Bosco has Two Sponsors Meet Bosco, a big beautiful Black Lab who got into big trouble.  Bosco’s legal troubles began when he escaped from his yard in Pelham, New Hampshire. Roaming the streets of Pelham, he was spotted by Pelham Police Sgt. Pickles, who attempted to pick up Bosco to get him out of harm’s way. Unfortunatley, Bosco did not know Sgt. Pickles. He let Sgt. Pickles know that he wasn’t comfortable having a stranger pick him up by nipping the sergeant on the hand. After that, things spiraled out of control. Bosco somehow ended up sitting proudly behind the steering wheel of the sergeant’s patrol car with the doors locked. Sgt. Pickles called for backup, and by the time the Animal Control Officer arrived, traffic was backed up and there were several of Pelham’s finest standing around the patrol car looking at Bosco in the driver's seat. Everyone who heard the story was amused - except for the Pelham Police Department. Chief Roark demanded Bosco’s death, labeling him a vicious and dangerous dog. (Click here to read a great editorial from The Lowell Sun) Regrettably, this was not Bosco's first bite incident, although the previous bites were also minor injuries. His owner blames herself for the incidents because she did not get him the proper training or provide him with an adequate fence. Since it was apparent that Bosco was not going to be able to ever return to his home, his owner searched to find a rescue that would take him in and save his life. Most traditional rescues won’t take a dog with a bite history. Fortunately, she learned about Smiling Dog Farms and asked us if Bosco could come here. We said YES! And many wonderful people rallied to Bosco’s cause to help raise the funding to send him to Texas. That should have been the end of it! ... But not so! The police chief of Pelham was determined, and Bosco was in his custody. And he was not going to let him go. Bosco’s lawyer immediately went to work to get him released to travel to his new home at Smiling Dog Farms. UPDATE June, 2011: Bosco finally had his day in court and won! After months of delay, Bosco’s case finally went to court and he was spared the death penalty demanded by the police chief of Pelham. The judge decreed that he would be allowed to come to Smiling Dog Farms, to live out his life where he will be safe and happy ... and no threat to people. Back to Sanctuary Dogs List Be a Donor Give a One-time Donation *The selected amount will billed to your credit card each month via PayPal. You may cancel at any time. On Saturday, June 25, 2011, Bosco arrived at Smiling Dog Farms. Thanks to Terry Sublette in Denver, Colorado, and his friends, the money was raised to build this new townhome for Bosco. Note the loft and the ramp to access it. And there’s a tall window to allow air to move freely, so that Bosco will have a nice breeze. You can see the soft puff for him to sleep on. What isn’t visible in the photo is the metal roofing that covers a third of Bosco’s play yard, to provide plenty of shade and protection from rain. That’s a feeder bin, on the left side of the townhome, that is always filled with kibble. Bosco can eat whenever he’s hungry. He also gets daily “treats” which go in food pans in his play yard. Some days the treats are baked goods from Mrs. Baird’s Bakery Outlet, some days they are raw meat from the Houston Food Bank. In the day’s since his arrival, he’s spent a lot of time exploring his yard and getting comfortable in his new home. He figured out the feeder bin in to time, and quickly mastered going up the ramp to hang out on his loft. Bosco loves his new play yard. It backs up to a pasture with beautiful views and interesting neighbors. Amos and Ona, the resident donkeys, came to visit on the first day. (You can’t see it in the photo, but there’s a wire fence that separates the donkeys from Bosco’s yard by about 4’ - but they can get very close to one another, and check each other out.) It was interesting that Bosco didn’t bark or fuss at the donkeys. He was just curious. Being a city boy, he found these strange creatures to be very interesting. And he hasn’t shown any signs of being aggressive. You’ll note the proximity of his favorite red lobster toy in these pictures. It squeaks and he likes that a lot, so he carries it around with him. It rode with him in his crate all the way from New England. Bosco is very intelligent and can thrive in the proper environment. We will do our best to provide that environment for him. We hope to find Bosco a friend to share his townhome and play yard with - someone to run and play with, and nap with. We’ll start introducing him to potential buddies once he’s had a chance to fully settle in. Bosco sends many hugs and sloppy kisses to his current Monthly Sponsors! • Deborah G. • Beryl S. And also to Friends who recently made donations on his behalf: • Mark C. • Ashley H. • Singin’ Bowl A 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation                                                                                                          Smiling Dog Farms is Absolutely, Unequivocally NO-KILL!!! Smiling Dog Farms P.O. Box 743     Wharton, TX 77488 Giving hope to the forgotten, neglected & rejected Bosco - Sanctuary Please consider signing on to help keep that happy smile on Bosco’s face.  He needs your ongoing support in his new life at Smiling Dog Farms. In addition to monthly support, we still need to recoup the $543 we spent for Bosco’s airfare, which we agreed to pay up front so we could get him out of Pelham and to safety as soon as possible. There are so many who played a part in Bosco’s rescue from certain death. His owner, Deborah, would not be intimidated by the Pelham Police and went to bat for Bosco, getting an attorney to represent his interests. Mark, who befriended Bosco, was booted from the rescue that works out of the Pelham Police Department solely because of his advocacy and caring for Bosco. Jim O’Rourke, his attorney, negotiated the release of Bosco to our sanctuary. Pets In Need, a local Dracut, Massachusetts rescue provided transport from Pelham PD to the airport. John Collins from the Lowell Sun, and his editor, who wrote excellent articles and editorials supporting Bosco’s right to live. John wrote articles that provided the truth, while most of the other media outlets simply regurgitated the Pelham Police Chief’s spin on the story. And last, but certainly not least, Terry Sublette and his friends raised the money needed to build Bosco’s town home. Each of these people have truly earned a Dog’s Best Friend Award for their efforts on Bosco’s behalf. Bosco’s housing was paid for by so many generous supporters. He gives many many sloppy kisses and hugs to Donors who contributed to help him get to his new life here at the farm! YOU Can Help There is no such thing as a gift too small! We have all heard that before, and there is a reason, it is completely true! Even a monthly gift of $10.00 helps greatly to support one of these dogs.