Sweet Summer's Boston Terriers

Boston Terrier Rescue

We are always willing to help a Boston Terrier in need. Weather it is one of our's or not. We are very understanding and will try to help you in whatever way we possibly can. If you are having problems with your Boston Terrier, Maybe we can help, feel free to CONTACT US . Together, maybe we can work out a solution to your problem! If you have any questions about training or behaviour or Just need a little help or support, We are always here to lend a hand.

We are also willing to help you if you can no longer keep your Boston Terrier and need help finding a good secure home. We will try to help you find placement for your dog, be it temporary, long term or permanent. We will help to screen potential adoptive families, and help you to decide on the best place for your dog. We will give you as much, or as little help as you require. Even if it is just by listing your dog on our available page. We do not charge anything to help, We do it because we care about the breed. Helping needy Boston Terriers is our reward!

To see if we know of any Boston Terriers Needing new families please visit our AVAILABLE page. If you are looking for an adult or rescue Boston to add to your family, CONTACT US and we will take down your information in case we hear of a suitable Boston for you..

Looking for a Boston? Why not try Rescue?

What is Rescue?

The purpose of a Boston Terrier rescue program is to take in stray, abandoned, relinquished and/or impounded Boston Terriers; to provide them with foster care, health and temperament screening; to nurture them and offer an opportunity for rehabilitation; to spay or neuter them; and eventually to place the rescued Boston Terriers in new homes.

Individuals and organizations take in unwanted, stray and abandoned Boston Terriers. However, it is not just for these reasons that Boston Terriers end up in Rescue, people pass away, divorce, move, health problems, have changes in Family situations, allergies . . . the list goes on.

Some people are able to keep the dogs until they can be placed in their new homes via Rescue networks. However, dogs are often taken into foster homes, assessed then placed into a new, loving home.

Why get a Boston Terrier from Rescue?
Why on earth would anyone want to adopt a rescued dog? After all, aren't they like used cars? Who wants someone else's problems? If the dog is so wonderful, why would anyone give him away? If he was a stray, why didn't someone try to find him? I'd rather buy a puppy so I know what I'm getting, and besides they're so cute!"
Boston Terrier rescues often hear a variation of this conversation. Many prospective Boston owners are just not convinced that owning an older (i.e, 6 mo.+) "pre-owned" Boston is better than buying a puppy. But there are a number of reasons why adopting a Boston Terrier from a rescue that carefully screens and evaluates its dogs can provide an even better alternative.
In Rescue there are dogs from very young puppies, right up to senior dogs. There are some very nice Boston Terriers in rescue. Not everyone wants, or needs, a puppy. Some lifestyles just don’t allow time for house training and the extra time a puppy needs. Rescue gives these people an alternative.

Another valuable aspect of Rescue . . . temperament! In Rescue, a potential owner can seek out the temperament, energy level or personality traits they are looking for in a Boston Terrier.

Many Rescue dogs go on to successfully compete in obedience, agility, flyball and other sports.

Your Boston Terrier Rescue volunteer can, like a good breeder, help match you up to the Boston Terrier that is perfect for you.

Rescue organizations are careful to screen prospective homes, sometimes including follow-up inquiries and visits, and do their utmost to make the best match between a dog and an adoptive family.

If you are interested in a Boston Terrier who can become a loving pet, and you do not intend to show or breed your dog, you may want to give a rescue dog a second chance for a safe and loving home.

With Rescue you are helping a living being continue on with a long, loving life. Breeders who don’t rescue should sit back and take a long look, they are adding to the population, but are they looking after dogs already in existence?

Is there a cost involved?

Yes. Most rescue organizations require a donation to defray the costs of fostering and rehabilitating the dog, which can vary depending on the circumstances. These "adoption fee donations" usually go right back into the rescue to help provide for the next dog who needs assistance. So, think about it like this; When you adopt a beautiful Boston Terrier from rescue, not only are you giving that particluar dog, a new chance at a wonderful life, You are also making it possible for the next Boston Terrier in need, to recieve the care and attention it requires! So really you are helping several Bostons at once! Isn't Rescue a GREAT thing!

Here are the "Top 10 Reasons You Should Consider a Rescue."

POTTY TRAINING~ With most family members gone during the work week for 8 hours or more, housetraining a puppy and its small bladder can take awhile. Puppies need a consistent schedule with frequent opportunities to eliminate where you want them to. They can't wait for the boss to finish his meeting or the kids to come home from after school activities. An older Boston Terrier can "hold it" much more reliably for longer time periods, and usually the rescue has him housebroken before he is adopted.

CHEWING~ With a "chewy" puppy, you can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socks and a variety of unmentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before he cuts every tooth. Also, you can expect holes in your carpet (along with the urine stains), pages missing from books, stuffing exposed from couches, and at least one dead remote control. No matter how well you watch them, it will happen - this is a puppy's job! An older dog can usually have the run of the house without destroying it.

SLEEP~ Forget the alarm clocks and hot water bottles, a puppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4am and 6am. He misses his littermates, and that stuffed animal will not make a puppy pile with him. If you have children, you've been there and done that. How about a little peace and quiet? How about an older rescue Boston?

Finish the Newspaper With a puppy running amok in your house, do you think you will be able to relax when you get home from work? Do you think your kids will really feed him, clean up the messes, take him for a walk in the pouring rain every hour to get him housetrained? With an adult dog, it will only be the kids running amok, because your Boston will be sitting calmly next to you, while your workday stress flows away and your blood pressure lowers as you pet him.

Easier Vet Trips Those puppies need their series of puppy shots and fecals, then a trip to be altered, maybe an emergency trip or two if they've chewed something dangerous. Those puppy visits can add up (on top of what you paid for the dog). Your donation to the rescue when adopting an older pup should get you a dog with all shots current, already altered at the minimum.

What You See Is What You Get How big will that puppy be? What kind of temperament will he have? Will he be easily trained? Will his personality be what you were hoping for? How active will he be? When adopting an older dog from a rescue, all of those questions are easily answered. You can pick large or small; active or couch potato; goofy or brilliant; sweet or sassy. The rescue and its foster homes can guide you to pick the right match.

Unscarred Children (and Adults) When the puppy isn't teething on your possessions, he will be teething on your children and yourself. Rescue routinely gets called from panicked parents who are sure their dog is biting the children. Since biting implies hostile intent and would be a consideration whether rescue would accept their give-up, They ask questions and usually find out the dog is being nippy. Parents are often too emotional to see the difference; but a growing puppy is going to put everything from food to clothes to hands in their mouths, and as they get older and bigger it definitely hurts (and will get worse, if they aren't being corrected properly.) Most older Bostons have "been there, done that, moved on."

Matchmaker Make Me a Match Puppy love is often no more than an attachment to a look or a color. It is not much of a basis on which to make a decision that will hopefully last 15+ years. While that puppy may have been the cutest of the litter; he may grow up to be superactive (when what you wanted was a couch buddy); she may be a couch princess (when what you wanted was a tireless hiking companion); he may want to spend every waking moment in the water (while you're a landlubber); or she may want to be an only child (while you are intending to have kids or more animals). Pet mis-matches are one of the top reasons rescues get give-up phone calls. Good rescues do extensive evaluating of both their Bostons and their applicants to be sure that both dog and family will be happy with each other until death due them part.

Instant Companion With an older Boston Terrier, you automatically have a buddy that can go everywhere and do everything with you NOW. There's no waiting for a puppy to grow up (and then hope he will like to do what you enjoy.) You will have been able to select the most compatible dog: one that travels well; one that loves to play with your friends' dogs; one with excellent house manners that you can take to your parents' new home with the new carpet and the new couch. You can come home after a long day's work and spend your time on a relaxing walk, ride or swim with your new best friend (rather than cleaning up after a small puppy.)

Bond, Bosty Bond~ Bostons who have been uprooted from their happy homes or have not had the best start in life are more likely to bond very completely and deeply with their new people. Those who have lost their families through death, divorce or lifestyle change go through a terrible mourning process. But, once attached to a new loving family, they seem to want to please as much as possible to make sure they are never homeless again. Those Bostons that are just learning about the good life and good people seem to bond even deeper. They know what life on the streets, life on the end of a chain, or worse is all about, and they revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving environment. Most rescues make exceptionally affectionate and attentive pets and extremely loyal companions.

Unfortunately, many folks think dogs that end up in rescue are all genetically and behaviorally inferior. But, it is not uncommon for Rescue to get $900-1500 dogs that have either outlived their usefulness or their novelty with impulsive owners who considered their dog a possession rather than a friend or member of the family, or simply did not really consider the time, effort and expense needed to be a dog owner. Unlike SweetSummer's Boston Terriers, Not all breeders will accept their dogs back once they are sold. Some will however, and that should be your first option! However if they wont, choices for giving up dogs can be limited to animal welfare organizations, such as rescues, or the owners trying to place their own dogs. Good rescues will evaluate the dog before accepting him/her (medically, behaviorally, and for breed conformation), rehabilitate if necessary, and adopt the animal only when he/she is ready and to a home that matches and is realistic about the commitment necessary to provide the dog with the best home possible.

Choosing a rescue dog over a purchased pup will not solve the pet overpopulation problem (only responsible pet owners and breeders can do that), but it does give many of them a chance they otherwise would not have. But, beyond doing a "good deed", adopting a rescue dog can be the best decision and addition to the family you ever made.

Rescue a dog and get a devoted friend for life!

How Can I Help??

Rescue needs more and more volunteers all the time. Currently in most Rescue organizations, there is a small group of people doing the work. We don’t want these wonderful people to burn out.

You can help in many ways:

Provide a permanent home:

Rescue dogs need their own loving homes. While they are always sad to leave their foster parents, as are the foster parents sad to see them go, they need a home, and loving parents of their own.

Provide a foster home:

Foster homes are needed in all areas of Canada and the USA. This is the most pressing need in rescue. The volunteers who do foster work find it very rewarding. But more often than not, they are home to a couple of foster dogs and after a while, the volunteers suffer burn-out.

Do referrals, footwork, paperwork, etc:

If fostering is not an option, people are always needed to do the footwork, assessments, Home checks, follow up visits, referrals and paperwork. Rescue can be quite a demanding commitment, but the end result leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Donations and fund-raising:

As with any worthy cause, money is needed. Vet bills, travel expenses, general daily upkeep on the dogs, etc all cost money. While the spay/neuter and vaccination costs are paid back to rescue by the new owner, anything over and above this is a cost absorbed by Rescue.

People are always needed to raise funds so the Rescue work may continue. And, as rescue expands, more dogs are eligible for rescue and more people are involved, the expenses increase with the volume.

These are just a few of the ways you can help your local Boston Terrier Rescue.