I felt terrible for Bud today; he endures the fate of the terrier, the Boston Terrier in particular; he is doomed to be forever in pursuit but rarely successful.
This never deters him; he rushes back and forth in the yard all day, daring moles, mice, chipmunks, Â squirrels, and Amish horses to come near him.
Today he ran back and forth so often and furiously that he badly strained a leg and was nearly overheated.
We got him inside, cooled him off, and banned him from running outside until his leg was better.
A stringed leg is nothing for a Boston Terrier to pay attention to, But he sees himself as a dinosaur, the biggest bully on any block, the absolute guardian at all costs and by any means of his domain.
Victory for Bud is in the pursuit, not the result. Once in a while, he snares a mouse, mole, or snake; the chipmunks and squirrels mostly taunt him and laugh at him from the trees.
I told him he had to rest, and he did seem tired. In a day or so, he will again join the never-ending eternal chase. Bud inspires me, he rarely wins but he never quits.
brilliant photo
Thanks, Darlean..
I know how much you don’t like to be told what to do Jon, but I have had several Bostons and have a couple now and they cannot take alot of heat especially with strenuous exercise….It can be a killer for them….Regards. Sally Garcia.
Yes, Sally, thank you, we will well aware of the heat and cold dangers for Boston Terriers, as I have written often… Bud is not allowed outside except to eliminate when the temperature is above 70-75 or the humidity is high; there is always shade and fresh water outside.
One thing to consider is that Bud is getting his exercise to keep him in shape.
Bud has the most expressive face, and I think only you could elicit those emotions in photos.
Your words describe, but your photos illuminate
Jon, I came across your book about Simon and compassion. I’m a quite youngish 79-year-old woman, life-long animal lover, but especially dogs and horses (equines). It’s occurred tome, as I chew on and digest your musings on compassion and humanity, that you seem to be having trouble with the idea that for so many people, compassion for animals is at odds with the same feeling for people. But I think we are all things simultaneously. Yes, we often lack compassion for people. Rightly so, I think. Because more is expected of people, rightly so. Because people have a greater capacity. And by the way, no, I do not feel compassion for snakes. But for that spider I stomped on — yes. I’m sorry about that…,
P.S., I would’ve done the same thing you did when the rooster attacked Maria!