Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy�Melissa Shapiro, DVM
© Copyright 2025 Piglet International Inc, Melissa Shapiro, DVM�Piglet International Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
The Story of Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy
Part 1
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Let’s get into a Piglet State of Mind!
Guiding question to keep in mind for The Story of Piglet:
Who is Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy and why is he unique?
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Hi! I'm Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy
I am deaf and blind, which means I can't hear or see.
When I first met my mom and dad, I looked like a tiny baby pig, so they named me Piglet.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
I was born deaf and blind
When I was a newborn puppy, my family realized that I was unable to hear and unable to see.
I felt alone and very scared and I screamed a lot. This made my dog mom upset so she pushed me away.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
My name wasn’t always Piglet
I was born in Georgia where my dog mom lived in a small apartment with too many dogs. Her humans didn’t spay or neuter any of their dogs so more and more puppies were born. They started with only three but eventually ended up with 30 dogs!
It was a horrible hoarding situation, but fortunately, I wasn’t there for very long.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
I was lucky to get rescued
A very nice friend named Dr. Gloria came and rescued my mom, my sister, my two brothers, and me, along with some other dogs.
Dr. Gloria is the director of Colbert Veterinary Rescue Services in Georgia. She is a veterinarian, so she was able to take very good care of us.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
I was very tiny and was having trouble adjusting
Dr. Gloria took extra special care of me. She fed me puppy formula and tried to comfort me. I still got to snuggle some with my mom, sister, and brothers.
Down in Georgia, my name was Bart.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
I screamed a lot as a baby
I just couldn’t figure out what to make of the world. I felt alone and confused. I couldn’t see or hear anything around me.
I needed a family that would be with me around the clock, and I needed a nice warm lap to snuggle into.
That’s when Dr. Gloria contacted my mom and dad in Connecticut.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Then I found my forever home in Connecticut
On March 3, 2017, I headed north. I traveled in an RV from Georgia to Connecticut with 35 other rescued dogs.
We all were going to an adoption event at a Petco store to look for our forever families.
I was on my way to meet my new foster mom. Of course, I knew she was going to be my forever mom right from the beginning.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
I had no idea my life was about to take a big turn!
On March 4, 2017, I arrived at the Petco in Milford, CT.
My dog mom was at the adoption event looking for her forever home, but my brothers and sister stayed in Georgia.
I was so upset, I continued to scream as my new human mom wrapped me in a soft blanket and carried me out of the store to the car for the ride home.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Our first stop was the veterinary hospital
My new mom is a veterinarian. She needed to stop at the animal hospital to pick up some puppy supplies to help take care of me.
She also wanted me to meet some new friends.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
No one knew how to calm me down
I was tiny, pink, and screaming non-stop. No one knew what to do with me.
Fortunately, my new friend Monica sang to me and then stuffed me into her shirt. I didn’t hear the singing, but I knew there was something very special about Monica that made me calm and relaxed.
I went right to sleep.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Then we went to my new home
To get home, we had to go on another car ride. But my new home had friendly dogs to cuddle with, lots of dog beds, and an amazing dad.
Since it was winter, my new dad wore very warm jackets and vests for me to snuggle in. It didn’t take me long to decide that my dad is my most favorite person.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
It took me quite a while to get settled into my new home
There were so many things to learn and get used to.
Dog crates really scared me, and I was petrified to be left alone even for a few minutes. So, I continued to do a lot of screaming unless I was being held.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
But after a while, things changed
I had been so upset, I didn’t even realize that I can actually “see” light and dark. So, I knew when it was night and day and when the lights were turned on in a room. This gave me some comfort.
I use my nose so well that I could tell when my dad walked past me, which made my family and other people wonder if I could see a little bit.
In fact, after a while, I got so good at smelling what was going on around me, many people assumed I could see and hear!
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
The other dogs in my new home were very nice to me
My new sister Susie came into my dog beds to comfort me. She snuggled with me to keep me warm so I wouldn’t feel so alone.
Zoey, Evie, and Annie played with me gently.
And Dean and Gina were very tolerant of my tiny sharp pointy teeth!
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Baby Piglet playing with his sisters
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
My mom helped me relax in my travel crate
Traveling was very difficult at first because I was very scared of crates when I first arrived.
Gradually, over a few months, I realized that the crate means treats, chewy sticks, and going to work with my mom. I get to visit fun places like the vet hospital to “see” my friends, pet stores, or a fun place to take a walk.
Now I can’t wait to get into my crate in the car.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Using tap signals, my mom taught me all sorts of new tricks and ways to communicate
I can’t hear my mom speaking and I can’t see any kind of hand sign language.
So, my mom uses little tap signals under my chin, on my back, on my nose, on my chest, and on my neck to communicate with me. It took some time to learn these “taps”, but I LOVE to learn new things, so it came very naturally to me.
Each tap signal tells me something different: “come”, “sit”, “wait”, “ok”, “go pee”, and “relax”
I’ve learned to sit with all the other dogs for group portraits. I am a very smart pink puppy!
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
I love my tricks… and treats!
I practice my tricks a lot - before I eat my food, when I’m playing out in the yard, when I’m out visiting friends, at the veterinary hospital, and when I’m shopping at the pet store.
I love the treats that come my way when I work hard.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Group work with Piglet and his pack
Once I practiced my tap signals, I was ready to join the other dogs for some challenging group tricks.
Early on, being part of my pack gave me confidence. Doing tricks together is a lot of fun.
I’m the most eager and enthusiastic participant in our group sit, stay, come games. The treats give us all the incentive to work together.
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Despite all this training, sometimes I don't "listen"
There I am wearing a coat, having to sit on a couch with my brother and sisters. This was one of the silliest videos my mom wanted us to sit for.
You can see that the other dogs aren’t delighted with this silly video set up either.
Discussion question:
Why do you think Piglet screamed when he was a baby?
How did Piglets new family support him and make him feel secure?
PIGLET MINDSET®
The Story of Piglet
Piglet International Inc.�Melissa Shapiro, DVM
© Copyright 2024 Piglet International Inc, Melissa Shapiro, DVM�Piglet International Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Teachers- Please Move on to Part 2 of �THE STORY OF PIGLET, THE DEAF BLIND PINK PUPPY