Turn Key

Hi Guys and Gals,

Have got a decision to make and figured my friends here may be able to help me with it. DW has told me a number of times over the last few years that she would like to have a small dog. To be honest, I wasn't very keen on the idea but I have a very hard time saying "No" to her as long as what she asks for is reasonable and in my power to do. That being so, I've kind of warmed to the idea of a dog with only about one stipulation; I want the dog "crate" trained right from the beginning. DW is fine with this so I've been doing a bit of research on what type of dog we might want.

We've come to the conclusion the dog needs the following attributes:

1. Must be small but need not be one of the "toy" breeds. 15-20 lbs. with about a 25 lb. max would be good.
2. Short, easy care coat. Don't want to spend our lives grooming a dog.
3. Must look, act and be intelligent. Really don't want a dog that hasn't the sense to "come in out of the rain".
4. Lively, awake demeanor but not "frantic". Even though I like Labs and they are already disqualified due to size, they'd never "make the cut" because they never quite get past being a puppy. Great dogs but not for us. Want an animal that will be ready to go walking when we are but just as happy to sit and "veg" when we feel like it.
5. A BIG requirement is that the dog must be able to handle being in crate for 10 hours per day while we're at work. There is no way around this one and it disqualified Jack Russells, a breed I really like. Since DW and I both work the 3rd. watch, this will put this "crate" time at night. I figure that will be easier on the dog. Crate will be inside the house at all times unless traveling. Other then that time, the dog will generally have the run of the house and a large, fenced yard.
6. Since DW and I camp and travel a good bit, dog must travel well.

DW and I have no kiddos and home. Three grandchildren (5-13YO) are around at different times. All are use to being around dogs of differing sizes. While growing up our kiddos had any number of dogs, cats, fish, hamster and birds. We had to have the last dog put down, due to old age infirmity, about 5 years ago. Animals around the house are not new us.

After doing some research and eliminating a number of breeds for differing reasons, we both agreed on a Boston Terrier as a good choice. We are not interested in breeding and thus care little about a pedigree but we do want a pure- or close to purebred animal. We are only interested in this so that we can be fairly sure about the physical and behavioral characteristics to expect. This got me to thinking about one of the rescue organizations I've often heard about. Sure enough, not far from us (Duncanville, Texas) there is an outfit that handles "adoption" of unwanted or neglected Boston Terriers. Have submitted an "on line" application and am waiting to hear from them.

Now, what I need from you. Would like to hear from those that have or have had Boston Terriers. I figure the best information I can get concerning what to expect will come from those that have lived with these dogs. Would like to know if I can expect a BT to fit the above criteria. The last thing I want to do is bring home an animal that will not be happy living in the environment that we provide. It's not right for us to do and it's not fair to the animal. Also, are there any questions we should ask concerning BT's in general and any given animal in particular, beyond attempting to find out as much history as available? Is there anything that we should watch out for and avoid beyond the obviously ill animal? Any and all input is welcome and will be used in making our decision.

Going to thank every one for the help in this search. Will keep you posted as it continues. Will definitely let you know when the search is completed.

Thanks again and happy camping!

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vettech2112

I'm impressed. Most people who get pets don't give it near the thought you have. I think you'll make a great K9 parent. And taking in a rescue animal gives you even more points.

I've been a veterinary tech for 10 years and, although I'm not a "dog person", Bosties are one of my favorite breeds. Actually, I like most of the brachiocephallic (squish-faced) breeds. Bosties are pretty energetic but not completely looney like some of the terrier breeds. They are prone to skin infections (staph, yeast) in the facial skin folds so keeping that face clean is important. That squished nose also restricts airflow somewhat so they tend to pant and open-mouthed breathe more than other breeds.

If you have specific questions, feel free to contact me.

Turn Key

Hi vettech,

Thanks for the kind words and the insight. Need all the info I can get as we go through this procedure. Your the first source to mention the issue of facial skin infections. We'll wach that closely. To be honest, since DW wants something to "mother", I don't think we'll need to worry about it much but good to be aware.

One question; how in the world do you
pronounce "brachiocephallic" :laugh: ???

Have a great weekend and thanks again!

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vettech2112

Actually, I misspelled it. Its "Brachycephalic" pronounced "Bray-kee-seph-al-ick". I hadda cheat and look in my veterinary dictionary to make sure. From Greek "Brachy" (short) and "Cephalus" (head).

AKC Boston Terrier listing

dogbreedinfo.com - Boston Terrier

Shannon

I never learned Greek, but for the short (2-3 years) period of time I knew Latin well enough to read and translate it, it was cool reading all the medical names for various things. I'd always thought the names were fancy, extraordinary things; when I could break them down into their root words, though, and realize that something like "brachycephalic" really just meant "short head", it was an eye opener! :yes:

Wish I could provide dog advice. Most of my experience is with cats -- we have three cats here at the Moore residence right now (they outnumber the humans, so we're at our limit. They could effectively stage a coup, which is scary...! )

I did grow up with at least one dog at home until my mid-teens, but we primarily had larger breed dogs. My mother favored sheepdogs, so we had an Old English sheepdog when my brother and I were young. Loving and strong, but always seemed fairly dumb to me -- he literally ate rocks.
We also had a Lahasa Apso for years. She could be annoying, and again, none too bright. My favorite of our canine companions was a Shetland Sheepdog. Medium sized, nice coat but we didn't brush it much and it didn't seem to get matted, active and inquisitive, fun to be with.

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- Shannon Moore
Your Host @ WildTexas.com

vettech2112

I thoroughly enjoyed my Medical Terminology class in my 1st semester of vet tech school. Suddenly I was able to understand all that medical lingo on shows like "ER" and, because I learned the roots, suffixes and prefixes, I was able to figure out what they were saying, even if I hadn't heard the word before. Oddly enough, we don't take a Medical Terminology course in RN school. It makes no sense to me. It seems to hinder ya lot of my fellow students.

I grew up with Great Danes - gentle giants. It is rare to find a Dane that's aggressive. Heck, most of 'em are big cowards. From my experince, the bigger the breed, the sweeter the disposition. The little terriers will nail you without a second thought. Chihuahua's are just pirhanas with fur. :laugh:

Lhasas & OE Sheepdogs aren't exactly the brightest breeds but a lot of dog breeds are gray-matter deficient. On average, the "sight hounds" are known to be on the bottom of the list - Greyhounds, Salukis, Whippets, etc. The geniuses of the K9 world are the Australian Shepherd, Australian Cattle Dog, Golden Retrievers, Standard Poodles, and Labs. There's a saying about Labs, though, "they don't get their brain until they're 2". Before that, they're all energy. But I don't want to appear "breedist" - there are geniuses and dolts among all breeds & species. I had one of the few truly dumb ferrets I've ever known.

Turn Key

Hate to tell you Shannon but if you have three, it's too late! They already have :laugh: !

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Turn Key

Hi Guys and Gals,

Just wanted to let you know what happened. Yesterday (Sunday) we adopted a 6 YO, seal and white, female BT by the name of Tilly. She's a pedigreed dog that had been used heavily for breeding but was given up due to the fact that she didn't produce enough. We've adopted her from the American Boston Terrier Club out of Gainsville, Texas and will be picking her up on Wednesday morning.

We are thrilled with the new addition to our family and can't be more pleased with how it was all handled by Wanda Jewell at the ABTC. Wanda was nothing but helpful and from the time I asked for an application until the deal was done, only a bit over 2 weeks had passed! If your interested in the idea of adopting a resued BT, this is the place to go! The site is listed below:

http://www.wanderz.net/Rescue/Dogs.htm

Just thought y'all might like an update and a chance to share in the fun! Happy Camping!

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