Sally was found through a Boston Terrier rescue service in Rhode Island. She had been housed at a "shelter" in Dedham, MA. She was found starving and roaming the streets in Roxbury, MA. The shelter had spent six long weeks nursing her back to health. When I happened upon her, she was scheduled to be put down the next day, because no one had adopted her! She was happy, friendly, loving and begging for a family.

     I acquired this little Boston Terrier as a present for my Mom, because she was dogless for the first time in her life. Unfortunately, my Mom said she was tired of owning dogs and suggested I return her. There was no way I was going to seal her fate permanently, so I kept her. (This brought my house canine total to two females, which was a mixed blessing.) Even though my mother wouldn't take the dog, she made me promise to name her Sally. Sally might seem like an odd name for a Boston Terrier, but my Mom owned a Boston as a kid which she named Sally. Every female Boston Terrier that has come through our family has been named Sally for 50 years. We even had a male once named Solly. I guess each family has its strange traditions.

     It is hard to guess a dog's age, but we suspected Sally was about 2 years old. Well, now it is six years later, and Sally looks to be around 10 or more years old. Her latest vet visit was to simply get yearly shots, but the vet noticed that her mammary glands, which have always been rather large, were now filled with some fluid. A test of the fluid shows some precancerous cells, and I've been requested to take her to a specialist for further tests and probably mammary gland removal.

      Below are pictures of Sally hiding out in November, 2001. She loves to bury herself under blankets in all but the hottest weather. Notice her cloudy eyes? She is starting to show signs of glaucoma, which also requires special treatment. She is such a healthy, energetic dog it is a shame to do anything but treat her medically.

     Boston Terriers cannot usually be found at shelters, because their owners are a breed apart; but contact the breeders in the Boston Terrier Breeder's Showcase for more information. Stop in and say hello at Po's Dog House too!

Shelters on the Web

     A listing of dog shelters is posted, and links to other shelters can be found here. As I locate more shelters, I'll try to add them here. Acme Pet has a page linking to shelters and rescue organizations for birds, dogs, cats, horses and exotic animals also.

Other Rescue Services:

      Sorry, this group seems to be offline as of 7/02. All-Breed Rescue Alliance, Inc. (ABRA) is a non-profit, umbrella network of purebreed rescue services for individual breeds of dogs. Good explanation of what is a rescue and why you should adopt a rescued pet.

      National Breed Club Rescue Network American Kennel Club listings of pure bred dog rescue.

      All Breed Rescue - List of Contacts in New England

      Livestock Guardian Dogs mailing list and information run by one of our own Mac officianados

      Midwest Animal Shelter

      Petfinder Home Page Comprehensive information on adoption, shelters, rescue, etc.

      Kyler Laird's animal rescue resources. This was a comprehensive listing of dog and cat rescue organizations.

      Purebred German Shepherd Rescue Links . Page seems to have last been updated in 1999.

Please note, my son drew the Boston Terrier icon and we'd appreciate it if you asked permission before reusing it. Thank you.