The Boston wrangler
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Cornelius dog rescue helps snub-nosed terriers find their way to a new home
Chase Allgood / News-Times
Maddie, a three-year-old Boston Terrier, belongs to Wanda Bailie, the director of Oregon Boston Terrier Rescue. Bailie takes in animals that are too old, too sick or too aggressive to be adopted at a normal shelter.
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From the street, Wanda Bailie’s Cornelius home doesn’t look much different from her neighbors on Cherry Street.
But as soon as visitors enter the ranch-style home, they’re greeted by Maddie, a three-year-old Boston Terrier, snorting and sounding the alarm behind a small baby-proof gate.
The gate is just the first clue that Bailie’s house is more than a suburban outpost. Inside, a sturdy dog door leads to the backyard, where, amid kennels and a dog run, Bailie takes care of indigent, homeless Boston Terriers as the head of Oregon Boston Terrier Rescue.
Right now, the house is pretty empty. Maddie, Bailie’s own dog, is the only black-and-white pug-nose running around.
The last dog to be adopted from the Rescue was Major, a four-year-old muscle-bound pup who used to model for national magazine ads but developed an aggressive nature toward other dogs. Major spent four months at Bailie’s house in a separate room and isolated dog run that she’s developed for dogs with aggression issues.
“I called it Major’s room,” Bailie said.
Breed specialists to the rescue
Rescues play an important role in the animal adoption world, said Deborah Woods, manager of the Bonnie L. Hays small animal shelter in Hillsboro.
Dogs with special needs that would be difficult to connect with an adoptive home at a regular shelter such as good candidates for breed-specific rescues.
“Rescues might have breed-specific knowledge,” Woods said. “They can help with breed-specific health problems or breed specific temperament problems.”
Luckily for Boston Terriers, they don’t generally have a hard time finding a home. Last year the Bonnie Hays shelter took in 14 Boston Terriers, but, as Woods said, they didn’t stick around long.
“Fortunately with Boston Terriers, before their little feet touch the shelter floor their worried owners are here to pick them up,” Woods said.
Oregon Boston Terrier Rescue started 12 years ago as a labor of love.
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