Boston terriers on Cape Ann: the state dog, the heat and the play style

The Boston terrier was developed in Boston in the late 1800s from bulldog and terrier stock, which explains its two sides: a bulldog's compact build and flat face, a terrier's speed and appetite for a game. The tuxedo markings earned it the nickname the American Gentleman, and in 1979 the Commonwealth made it the official state dog. On Cape Ann it is often a commuter's dog, dropped at Dogtown between 6:30 and 9:30 AM by owners bound for the Rockport line, which bars dogs during the 7 to 10 AM and 4 to 7 PM peaks.

Bostons bounce. In the small-dog group of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, the Boston is usually the one starting the game: a play bow, a pounce, a sprint across the turf and back for more. They play harder and longer than a pug or a Frenchie, so our handlers pair them with the athletic end of the small group, and the terrier persistence that does not always read a bigger dog's request to stop is one reason the breed stays with small dogs.

A Boston terrier's groom is a bath, a nail trim and a tooth brush. The coat is short, smooth and sheds lightly, with a small spring drop that a rubber curry brush handles in five minutes a week, and there is nothing to cut. At Dogtown the bath-only service for a dog up to 25 pounds is $55 with the blow-dry and brush-out, and our groomers' general practice is a bath every 6 to 8 weeks, sooner after a muddy Ravenswood walk or a salty beach day.

The add-ons that matter are nail clipping at $16, every 4 to 6 weeks because a small dog on turf does not wear nails down, and teeth brushing at $10, because the short jaw crowds the teeth. Whitening shampoo at $8 brightens the white of the tuxedo before a family photo. There is no evaluation for grooming, and a bath booked onto a daycare day sends the dog home clean.

Bostons take to Dogtown quickly because the small group plays their game. Start with the free evaluation on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, then a half day at $33 to see how the dog settles, then full days at $42 or a 10-pack at $380. Add the bath every 6 to 8 weeks onto a daycare day, and ask about Dogtown Academy at $69 a half day if the energy outlasts the group.

In July and August ask about the indoor schedule or move to half days; in January send the jacket. Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea are Pup Van towns at $10 each way, which keeps a thin-coated dog out of a cold parking lot and a flat-faced one off hot pavement. On a Boston terrier's first daycare visit, a new customer gets 15 percent off with FIRST15.