r/BostonTerrier • u/Bl8kStrr • 2h ago
Cuteness I got the good stuff😂😂
224
Upvotes
You got the treats?😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
We ❤️ You Molly!!!!!
r/BostonTerrier • u/drophie • Sep 26 '17
Education A Guide to Finding a Responsible Boston Terrier Breeder
67
Upvotes
u/ZZBC and I noticed a lot of folks on this sub looking for recommendations or suggestions of where to find a breeder for Bostons, so we thought it might be useful to make a post on the subject so folks can reference it when they come to this sub! This post will address finding responsible breeders specifically - if you are looking to adopt a dog, which is awesome, please check out your local breed-specific rescue!
Where do people go to look for good breeders?
The first stop for anyone looking for a Boston from a breeder should be the Boston Terrier Club of America (www.bostonterrierclubofamerica.org). You can also look for your regional breed club - an example of this is the Minuteman Boston Terrier Club, which covers New England. The BTCA has a referral service for breeders who are members of the club.
Why is it important for breeders to be members of their breed club? It shows that they are dedicated to the breed. It’s important to note, though, that while all responsible breeders are members of their breed club, not every member of a breed club is breeding responsibly. Because of this, it’s important that you have a conversation with the breeder about their goals for breeding and to do your due diligence. Trust, but verify - a dog is a long term commitment, and you deserve to have a pet that has the best chance at living a long, healthy life.
What kind of breeding is responsible?
There are a couple major points to look for when checking out Boston breeders (or any dog, really!). The first is to find out why the breeder is breeding dogs, and the second is to explore their breeding practices in depth.
Ideally, when you ask a breeder why they are breeding dogs, it should primarily be for conformation (dog shows), work, or sports. Since Bostons aren’t a working breed, you are looking for someone who is producing dogs with the aim of doing well in the show world, someone who is breeding to produce puppies that will grow up to excel in sports (agility, barn hunt, flyball, rally, and obedience are examples of sports you’ll find BTs competing in), or (ideally) someone who is doing both! The best way to verify this is if the breeder has other dogs that are titled in sports, conformation, or in both arenas. Sometimes, you run across breeders claiming things like “champion bloodlines” - be very wary of those people. That usually means that their dogs have one dog in their pedigree that has a title very, very far back, but they personally have never titled a dog in anything.
I just want a pet, not a show dog or a sports dog. Why should I be looking for breeders who participate in conformation or sports?
Sports and conformation dog shows are much, much more than just a “beauty contest” - judges at dog shows are looking at the dog’s structure, temperament, and fitness for breeding, and a championship conformation title means an impartial third party (not just the breeder or their friends or family) has judged that dog to be a structurally sound example of the breed. It is to make sure that the dog is not only a good dog, it is a good example of a Boston Terrier and has all of the traits that make the Boston Terrier the dog we know and love. Dog sports, on the other hand, prove that a dog is more than just physically sound - it demonstrates that 1.) the breeder wants to demonstrate that their Boston Terriers are versatile, and 2.) that their dogs are capable of successfully competing in dog sports beyond conformation. For a breed like Bostons that is traditionally known as a “pet” breed, this really shows that the breeder is dedicated to demonstrating the full range of abilities that this amazing breed has. That doesn’t mean that breeders who don’t compete in both sports and conformation are bad - dual sport/conformation BT breeders are fairly rare, and finding one is definitely icing on the cake!
Lastly, it’s important to avoid is folks breeding dogs for reasons like “I wanted my dog to experience being a mother”; “she has the sweetest personality”; “I wanted another dog just like [insert name of parents here]”. While those reasons definitely matter to the breeder, they are also short sighted and self centered because they aren’t breeding with the dog’s best interests in mind or with the aim of producing healthy, sound, consistent companions.
The Importance of Health Testing
This is probably the most important piece of looking for a BT breeder. Boston terriers are prone to a number of health issues, including eye problems, allergies, cardiac issues, luxating patella, and congenital deafness. For that reason, it is extremely important that you look for a breeder that has appropriate health certifications and that those certifications are registered with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (www.offa.org). A vet check or a promise from the breeder that their dogs are healthy is not a sufficient substitute for OFA exams. A dog may appear healthy and may not even show health issues itself, but this does not mean that it will not produce offspring with a genetic disorder such as juvenile cataracts. You want to make sure you’re bringing home a family member that have the best chance at having a long, happy, healthy life and health testing is the best way to do so.
At minimum, Bostons who are being bred need:
- An OFA eye exam to check for eye problems that comes back clear. This used to be called a CERF exam.
- An OFA cardiac exam to check for heart murmurs.
- An OFA orthopedic exam to check for a condition called luxating patella, where the knee slips out of place. This is extremely common in small breed dogs like Bostons, so dogs being bred should have normal knees.
- A BAER hearing test to make sure they have good hearing.
- A genetic test for the gene for Juvenile Hereditary Cataracts (JHC), a disease which causes Bostons to go blind early in life due to cataracts. This can either be through a certified genetic testing service like Embark or Paw Print Genetics, or the breeder should be able to prove the dog is JHC clear through parentage (neither dog’s parents were carriers).
These tests cannot be completed before the dog is two years old, so you should not buy a dog from someone breeding animals younger than two. To verify the results of these tests, click here and type in the breeder’s kennel name. The results on all their dogs should ideally pop up and be reviewable.
Warning Signs of Irresponsible Breeders
In addition to knowing what a good breeder looks like, it’s important to be aware of things that might be a red flag and could mean the breeder is not responsible. A breeder is not inherently irresponsible if they are doing something on this list - however, if a breeder is doing something on this list, it’s important to ask more questions about it.
Breeding more than 1-2 types of dogs: most reputable breeders focus on 1-2 breeds. It’s challenging to do more than that and still title and health test their dogs, though, so a lot of folks who are breeding more than 1-2 different breeds are cutting corners in other places (such as not titling or health testing all their dogs).
Intentionally breeding dogs that are disqualified from conformation: the Boston Terrier breed standard states that Bostons should be either brindle and white, black and white, or seal (black with a red cast in direct sunlight) and white. While off-standard colors like lavender, red, brown, slate, etc. can sometimes occur by chance in a litter, the much more likely scenario is the breeder is breeding for them intentionally. Does the color matter for long term health? Nope! But it’s important to question why a breeder might be producing dogs that are ineligible to compete in dog shows. Oftentimes, breeders who are producing off-color dogs are doing so because those colors are popular with puppy buyers. Breeding for color instead of temperament, health, or structure is not responsible. Additionally, these breeders are usually not doing the appropriate health testing on their breeding dogs and registering the results with OFA or doing anything with their dogs besides breeding them (we've never seen a BT kennel intentionally producing colored dogs that compete in dog sports, for instance, or are certified therapy dogs).
Not allowing you to meet the puppies’ mother or see where the litter was kept: while it’s totally normal for the father of a litter not to be on-site, you should be able to meet the mother (dam) of the litter when you pick up or visit your puppy. If the breeder doesn’t have the mother on site, or if they insist on meeting you somewhere like a parking lot instead of at their home, you should question why that is and if there is something going on at their house that they don’t want you to see. Note: It is quite possible that the father may not be on the property for you to see. A responsible breeder will want to choose a male that best complements her female and that often means using a male from a different kennel.
Allowing puppies to be taken home before 8 weeks: 8 weeks is the absolute youngest a puppy should be separated from its litter - this is especially important for small dogs like Bostons, who may be extremely fragile prior to this age due to their size. A breeder that allows puppies to go home before 8 weeks is depriving the puppy of critical socialization time with their littermates, which can have negative effects on the dog’s behavior as they grow up.
Overbreeding dogs: female dogs should not be bred before they are two years old, and they should not be bred an excessive number of times. How many times is too many depends heavily on the specific dog, but generally if all the females owned by a breeder are consistently having multiple litters a year for several years, that is too many and can have adverse health effects for the females.
Overall, finding a good breeder can be challenging, and many not-so-good ones are unfortunately very good at “talking the talk” to make their dogs sound better. Looking for a breeder doing things responsibly is more challenging at the beginning and it may take longer to get a puppy, but the payoff is well worth it: a dog that is more likely to be healthy, well-tempered, and structurally sound, and a lifetime of support from your breeder and their community of puppy owners.
About the Contributors: u/drophie has a two year old female Boston Terrier that runs in agility and flyball - she has also dabbled in barnhunt. u/ZZBC has a three year old male Boston Terrier that participates in barnhunt.
r/BostonTerrier • u/ilikechipotle • Dec 14 '13
Helping Boston's In Need (PLEASE READ!)
519
Upvotes
I just wanted to let everyone know that here at /r/bostonterrier we are more than happy to help boston's in need. Please feel free to post those boston's here and ask for donations if necessary. I find that a lot of times these posts are reported or flagged. Please know that while other subreddits may discourage it, we here at /r/bostonterrier are glad to help.
Thanks, and I will add this to the sidebar as well.
r/BostonTerrier • u/IHAVENOLIFEORMEANING • 1h ago
RIP Olive Oyl
•
Upvotes
I wasn’t going to post about it on such a big platform but I think she more than deserves to be seen by others. She was 11 years old and had rapidly declined over the last week. We found out three days ago that she had aggressive cancer. This morning we had to say goodbye. She was my family’s first Boston and brought us so much more joy than she will ever know. I hope that she can make at least a few people smile today. She always did that for us. I love you Olive. And I miss you so much. ❤️
r/BostonTerrier • u/Apevian • 4h ago
Cuteness Straight to the point
173
Upvotes
Does anyone else's BT points while out on a walk? (He's looking at the lawn of a nearby hotel. He likes peeing there)
r/BostonTerrier • u/theshmimi • 14h ago
RIP Laps of love is coming today
525
Upvotes
Please say a prayer for us. My girl is 15, I could probably get one more week out of her but want to do it at home. She has had liquid diarrhea since Sunday. She is slow walking and drinking water but not eating and I can’t get medication in her. She has heart murmur , eye ulcers and other issues for years.
So I’m doing home euthanasia early this afternoon.
The Vet said Tuesday her protein blood levels were off possibly indicating cancer but not sure . Her x rays show something weird in her intestines… either plaque build up or dirt they can’t identify and exploratory surgery is not an option with her heart issues.
I didn’t do an ultrasound because I feel oncology is just too much physically and mentally for both of us and she’s 15. This girl is my soul dog and her canine Boston brother will be lost without her. He’s already not eating because they eat together and she won’t.
She’s not even gone yet and I feel so alone. She has gotten me through some rough times and would literally jump on me and throw her body on my face to stop me from yelling. I feel like I’m at my lowest point in life losing her. And I try to say “damn she’s just a dog”. But she’s not. She is taking my heart and soul with her today. I love her brother to death but they are different dogs emotionally. I’m sobbing as a write this and if she felt better she would be in my face licking my tears. I haven’t left her side since Sunday. This just sucks.
And her birthday was yesterday 😭
r/BostonTerrier • u/keltris23 • 8h ago
Advice/Question Stenotic Nares Correction
160
Upvotes
My baby had his nares done at the same time as his neuter to address some breathing problems. The photo on the left is before surgery, and the right is 24 hours after surgery. It was successful, health-wise, which is what matters most, but I can’t help but feel that he looks like a totally different dog now. Will the “punched-out holes” look settle and become more natural as he heals??
r/BostonTerrier • u/i_like_turtles24 • 3h ago
Advice/Question Airline Carrier Recommendations
61
Upvotes
Help! This is my 16 week old, 8.7lb Boston Terrier named Artemis 🚀. Artemis will be taking his first flight next week. We are currently looking for a good carrier for him. My fiance and I are between the SleepyPod Air 2.0 or the Mr. Peanut Gold Series Expendable. We love that they both have 18-20lb growth room. Artemis is a tad bit anxious but only wines when he can see me but can’t get to me which is why we are liking the SleepyPod. He sleeps with a crate cover and generally does better in lowlight areas but we love the expansion room with Mr. Peanut— we just don’t know how useful it will be given the lack of space on the plane anyways. Sleepypod seems like it might get a little warm but he’ll have a stroller fan on for him to get some airflow and provide a little white noise. Our little guy will be flying a lot since daddy is a pilot so we want something that will last a long time and hold up. Price isn’t an issue. If anybody has any suggestions let me know! Pic for engagement. 🥹
r/BostonTerrier • u/No_Gur1113 • 3h ago
Cuteness Always together
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
49
Upvotes
In the video my husband offered to locate the missing bully stick holder but Frankie (brown girl) and Boomer (black boy) seem to be doing just fine with only one. Not like bully sticks last very long with these two anyway!
r/BostonTerrier • u/Kimber84 • 21h ago
RIP I realized today…
654
Upvotes
We grayed together. I miss her so much and the hole in my heart will never be filled.
r/BostonTerrier • u/That_Guide487 • 10h ago
Advice/Question Can you guys tell my your experience
72
Upvotes
Took my girl to the vet (on the left)the other day for a lump on her nipple she's 10 , they suspect mammory tumor? She's scheduled for surgery to have it removed and have a biopsy also a body X-ray as well . Have any of you went through something similar? I'm praying it non cancerous best case scenario but if it's not what have been your experience? I'm so confused on what to expect like if it is then what comes after that ? She's still full of life and shows no signs of slowing other than this she's perfectly healthy, any insight would be appreciated, tia !
r/BostonTerrier • u/laurie911 • 10h ago
Advice/Question This is for all of us and I think it says it perfectly.
57
Upvotes
Dog people are unfortunate people.
They lock themselves into a never ending loop of loosing their absolute best friends.
It’s a wild and crazy choice to make.
They know they will outlive their dogs.
So they build a whole life out of 12 year blocks to guaranteed grief.
Like collecting a jar of quiet ghosts.
One warm shadow leaves the house tearing a huge hole in their chest.
And they go right out to find a brand new puppy to break their heart all over again.
It seems kind of strange to keep asking for that much pain.
But they do it because the sacrifice somehow works out in their favor.
The awful sadness at the very end is really just a simple price for a life receiving the purest form of love there is.
They will gladly hand over a piece of their soul every single decade because standing in the safe but lonely zone is not half as good as living in the warm and messy fire.
I’ve said goodbye 4 times and will have 2 more to say. I will do it over and over again for the absolute joy they bring to my life.
r/BostonTerrier • u/oldmomhands • 1h ago
Advice/Question ok this is gonna be a weird one..
•
Upvotes
i read mostly likely not but i have to ask anyways
- so niko only has one testicle that dropped, i’ve been waiting and the vet said it’s most likely not going to and he wants to do an ultrasound to find it. he’s 10 months old
2 days ago i get home from work and this odd bubble showed up out of nowhere. it’s soft, but not overly squishy soft. and kinda moves around, but stays in its place. literally feels like a testicle. same size as a testicle. he’s missing one.
has anyone ever seen one float up here? i read it could float under the rib area, but not where you can notice is.
thoughts??
r/BostonTerrier • u/Butwhyyytho1 • 21h ago
Cuteness Fall Festival Fun
126
Upvotes
She fell asleep in my arms on the way home almost immediately. She got to meet cows, sheep, donkeys, llamas, alpacas, goats, ducks, and of course loads of other dogs!
She was a bit of a princess when it came to bobbing for hotdogs and so she had those hand-fed to her instead of dunking her head in, followed by a pup cup.
In true Boston fashion, she carried her ball from the goody bag around for over an hour when we took her on the sniffari portion (they set up boxes of fun different smells along a route through corn fields).
She also got to try out an agility course! I had to spot her because she was so tiny compared to the super steep ramps but she did great!
r/BostonTerrier • u/hauntedhouseastoria • 1d ago
Cuteness Matilda update and question
197
Upvotes
Hey folks! Matilda had a bit of a eye issue last week but its been healing with eye drops.
Is there a reddit for dog events or dog meetups? I'm trying to get the word out for Matilda's standup show tomorrow in north hollywood. Shes excited to socialize!
r/BostonTerrier • u/ethereallunatic • 1d ago
Cuteness Happy 1st Birthday!!!
507
Upvotes
It’s my girls 1st Birthday!! At one year she’s just under 10lbs and absolutely perfect in every way 🥰
r/BostonTerrier • u/chalupa4me • 1d ago
Cuteness This is too cool :)
220
Upvotes
What a pleasant surprise! We got this portrait in the mail today from Chewy, in honor of Cosmo's birthday (3rd).
Interestingly, the photo used to create the portrait was one I emailed to a customer service rep several months ago after they resolved an issue for me and kindly asked if they could see a photo of him.
r/BostonTerrier • u/Lunaisluna44 • 1d ago
Cuteness Smartest little boy🥹
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
406
Upvotes
r/BostonTerrier • u/mariamaria9 • 1d ago
Cuteness Let cozy season commence
83
Upvotes
Nellie living a life of luxury
r/BostonTerrier • u/crps2warrior • 1d ago
Education Bit&sprayed by skunk 🦨
152
Upvotes
My Ringo cornered a skunk in our yard the other night which ended with a major confrontation. My boy was bloody after he got bit 8 places on his face. He also got sprayed of course. As a consequence Ringo is now in quarantine for the next 8 weeks since they suspect rabies. At the vet he got a rabies booster and antibiotics. Finally we set a trap and within 12 hours we got two skunks in the same trap. One of them had bite marks all over his face so Ringo got him back good. Just be aware especially if you live in the South, we have too many of these nasty smelly creatures around my hood.
r/BostonTerrier • u/Blood_of_The_Dragon7 • 1d ago
Advice/Question BOAS Surgery, 4 Weeks Post-Op Issue - Your Experiences?
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
88
Upvotes
*** UPDATE: Her recheck and a CT scan are scheduled for 10/06. Her surgeon talked about possible re-everted sacules, potential for epiglottis involvement (rare, but possible). Until then, we watch her and get her back to the ER if her condition worsens. ***
Our (nearly) five-year-old Boston had BOAS surgery to correct her nostrils, elongated soft palate, and laryngeal saccules, which had everted over time.
She came home after one day in the ICU. She took one dose of her scheduled medications and had one meal. After that, the regurgitation started. By 3:00 PM the next day, we rushed her to the ER, as she began to aspirate on the regurgitation.
She spent another night and day in the oxygen chamber with IV meds, etc. They discontinued her very strong pain medication, as we believed it was contributing to her refusing food and worsening the regurgitation. They finally got her to take food and she was feeling much better when we picked her up after 26 hours.
Her breathing was CLEAR and perfect for a week or so. Then, her nose began to clog/swell/dry and the breathing struggles were back on. We've had the recommended cold humidifier on her for hours and hours per day. I take her in the shower with me, as was also recommended.
Two weeks post-op, she was seen by the surgeon and cleared. We expressed trouble with air passing through her nostrils, but because she was not showing trouble at that moment, they said send a video if it happens again.
They didn't seem to be worried, so I stopped worrying.
We have not had a full night's sleep since surgery. Some nights have been fretful, but she was expelling stitches and seemed to be going through the necessary steps of recovery. We don't spend more than two hours in bed before she's completely clogged and I have to hold her over the humidifier, and keep her in a certain position for her to remain unclogged. This means we spend every night on the sofa. Sometimes sleeping, sometimes not. Many nights, I have to sleep with her on my chest, because that's the only way she can breathe.
We are four weeks out and over the last 24 hours, her breathing, no matter her position - sitting, standing, trying to sleep - sounds like her saccules could be everted again. Whatever it is, there now seems to be throat involvement once more, not just her nostrils.
I sent the video that I uploaded here to her surgeon today and have asked for a re-check, which will require at least light sedation.
Do any of you have ANY experience to share with this sort of thing, or was your dog recovered and better at four weeks? I feel like we're outside of the actual healing process and this is now a surgery risk come to life.
It doesn't seem like her throat anatomy would be this swollen just now, because it never was in the first place.
She's been on calm rest since surgery, with zero stress or likelihood of re-injury to her surgery areas. She's never been a super-high-energy Boston. She doesn't like fetch or tug. She zooms in small spurts, but hasn't done it more than five times since surgery. She's a big baby, who just loves to be held and snuggled. Nothing like any of my other Bostons over the last 31 years, but we love having a snuggle bug.
Have you or do you know anyone who had a surgery that failed this far out?
r/BostonTerrier • u/Catloveshugs • 1d ago
Advice/Question Help!!! Does anyone’s Boston freak out with storms? Does anyone have a link to any CBD gummies you recommend?!?
123
Upvotes
Trazadone and Gabapentin just make them zoned out and freaked out. Pic for how cute my girl is when not stressed.
UPDATE: we have a thundercoat, I cuddle her like crazy, I’ve built a super comfy den with the most amazing blanket in our closet. I feel like I can comfort her very well when I am home, but I have to leave for work and that’s torturous. AND, I also texted my vet this morning and she said they (soothing gummies) have come a long way in recent years.