my daughter wanted her own dog (she was 5 at the time) and REALLY wanted a chi - however with us having a english bulldog and lab i knew it would end up getting injured from being stepped on... but i decided to run over to plano shelter at lunch anyway to look at a chi listed on their website.  when i got there the dog did not have near the temperment we needed for our family so i started looking around... i'm not sure why but i went down the cat isle and there in the back on the bottom of the cage rack was talley!! he was sooo cute - i had never heard of a rat terrier but i loved his cow markings  and he was stocky yet small and had the curled up tail and pointy ears and a smile that looks like a grin.. he was soooo sweet and friendly.  i took him out to see him (and pointed out to the worker talleys collar was on soooo tight... he started to give me the speach about only getting a finger in between when he checked and realized YES it was VERY tight... and it was a cat collar... ).  his tail never stopped wagging the whole time and i was hesitant to leave him - but i had to go back to work so i filled out the paperwork, paid for him and went back to work.  after work i raced back to the shelter to get him then over to my daughters daycare and surprised her when she got in the car with a dog in her car seat :-)  Talley is probably the most challenging dog i have ever had but probably because i love him sooo much he knows he can get away with almost anything.  when  he is in trouble he will run up to me and stand on his tiny back legs and lay the side of his head on my shoulder....   everyone i know calls him "proud cut" - he is determined to be TOP DOG despite his small size.  someone lost a great dog but he could not be with a family who loves him more now....

Oh definitely. She sees all the dogs that way, except her own of course that is her child. They get birthday and christmas presents from her.

Fran, make sure your avatar picture is under 80mg and has a .jpg file extension.  Make sure .jpg is in lowercase letters.

I have really enjoyed reading these stories! I think ratties are a blessing to every family! I had talked with Steve for a while about getting a dog. I first wanted an English Bulldog, but after lots of research about the breed and looking at $$$$$, temperment, and life span I scrapped that idea. Next choice for me was a mini dachund and Steve wanted a JRT (go figure!) My parents had a rattie and was a good dog...smart, not too hyper, etc. and seemed a good compromise. So a rattie it was! When we went to see the litter with Dottie we fell in love!!! We had to wait 4 weeks before we could bring her home and she is the best fur baby we could ever have! She is the sweetest and smartest dog I have ever known! I have had many breeds over the years and ratties are the best by far!!  RATTIES RULE!!!

Actually I have always been a cat person myself. Both of my beloved feline companions of 18 years died. Right before the last one died I rat sitted for my son and fell in love with his dog and he gave her to me- my beloved Bo Girl. She was such a sweetheart and I loved her so much.

After she got ill and died suddenly I was so very loney for her, that I started looking for another rattie and found my three girls by answering an ad in the paper. As you know I could not keep Sally (the wild girl-my son has her), but I have my girls Patty (La Bella) and Franny (the Frenchie).

Next, time I get another dog, I am going to get a puppy

He had a older cockapoo and my husband wanted a JRT so we went through a breeder and purchased Sydney.  Copper or cockapoo past awawy this last march and Sydney became lonely as were we.  We decided we did not want to start with another puppy and decided to adopt.  We then had to decide on a type.  I did not want another JRT (though I love Sydney todeath) but we wanted a dog to keep up with Sydney so we decided on a rat.  We then wanted a rat that was around her age. We saw Sonic on ppetfinder and drove from our place by hudson wisconsin to owatonna ,minnesota to visit with him.  Sydney and Sonic hit it right off from the start and we took him home that night with us.

Bottom line.......once a Rattie, always a Rattie!

I wanted a mini-RT ever since I was in colleg eand my lab partner had one... I would go to her house to study and party and this dog was what my hubby called a mini-mountain goat.... he would climb all over the back of the couch...... and like stand there like he owned the place... I was just enamored with them... when we moved to Idaho in 2001 we looked into getting a dog and ended up getting  GSP (german shorthaired Pointer) then a chocolate lab... and then we founf Duke out 110 LB yellow lab. so after we had to put out choc lab down we decided to not get any more dogs...... any way I was searching online for  pets on craigslist.org and ran accross a RT free to a good home... well by the time I have got to call the fella he was gone... so I said blah I just found a breeder on puppyfinder.com and picked out a boy I liked.....

Susan, I used to have a thing for big, long haired dogs. Then after a few rescues, I discovered that long hair, requires a lot, I mean a LOT of maintenance. 

Like you, I also wanted a dog with some smarts...and dare I say it, I was drawn to the rat terrier for the reason it got its name...it can keep pests at bay. I had rare breed cats (bobtails), but was growing weary of their persnicky nature - pet me, not now, later, faster, slower, you're looooking at me LOL. I've sooo hooked on ratties now.

My husband and I didn't know what kind of dog we wanted we just wanted one and we found an ad in a paper for Rat terriers. Went to a pet shop to research (we were out of town) and decided we could deal with a rattie and we fell in love instantly.  He has been the best thing for us. 

HaHaHa! I didn't chose a rattie! She was a 'gift'!!!!

Since I had to put my chow down in December of 2004, (he had cancer and wasn't doing well), I had been thinking about getting another dog, a small one this time. I still had my lab, Immi G. I was considering a JRT. My neighbor had one, and he is just adorable. Any way, I  was in no hurry, and figured I would do a rescue from the Humane Society or ASPCA. Spring and summer came and went, still thinking about a new dog, but liking having only the one, she was happy too. Up to that point she had never been an only dog. Immi G. was loving the extra attention. After Hurricane Katrina, I kept hearing about all of these dogs that needed temporary homes til their owners could claim them. I knew I couldn't really do this. So I was going to wait til Christmas, thinking that if by then the dogs owners hadn't claimed them, the probably wouldn't.

Well, before that happened I got a call from my sister, asking me to meet her outside! ( yes, this usually means something needs to be fed or taken care of!) I went out, and here she comes with the cutest little flop eared dog hanging out the window! She says, 'here, you've been wanting a small dog!" She had found her wandering around the little store up the road, and asked around. People said she had been running loose for the last week or so. No one knew who she belonged to. I took her to the groomer, she stank, and asked them to take her to the vet next door to be scanned. NO chip! I put up fliers, and     an ad in the papers. I couldn't believe no one was missing this little girl!!!

She stole my heart the very first day I had her, so I was secretly hoping I wouldn't find her previous owner. No one ever claimed her. She is the light of my life, and I can't imagine not having her with me. I will have other ratties in the future. These little pups are just the best!!!

So, no, I didn't chose a rattie, I am sooo glad one was sent to me!!!!

I got Cleo by accident really, I think it was fate really though. I live with my mom and grandparents, more because its a good idea then I have to. My grandparents had a beloved shih tzu who was about 13 years old named Zeke, well he was living his last days with us, blind deaf and just plain old, but a happy boy, and the neighbor... well the neighbor didnt see him under the truck.  My grandparents were beside themselves I don't think I have taken anything out of the house quicker, all his toys bedding etc had to be out of the house. My grandma wanted a new dog, a younger dog, so we began to look, and we looked for about a month or so maybe two... my mom came across a ad online for a newspaper of a RT litter and it was somewhat in my grandma's price range, I called talked to the breeder knowing NOTHING about RT's, I told my grandma and we went to look at her the next day, about 2 hour drive away or so. The breeder didn't think Cleo would be over 10 lbs. prefect for my gma, well we had our choice, Cleo or her brother who was a lil bigger then my Cleo who at the time tipped the scales at just over 6 lbs in 9-10 weeks old. My grandma named her Cleopatra or Cleo for short, because she was a Queen like Cleoparta was. My grandma picked Cleo and we took her home, my Grandma held her the whole way. She wanted Cleo to bond with her.  I played with Cleo, but my grandma held her all the time. At night my grandma was custom to having a dog sleep at the foot of the bed, well Cleo would wiggle too much and want to snuggle and so my grandma would bring her in my room in the middle of the night  plus she was afraid of rolling over on her and say you try and sleep with her. We tried her sleepin in the grandparents room for about a week, then she just slept with me all the time and 90% of the time under the covers lol. Plus she was a lil too active for my grandparents liking. They were used to a older calmer Shih tizu. Xmas came closer  when it did my uncle had gotten my grandma a 5 year old rescued Shih tzu, named Sissy ( short for Contessa) which would have been nice had he told me before because I would have liked to prepare my dog. (back on subject)

My grandparents offically gave me Cleo for Xmas, she has always been my dog though. She will be a year old in August and is a lil princess lol so her name fits her well. She weighs about 12-14 lbs now.  

WE now have another Shihtzu mix also a rescue, who is about 7 months old named  Tori  ( short for Victoria, think my grandma has something for roalty) and Cleo play all the time. If only I could get them to listen and come back when I call them.

Thats how I got my girl, didnt know anything about RT's and really could find out much about them, I did find one book which I bought the same day. There aren't many in my area, although the groomers in my area know the breed. Which is nice I have one lady who trims Cleo's nails about once a month, I am too scared to do it myself and she moves too much, plus the lady clips and files them with a dremmel for $10.

She is very much my dog and acts alot like me. lol I don't think I could have picked a better dog if I had tried, she is wonderful!