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Precious is a 9-month-old Rat Terrier girl dog weighing around 15 pounds. She was given to a shelter and the owner that surrendered did not give a reason as to why. Precious spent four weeks at a shelter very scared and becoming skinny wondering what happened to her home. She was then rescued by 4 Lucky Dogs and now is happy in a foster home. Precious is hoping for a permanent home with a family that will love and keep her forever.

The most descriptive word for Precious is “playful”. She loves to play and play and play. She knows where the overflowing toy box is and has fun getting each of the toys out. Tug-of-war with her foster sister is one her favorite activities. She will initiate the tug-of-war game by pulling the long toy in front of her foster sister to get her to join then the two of them pull back and forth for at least five minutes. That causes others to join in with each pulling an end. The foster family finds this very entertaining.

Precious also likes waving a toy in the air by herself and chewing on a bone. She will carry a toy around the house very proudly as a prize possession. She gets one toy out for a minute then another toy out for another minute. Before you know it there are 10 toys on the floor! The foster family is surprised how much she loves playing first thing in the morning - after coming in from going potties she immediately goes into play mode.

According to a website post about the Rat Terrier breed they are known for being lively, feisty, energetic, funny, and are incapable of being boring, It says they are highly active and vastly intelligent dogs that are perfect for active families who love teaching dogs new tricks. This dog Precious matches all those characteristics with her foster family agreeing she has a lot of energy and concluding she is the smartest of all the dogs this family has fostered so far.

Precious is very curious and adventurous. She wants to go where people go so the foster family has realized to be careful because if one of them is going out the door to the garage Precious wants to sneak out for new excitement. For this reason, we recommend the adopter close doors or be agile to catch her if necessary.

The foster family can tell she is used to living in a house as easily and quickly as Precious adjusted to theirs. She loves comfortable resting places such as on a sofa, on pillows, on blankets, cuddled next to someone on a chair, etc. They also have the impression she was with another dog because how she gets along with her foster sister playing together, eating together, and going out together. She likes to follow the other dog around and sometimes brings her a toy she was playing with sometimes hides that toy from her.

Precious wants to be around people all the time – in fact is dependent on them to constantly give her attention. Her adopter will need to be home regularly with just short outings rather than a full workday. She loves following people around so if you move from one room to another expect her to be right there with you. She will consider herself her inseparable companion. And when Precious hears the garage door at her foster home open meaning one of them is returning, she runs to see. She loves to give greetings and will push her foster sister out of the way so she can get noticed first. She demands it in the most lovable way such as if close to her she will give a kiss, or get under a hand for a petting, or fits herself into a chair to snuggle next to a person

A requirement is that adopter has a fenced-in yard. Between Precious’ very young active age and her love of the outside she needs to be able to roam free in a yard. At her foster home she walks the entire yard multiple times then runs some laps/circles then walks again and then runs laps circles again. It is enjoyable to watch her make use of the entire yard. Although sometimes she digs in the yard – not sure if it is a breed instinct or a puppy trait that is trying to explore. Her foster family is working on training her that digging is wrong.

Precious is new to walking on a leash and is learning what that means. She will happily go on the walk because likes being out somewhere different with new smells but has not mastered going straight ahead yet because she gets distracted with her enthusiasm of being out. She is also being taught what not to do like play biting humans thinking they are like toys. She is so smart and has learned a lot already about doggie rules in the two weeks she has been at the foster home

Because she is young, she has had a few potty accidents in the foster home but is so eager to please that she is trying hard to hold it. The foster family recently discovered that when they put a puppy pad down she knew what it was and used it one time when her need was urgent, so going forward they are giving her that option until she is fully potty-trained.

4LD has evaluated Precious and decided she needs to be adopted into a family that already has a dog who wants to play and run with her. Precious really needs a playmate and constant activity to do. 

Precious is an overall happy dog. In fact, sometimes when she is sound asleep her tail wags steadily for a few minutes as she is daydreaming. Her adoption fee is $400. This dog comes microchipped, spayed, and up to date on shots and vaccines. You can apply for her at www.4luckydogs.org.