improves owner return rates if a Boston is separated from a adopting parent/family.

Adopting a pet is an exciting, rewarding endeavor, but it also an important responsibility. We at BTN work with our rescue partners and potential Boston owners. So If you are looking for a Boston Terrier Rescue and would like us to help you locate a rescue in your area we will be glad to help you.  We believe there is a dog for every family and a family for every dog...