Boston Terrier Characteristics:
The Boston Terrier is an intelligent, companionable, nonsporting dog breed with a short, wide muzzle, square head, dark widely-set eyes, and pointed, erect ears. It weighs up to 25 pounds and has a smooth-coated compactly built body with a short tail. The Boston Terrier’s coloring ranges from brindle, seal (reddish black), or black, and classically includes a white muzzle and blaze between the eyes and a white forechest.
The Boston Terrier is an intelligent, companionable, nonsporting dog breed with a short, wide muzzle, square head, dark widely-set eyes, and pointed, erect ears. It weighs up to 25 pounds and has a smooth-coated compactly built body with a short tail. The Boston Terrier’s coloring ranges from brindle, seal (reddish black), or black, and classically includes a white muzzle and blaze between the eyes and a white forechest.
Boston Terrier Origins:
The Boston Terrier is one of the few dog breeds that originated in the United States. It is such a relative newcomer in the dog world that its ancestry can be traced back to the beginning of the breed.
The Boston Terrier is one of the few dog breeds that originated in the United States. It is such a relative newcomer in the dog world that its ancestry can be traced back to the beginning of the breed.
Sometime around 1870, Boston resident Robert C. Hooper purchased an imported dog named “Judge” from fellow Bostonian William O'Brien. The dog, commonly known as "Hooper's Judge," was a cross between an English Bulldog and a white English Terrier. Judge was mated to a white bitch with a similar stocky build and short, blocky head named "Gyp" or "Kate" owned by Edward Burnett, of Southboro, Mass. Their offspring, a dog named "Wells' Eph," was then bred to "Tobin's Kate." The Boston Terrier is descended from these dogs.
What’s in a Name?:
In 1889 a group of about thirty Boston-area fanciers of the breed formed the American Bull Terrier Club. They showed the dogs as Round Heads or Bull Terriers, but changed the name after Bull Terrier and Bulldog fanciers objected to the similarity of breed name. In 1891, the Boston Terrier Club of America was established, taking the name of the breed’s city of origin.
In 1889 a group of about thirty Boston-area fanciers of the breed formed the American Bull Terrier Club. They showed the dogs as Round Heads or Bull Terriers, but changed the name after Bull Terrier and Bulldog fanciers objected to the similarity of breed name. In 1891, the Boston Terrier Club of America was established, taking the name of the breed’s city of origin.
Over the years the breed was known as the American Bull Terrier, the Boston Bull, the Boston Bulldog, the Boston Bull Terrier, and the Round Heads. By 1891 it was being called the Boston Terrier, a name that became permanent when the breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1893. In addition to its more formal names, the Boston Terrier earned the nickname “the American gentleman” because of its gentle disposition.
Boston Terrier Trivia:
- Particularly popular in the United States in the 1920s, the breed still ranks among the more popular dog breeds in America.
- In 1979, the Boston Terrier was recognized as the state dog of Massachusetts.
- Boston University’s mascot is Rhett the Boston Terrier.
- Helen Keller had a Boston Terrier named Phiz, which was given to her by some of her college classmates.
- Also Known As: Boston Bull, Boston Bulldog, Boston Bull Terrier, Roundheads, the American Gentleman.
