Frequently Asked Questions
Our Boston Terriers
Our Boston Terriers come to us from local shelters, owner surrenders and as strays. Our main goal is to re-home these Boston Terriers into loving homes so they will never end up homeless again. Most of our dogs are very sweet Boston Terriers that have just fallen on hard times and need someone to love them.
All our dogs are in loving foster homes until adoption. We do not have a facility for our rescue. We are just a group of dedicated volunteers trying to save as many lives as possible. Because of this, we have dogs being fostered throughout the state including, Muskogee, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City. You will be asked to pick up any dog you are adopting wherever it is being fostered to make it easier on our volunteers.
Adoption Process
The first step in the application process is to submit your ADOPTION APPLICATION.
You will receive an automated response when your application is submitted. You will receive another response from our Adoption Coordinator, usually within one to two days of your submission. We are a foster-based, 100% volunteer organization and almost all of us have full-time jobs outside the rescue, so please be patient as you wait to hear from us about the next steps in the process.
We require all pets in a home, past and current, to be up-to-date on all vaccinations, heartworm preventative, and spayed/neutered. After we have received a good vet reference reflecting this, we will ask you to complete a virtual "home visit" using Dropbox, where you will upload photos and videos of your home and yard and a general introduction video of all family members and current pets. Our Adoption Coordinator will help you navigate using Dropbox if you need help.
Once you complete your virtual "home visit," we will notify you to let you know if you're approved. If the dog for which you applied is available and is an appropriate fit for your family and lifestyle, we will send instructions to finalize the adoption. After receiving the adoption agreement and the adoption fee, we will send you the foster parent's phone number so you can arrange to pick up your dog within seven days of approval.
If the dog for which you applied is no longer available or is not a good fit, we will match you with another dog in the rescue. You're welcome to let us know if we have another dog posted that interests you! If there are no suitable matches when you are approved, we will keep your application in our "approved" folder and look for a match as new dogs come into the rescue.
**Please note that just because a dog is still on our page does not mean there are no other applications for the dog. We only mark dogs pending adoption if the potential adopter has completed all of the application process and is just working out a pickup date. Or it could be that we have received multiple promising applications for the same dog. Before the home visit, we will always let you know if the dog you are interested in has a pending adoption. We encourage you to continue the process of applying to adopt another dog that may be an even better fit.
Yard Requirements
We require a fenced yard to adopt, except in certain circumstances at our discretion. All fenced yards must be fully fenced, recently checked for holes/gaps, and secure enough that a small dog cannot get through. Any app that has a doggie door and no fenced yard will not be considered. An “invisible or underground fence” will not be accepted as a fence.
Health of Your New Pet
While we cannot guarantee life span, we do make every effort to assure our dogs are in good health. We also will inform you before adoption if you have decided to adopt a dog with a known health issue. All dogs are fully vetted at the time of adoption, including spay/neuter, microchipping, all vaccines - Rabies, Bordetella, and DHLP - along with heartworm check and the first month of preventative. The only exception would be puppies, and they will be fully up to date on their vaccines for their age. You will receive paperwork to bring to your vet, so you will know when their next set of shots are due.
Adoption Fee
Our adoption fees range from $200 - $1500, depending on the dog. We do list this for each dog in the description. Puppies are the highest because they take the most care and vetting before being adoption-ready. We make every effort to make sure prices are fair for each dog. Please understand all prices include the dog being fully vetted and health checked. It is vitally important to us that our dogs go to the best homes possible, so our prices are set to assure serious applicants only. The adoption fee is on a cash basis and is non-refundable. Please note that no one in this organization is on a salary through the rescue. All money from adoptions goes directly back into saving more dogs.
Adoption Agreement
All adopters must sign an adoption agreement when adopting any of our dogs. This agreement states that you will properly care for your new dog, including future vet care when needed. All adoption agreements also state that the dog will be returned to the rescue if the adopter can no longer keep the dog for any reason. We highly recommend allowing at least a month for a dog to adjust; frequently settling into a new home can take time and lots and lots of patience. Always remember you are adopting a dog that has been through something to end up in rescue, so it is important to be understanding and patient with them as they adjust to their new life.
Out-of-state adoptions
We do adopt out-of-state to approved applicants. Our rescue does not do sight-unseen adoptions or chain transfers, and we do not place our dogs on planes alone to fly as cargo. If an application is approved, we require those applicants to travel to Oklahoma to pick up their rescue animal. Since most of our animals are too big to fly commercially, most people fly in and then have to drive home.
Fees for Dogs that are Found and Returned to Owner
- $25 a day for in-home boarding per dog per day
- All medical bills including shots or any other medical care received while in our rescue
Paperwork Needed Before Dog Will Be Returned to Owner
- Adoption Application form submitted through our website
- Minimum 5 clear photos of the dog in question from various angles. Also, please point out any distinct markings that can be used to identify the dog.
- Current medical records
Frequently asked questions:
Does BTSNRO get funding from the government?
No, we are private 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are not funded by any government agency.
What does 501(c)(3) mean to me?
501(c)(3) means a nonprofit organization that has been recognized by the IRS as being tax-exempt by virtue of its charitable programs. This also means any donations you make to the organization where no goods were exchanged are tax deductible. So adoption fees and auction items are not tax deductible, but cash donations and Amazon Wishlist items you send us are tax deductible. All you need to do is print and keep your receipt for these items.
Is BTSNRO tied to any other rescue organization?
No, we are an independent organization. We often work with other rescues and shelters to save more dogs, but we are not a part of a larger organization.
Where are your microchips registered?
All microchips are registered with our information as the primary contact though AKC. After you adopt a dog from our rescue we will add your information to the registration, but we remain the primary contact for the life of any dog adopted through our organization. If at any time your contact information changes you must contact us, and we will change your information for you. We do not transfer microchips for any reason. This is to ensure the safety of all dogs going through our rescue. This keeps our dogs from being bought, sold or traded without our consent.
I need behavior help for my new dog. Can you help?
You are welcome to contact us with questions and concerns via email btrescueoklahoma@yahoo.com . We do have a volunteer that has compiled a list of trainers in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City area that we can get to you. All our volunteers are also Boston Terrier owners themselves, and we are all glad to give you tips and tricks to help you with the breed.
Can I make a donation?
Absolutely, we have a tab on the webpage to our Amazon wish list and any of these items are always appreciated. You are welcome to purchase them anywhere, Amazon just made it easy for us to make a view-able list. If you would like to make a cash donation we have a donation button on the menu tab that you may use to make donations. If you need the donation address for any reason, please email us from the contact us form at the bottom of our website and we will get you the information you need. All donations are tax deductible since we are a 501(c)(3) rescue organization.
How can I volunteer for the BTROO?
We are always in need of foster homes. If you are interested in becoming a foster please first fill out our foster application, and we will get in touch with you. We also are always in need of people for home visits, adoption events, etc. if you would be interested in helping with any of these task please contact us and we will get you started.
I lost my Boston what can I do?
Message our Facebook page. We will re-post missing Boston Terriers from our page in hopes more people see your missing pet notice.
I found a Boston what can I do?
Here are some tips that we hope will help you reunite the found pet with its owner:
Search the neighborhood. Walk or drive through your neighborhood for several days to look for fliers. If you found an animal in your neighborhood then it probably lives in your neighborhood.
Advertise. Post found notices at grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, at pet supply stores, dog parks and other locations. Also, place advertisements in newspapers and with radio stations. When describing the animal, leave out one identifying characteristic and ask the person who calls to describe it.
Contact local animal shelters and animal control agencies. File a found pet report with every shelter within a 60-mile radius of your home and take a found flier to post.
If there is no shelter in your community, contact the local police department. Provide these agencies with an accurate description.
If the animal is wearing a Rabies tag, call the Clinic phone number and they will be able to give you the owner’s contact info.
You should also have a vet scan the animal to see if it is micro-chipped. This can be performed for free.
If you are unable to locate the owners and would like to contact our rescue to help with re-homing please contact us with an accurate description, a picture if possible, through our email btrescueoklahoma@yahoo.com Foster availability and the amount of dogs currently in rescue may effect whether we can re-home the dog for you, but we will assist in any way we can to help you get the Boston Terrier into a loving home.
501(c)(3) Status
As of October 1, 2015 we are officially a 501(c)(3) non-profit. We are listed as the BT Rescue of Oklahoma Foundation. All donations are now tax deductible. This will also make it much easier for us to pull dogs from local shelters. We would like to thank everyone for their support, and everyone who helped make this possible!
The love of the breed led to adoption, but the love of the dog led to starting a rescue. Sweet Madison was only nine years old when she lost her battle with bladder cancer. Boston Terrier and Short Nose Rescue of Oklahoma was established just one year later because of her. Madison will be remembered for many years through the work we do for other Bostons. We might not have been able to save her life, but we will do our best to save as many others as possible!
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization comprised of a team of diligent volunteers. The Boston Terrier Rescue of Oklahoma is dedicated to rescuing as many Boston Terriers as possible. No rescue is too small or too large, and while we primarily serve Oklahoma, we have been known to aid in neighboring states as well when we can. Our goal is to bring these sweet babies into rescue long enough to ensure they are healthy and have been behavior tested so that we may place them into a loving, FURever home they fit right into!
We are a foster-based rescue, which means our dogs stay in homes with families, not in a central facility. Because our dogs are in foster homes, we can see interactions with other animals and behaviors that a dog might exhibit in a home. While we strive to provide as much information as possible about all our dogs, sometimes we are limited on how much we know about the backgrounds of dogs that come into our care.
We're here for any questions you may have throughout the adoption process, and even after adoption and once you have your new baby home. We love to see our dogs flourish and make their paw prints on each of your hearts!