Your Precious sounds - well - precious. Animals are so loving and fun, they are wonderful companions.
My husband and some of my friends think it is funny that I say that animals know what you say, but I believe that they do.
My kitty cats and little pomeranian would line up and play catch racing to catch a bouncy ball or aluminum paper ball that I'd roll on the floor, and would bring it back to the mddle of the room to be tossed again.
To this day, all I have to say is "bolley-ball" and they all pop out to see what's going on. Though now they prefer the laser light chase.