Our little Boston Terrier puppy Bon-Bon is one year old today.
It’s been an interesting ride thus far, seeing as how little Bon-Bon broke her femur as a 3-month old, got a touch of giardia, and ate her own poop for a while.
However, I can happily report that Bon-Bon is turning into a fun, sweet and wonderful member of the family who gets more interesting with each passing month.
With Booger’s sad demise a while back, our 4-year-old Boston Terrier “Baby” is now the leader of the Manning pack, and she adores her little sidekick. They play keep away, tug of war, chase the ball, wrestle each other all day long, and take naps together. They are both very jealous of attention that I pay to them, often trying to nudge the other out of the way when I’m petting or cuddling one of them. It’s cute to watch.
Bon-Bon is becoming more athletically competitive with Baby, who outweighs her by 6 pounds and is lightning quick. It will be interesting to see how they do on the beach up in Oregon this Summer, as they chase thrown balls and run in and out of the surf. Booger and JayJay really liked the waves, but I never got them on the boogey board.
I am hoping that Baby will teach Bon-Bon how to retrieve a ball and drop it right at my feet. This is a skill that Booger taught Baby up there in Oregon.
We have had little problem teaching Bon-Bon things. She did well in Dog Obedience classes, figured out how to use the doggie door quickly, does the obligatory tricks for treats, and has picked up a bunch of skills from Baby…like begging for food from Charlie and panhandling while I’m in the kitchen.
We haven’t had any problem with Bon-Bon (or Baby, for that matter) chewing on furniture or our possessions out of boredom. She is a big chewer, but she knows what toys are hers and she keeps busy with those items. She can gobble up food pretty fast, though.
Bon-Bon is well socialized and is super friendly to any and all dogs and humans that she meets on her walks with me. She is also doing well on leash, not pulling too much, coming to me when I ask. I can now walk both Baby and Bon-Bon at the same time, which is a blessing (so I don’t have to take two trips!). Lately, they’re doing about 3 miles in the a.m.
Bon-Bon likes to lay on the artificial grass out in the backyard and soak up the sun whenever possible. She also detects where sunshine comes into the house and will position herself on beds, carpets, or wherever to catch sunrays. Bon-Bon also likes to lounge on soft stuff, like our bed pillows.
She also likes to cuddle a lot. Normally, she will be near Baby, and they don’t seem to mind cuddling up with one another.
In the evening, while we watch TV, she will cuddle next to me or in Charlie’s lap.
At bedtime, she positions herself right up against my back and sleeps all night. Luckily, she doesn’t snore.
Bon-Bon will let out a shriek when something surprises her, if she doesn’t get her way with Baby, or when someone accidentally bumps into her. Her spontaneous shrieks are alarming, but infrequent, thank goodness.
On the other hand, she isn’t a gratuitous barker. Boston Terriers are not known as barkers, although they will occasionally bark (or growl) at each other while playing and might let out a group bark if someone comes to the door. It’s nice to know that your dogs aren’t neighborhood pests, like some of the Chihuahuas and other dogs in our community that bark incessantly just to amuse themselves.
You wouldn’t know we have dogs unless you come into our house or see them amusing themselves in the backyard. Speaking of that, It’s getting to be “pool time” here in Mesquite. We will have to see if Bon-Bon likes to lounge in the shallow infant pool like Booger and JayJay used to. Baby will do it under duress.
We are going to have to work with Bon-Bon to calm her down in the RV. She seems to get hyper and start panting as soon as we get underway. Baby also has this problem to a certain extent. We are going to medicate both of them when we travel in May and see what happens. (They could become travel zombies.)
It remains to be seen how well Bon-Bon will tolerate being left alone in the RV for hours at a time. The other dogs did quite well; we could leave them for 2 to 4 hours at a time. Hopefully, she will grow accustomed to this, as we occasionally like to go to a restaurant or do some shopping in the little cities that we visit.
Lot’s of adventures yet to come.
Happy B-Day, Bon-Bon!!!