Meet Priscilla, AKA Miss Prisc! The inspiration for her name was a male, so we chose to name her after his wife. She is a Rat Terrier mix who was born around April 2017 and came into our program because of bad behavior at a local shelter. She spent approximately eight months in a spacious home, hiding under furniture, avoiding human interaction, mostly refusing love, and scared of collars and leashes. The freedom to adjust in her own time only allowed her to become more scared of humans and more reclusive. In December, we changed tactics and moved her to an active socialization fostering situation, and we are so glad we did!! In one month, she went from being so scared of humans she would fear bite to begging for her foster mom's attention and sleeping in her lap every chance she gets. She still has a ways to go. She's very timid with anyone new, but more timid with men. She takes treats from her foster mom and foster dad's hands. She no longer tries to bite anyone that reaches into her playpen to pet her or tries to pick her up. She no longer rolls or flails around to get away from a collar / halter and leash. She's still a bit scared of actually walking on a leash, but she is slowly figuring out that it isn't torture! ?

This sassy girl has attitude for days, but it is mostly rooted in her fear of human interactions. She will do amazing in a single human or one couple home (we are not sure a home with kids would be good for her), and would likely really prefer a woman to be her person. Once she feels comfortable and safe, though, she will be the sweetest love bug!

She will need a human who is willing to spend some time in the beggining helping her understand they are not a threat. She is very unlikely to immediately bond with any potential adopter / family. We anticipate her regressing slightly when she finds her forever home, just due to the severity of her fear of humans and fear of new things in general. She will do best staying in a large, enclosed playpen or kennel that opens from the top in the first couple to several weeks until she adjusts. That way her human can place a blanket over her to help her feel secure before picking her up. She LOVES soft fleece-like blankets. They are her very favorite place to curl up and nap! She is very fast when she gets scared and wants to get away, and will be hard to catch if she hasn't adjusted to the human trying to catch her. If she is let loose in the home, it may be a much harder and longer process to earn her trust. This is exemplified by the difference in how much progress she has made in a more controlled setting in such a short time compared to the little to no progress she previously made with too much freedom in the beggining.

Priscilla is mostly potty pad trained, but she misses the pads occasionally and goes beside them. She is not kennel or house trained, but she is working on it! She is still very fearful of being outside on a leash or even being held outside. She regresses a bit when we push her too much, so house training is taking longer than we anticipated. Her fear of basically everything is our highest priority, but we are focusing on training more as we can now that she feels safe!

Priscilla might do best as an only pet, but we would be happy to consider a family with other small dogs or cats. She has been very reactive with large dogs (male and female) in our experience. She might be okay with a small to medium dog. She has become best friends with a large breed puppy in her foster home, but after playing, she still sometimes gets overwhelms and runs away from him, usually to hide under her blanket. She gets along with female cats, but does not appreciate male cats in her personal space.

She is spayed, micro-chipped, up to date on age appropriate shots, heartworm negative, and on flea, tick, and heartworm prevention!! You can apply to meet / adopt her at Www.muttmisfits.com/adoption-application