Dinah is special in so very many ways. First of all, she's a stunningly beautiful Rat Terrier, just 2 years old and weighing 15 lbs., with an especially intense desire to play. Whether she's with adults, kids, or other dogs (even a big German Shepherd), she will be devising ways to entice them into playing with her--an activity for which she seems to have boundless amounts of energy. Dinah also has a special affinity for athletics, such as leaping off high ledges, running like the wind, and even climbing fences! What makes this so amazing is that she accomplishes these feats with a genetic deformity of the sciatic nerve that causes her to drag her left foot. (You can see how she inadvertently crosses her rear legs in one of her profile pictures.) In fact, when she first came to New Rattitude, Dinah lacked so much muscle definition in her left leg that we thought she had a spinal cord injury. This turned out not to be the case; her poor muscle tone was likely the result of her having been kept in a crate most of her life, and the freedom to run and play in her foster home has brought about steady improvement in that respect. Dinah's condition, however, has affected her sensitivity to the need to have a bowel movement. When she first arrived at her foster home, she seemed to have no control over it. Her foster mom managed this by giving her frequent, regular walks to stimulate her bowels and by feeding her a diet that produced firm but not too hard stools. Even though it was believed that Dinah couldn't actually improve, miraculously she is starting to be able to "produce" when she is taken out and told to "go potty." Dinah used to have bladder incontinence as well, but that also has improved greatly as her rear muscles have strengthened. She now has the ability to go longer between potty breaks and is truly experiencing some success at house-training. Her foster mom feels confident that Dinah will continue to improve, though she may never be 100-perfect perfectly house-trained. Adopting Dinah will require a little more work, but the rewards of her company are so very worth it. She is truly an inspiring little dog with an infectious zest for life and a happy, one-of-a-kind personality that will make you laugh out loud. See more photos of this very special girl athttp://imageevent.com/newrattitude/dinah .