Find a Puppy: The Boston Terrier, an American Classic

In 1870, one hundred and seven years after Boston’s famous tea party and thirty-one years before legendary pitcher Cy Young won 33 games during the inaugural season of baseball’s Boston Americans (now the Red Sox), grand and glorious Beantown gave rise to an American classic, the Boston Terrier.  The black, white and brindle Boston is pure red, white and blue, as American as any pie, apple or otherwise.  In 1976, the Boston Terrier received the honor of being named America’s Bicentennial Dog.  Three years later Massachusetts finally got around to naming it the state dog. 

The American Civil War was a painful part of the recent past when Robert C. Hooper purchased a male dog named Judge from an Irish Bostonian by the name of Bill O’Brien.  Evidence suggests that Hooper’s Judge, a cross between a bulldog and the extinct white English Terrier, was not a handsome fellow.   Nevertheless, he would soon become the founding sire of modern Boston Terriers, the grandfather link in a genetic chain that brought forth an 1877 litter containing the big daddies of the breed, Barnard’s Tom and Atkinson’s Tobey. 

Twenty years after Judge romanced his main lady, Burnett’s Gyp, fanciers of the emerging breed formed a club.  The club members had wonderful taste in dogs but questionable taste in names, calling their cherished canines Round Heads and Bullet Heads.  There is something a little off about the thought of Googling ‘Bullet Heads for sale,’ so we can be thankful the name ‘Boston Terrier’ prevailed in the end. 

Popularity-wise, the Boston continues to hover at the fringe of the American Kennel Club’s top 20 breed ranking (#19 in 2009).   Any breed with a high ranking comes with a “buyer beware” warning.  The Labrador Retriever has been #1 for an incredible 19 years in a row, followed year in and year out by the German Shepherd Dog at #2, and the greater the popularity of a breed the greater the chance of encountering an unscrupulous breeder who will be only too happy to sell you the neurotic end product of assembly line inbreeding:  a maddeningly hyperactive Lab or a dangerously asocial German Shepherd born into the cruel madness of a puppy mill.  

A Boston Terrier is apt to be enthusiastic and energetic; tolerant and patient.  The breed is known for packing a big personality into a small body; known for an exceptional disposition and high intelligence that shines through in their lively facial expressions and playful body language.   There are exceptions to any common trait, but on the whole the Boston is far from an aloof and\or temperamental breed.  

Boston’s are true blue ‘people dogs,’ eager to please and highly sensitive to the wishes and desires of the family, which makes them a famously easy breed to discipline. Most Boston pups will abandon an unacceptable behavior pattern soon after first experiencing your displeasure.   As is the case with dogs in general, heavy praise is much more effective than heavy scolding when it comes to obedience training your Boston.  A Boston tends to pick up on training quickly, but patience is required when training any dog.   If you don’t expect too much too soon, you’ll be on solid footing with such a quick learner.   An agile, energetic Boston will literally jump through hoops for you, which can make a safe backyard obstacle course fun for the whole family.

Warning:  Do not let your children or grandchildren anywhere near a Boston puppy unless you intend to welcome a member of the breed into the family.  Children find big-eyed Boston pups irresistible, and Boston pups find children irresistible.  It’s a match made in heaven, if what you want is an extremely affectionate pet the kids aren’t likely to ignore as they and the dog age. Heaven knows a Boston won’t be inclined to ignore the kids.  

Have proper chew toys on hand!   My family never had excessive chewing problems with our pooch, Ella, but Boston’s do have a powerful bite and may be prone to vigorous chewing up until about 9 months old.   

Being rather flat of face, the average Boston might snore from time to time, but it’s unlikely that they’ll let it rip like a 300-pound trucker from Jersey (no offense to 300-pound truckers from Jersey).  Flat-faced dogs (brachycephalic dogs) can face problems such as restricted breathing, thus it’s best to use a harness rather than a collar when walking your Boston.   Being brachycephalic can increase a Boston’s potential for heat stroke, so try to limit exercise on excessively hot days (which is a good idea for any pet or person).   A potentially serious health issue, brachycephalic syndrome, results from jawbones that develop normally in width but not in length.  Brachycephalic syndrome can cause a lifetime of severe breathing troubles and occasionally premature death.   Thankfully, the syndrome is rare.  Less than 10% of brachycephalic dogs suffer from it, and among those that do, premature death is uncommon.   If you feel your Boston is developing troublesome breathing problems, have him or her checked right away.   It may be just a case of the common cold, but better safe than sorry. 

The Internet holds a wealth of information on countless topics, including dog breeds of all sorts, from the Affenpinscher to the Yorkie, from the Boston Terrier to the Wire Fox Terrier.   If you’re on a puppy hunt, you can certainly gather the info you need in the modern world.

Perhaps this article piqued your interest in the Boston Terrier, the tuxedo dog, that All-American breed from Beantown.  If so, don’t thank me thank those ol’ dogs of yore, Hooper’s Judge and his lovely gal, Burnett’s Gyp, the 19^th Century couple that got the Boston ball rolling.