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Piglet The Pink, Blind And Deaf Puppy Is Inspiring Kids To Deal With Their Differences

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An incredibly adorable pink, deaf and blind puppy called Piglet is inspiring young students to never give up. 

Melissa Shapiro, a Connecticut veterinarian, offered to foster the little pup after he was rescued and sent to a shelter.

The dachshund-Chihuahua mix was no doubt going to be a lot of work, so Shapiro agreed to take care of Piglet temporarily. But after two months, it was clear Piglet had a new home.

 

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Thank you to Greta Bjornson and People.com for publishing a beautiful article about Piglet this afternoon. We want to welcome many new friends who found Piglet via that article. I’ve received many questions about Piglet so here is a brief summary of Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy. Scroll to see a few adorable pictures of Piggy and his pack. Piglet is a double dapple doxie chihuahua mix. He was born in a hoarding situation. When two dapple color patterned dogs breed there is a 25% chance each puppy will receive two dapple genes. This is called “double dapple” or double merle which is linked to congenital ear and eye defects. Piglet is deaf and blind. Piglet faces his challenges with a positive attitude. This is called a Piglet Mindset. He is an exceptional growth mindset model for children and adults. Our Piglet Mindset Educational Outreach Program is available on Piglet’s website for classroom use (free downloads). We are happy to support teachers who introduce Piglet to their students. We correspond via mail and email, send Piglet Merchandise, and visit when possible. Piglet is an animal welfare advocate. He encourages spay and neuter, educates about the severe consequences of double dapple breeding, and he encourages adoption of special needs pets. Our fundraising efforts have exceeded $30,000 which has all been donated to special needs dog rescues and other nonprofit organizations. Most of all, Piglet is an adorable, happy, entertaining tiny pink dog with a very positive attitude. He puts a smile on faces all around the world. Visit pinkpigletpuppy.org to learn more. And email with questions and inquiries. [email protected]. Keep an eye on Piggy’s stories this weekend as he will be in Columbus, Ohio participating in the Special K9 Games!! . . . #pinkpigletpuppy #deafdogsofinstagram #blinddogsofinstagram #rescuedogsofinstagram #doubledapple #animaladvocate #aspca #humanesociety #petinsider #tdafam #buzzfeedanimals

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Piglet was born in Georgia, in an overcrowded home, along side 35 other puppies.

He’s Shapiro’s seventh dog, and while he’s now living ‘like a little prince’, the transition into the family wasn’t always easy.

 

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Wishing all of Piglet’s friends a Peaceful Pink Piglity Goodnight💕😴💤🌙 . . . Flashback Friday to one of Piggy’s classic precious sleeping baby pics. As crazy as he was, he was pure heart-melt when he fell asleep. He drew on emotions we never knew we had. Amazingly, that novelty has not worn off. Piglet has a magical charm that keeps everyone enthusiastically engaged. His inspiring determination and positive mindset are contagious. . . . If you love him, please share him with your friends and on your social media pages. The more the merrier!!💕 . . #pinkpigletpuppy #newyorkvetshow #goodnight #sleeptight #growthmindset #growthmindsetclassroom #growthmindset🌱 #deafblind #doubledapple #blinddog #deafdog #specialneedsdog #specialk9games #bebrave #tinybutmighty #mydogist #barkmagazine #barked #bark #wag #pigletmindset

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In an interview with PEOPLE, Shapiro said:

It was quite a decision to make. He is a lot of work and he is like a full-time job, taking care of a little disabled baby. But he’s so cute, and we couldn’t give him away at that point.

He was so anxious, he was screaming constantly. He would play, then go to sleep, but when he wasn’t doing either of those, he was screaming. I couldn’t leave the house the first month I had the dog here.

Shaprio shared her experience and the growth of Piglet on Piglet’s own Instagram page — which quickly grew to over 100k followers!

Shapiro felt that if she was going to keep Piglet, he needed to make a difference in people’s lives.

Piglet’s story made its way third-grade classroom in Massachusetts, where a teacher used the pup as an example of why you should never give up, and that sometimes our life’s struggles can lead to growth.

Shapiro explained:

She called it Piglet Mindset, and we corresponded throughout the year. At the end of the year, we surprised the kids. They thought we were going to FaceTime, and we walked in with Piggy in his stroller and three of my other dogs, and everyone was crying.

Now, classrooms in Alabama, Connecticut, Japan and Australia are promoters of the Piglet Mindset Outreach program, which teaches kids how to combat problems and use what they have to their best advantage – you can download the materials for free here.

Through social media ads and merchandise, Shapiro and Piglet’s fundraising efforts have grown to over$30,000, which has all been donated to special needs dog rescues and other non-profit organizations.

How awesome is that???

One day, Shapiro hopes to start her very own non-profit in order to continue giving to rescue shelters and help dogs in need, because after all, helping a dog in need can clearly help people in need too!