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| Name: |
Duke
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Age: |
Six years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Boston Terrier
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| Home: |
Bloomington, Indiana, USA |
My
husband of forty years and I had never had a dog. My adult son got a Boston
Terrier puppy named Max and it was love at first sight! He moved across the
country and took Max with him. We pined for that "our little Maxi" and
finally knew we had to have a dog. We found Duke at at rescue organization.
He was fifteen months old and had been abused. We took him in and through a lot of
training and love, he is a wonderful part of the family. He is spoiled rotten
because we are both retired. So Duke gets at least three walks a day, usually
a car ride with a trip to Starbucks to get a puppy latte, and never left
alone for more than three hours. We will care for him until his dying breath
and will be lost without him.
The first item you must know about Duke is that he is a rescue dog. It
doesn't define who he is but it is impossible to understand and know Duke
without that background. He was terribly mistreated as a puppy for about a
year. Finally given up to a woman in Kentucky who rescued dogs, he stayed in
a kennel for three months or so. We were looking for a Boston terrier since
our son and his Boston had moved away and we missed both terribly. We spotted
Duke on a listing at the Kentucky woman's web site and drove the four hours to meet
him and bring him home.
Duke was high strung and full of energy, confused and seemingly unable to
find calm. We did the research, spoke to Boston rescue people by phone and
even contemplated giving Duke to a relative of a friend. But knew we were the
best people to help and love him. We wanted peace for Duke.
Duke has been to dog trainers and been trained at home. He is walked four to five
times per day, all the while training to not be aggressive with people, other
dogs and cars. There have been successes and some failures but we all keep
trying and will love and care for him all his life. We are both retired
educators so Duke spends little time without one of us home.
What has Duke become? He is a happy dog, lots of energy, has his favorite
toys and likes to be with his people. Duke will lay by your side, sleep on
your lap, or at the least, just touch your foot as he lays on the floor. He
loves the sun rays either through the windows in the winter or on the deck in
warmer months. He has a large fenced backyard that is his domain, squirrels
not allowed! He does tricks, sit, paw, roll over, and loves to chase a ball.
He is a very structured dog, knows when it is time to eat or go for a walk.
If we are in another room, he will get a chewy and sit down between us,
determined to be a part of the conversation!
No family decision is ever made without considering the effect on Duke. He is
a very important and loved member of our family.
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