A pup named Piglet teaches resilience and changes lives without sound or sight.
Image by
Melissa Shapiro
Before I read Dr. Melissa Shapiro's riveting new book called Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family, I had heard about it from a few people and thought that no book could possibly be as inspirational and important as they told me it was.1,2 However, I was wrong and pleasantly surprised that Shapiro's riveting Cinderella story of a tiny deaf blind pink pup called Piglet, who surely would have died had not human hands and hearts intervened, took me on an unexpected and bumpy joyride laden with concern and also embracing kindness, compassion, and love when the easy way out would have been to say something like, "This is hopeless."
[Piglet is
available on Amazon.]
Shapiro and her family and friends saw the light and now we can all
benefit from their selfless efforts to give Piglet an amazing life
with humans and other dogs without sound or sight.
I'm thrilled Shapiro could take the time to answer a few questions
about her landmark book. Here's what she had to say about her
life-changing experiences with Piglet.
Marc Bekoff: Why did you write Piglet?
Melissa Shapiro: Over the past four years, Piglet has grown from a
tiny screaming anxious deaf blind pink puppy into an inspiring,
motivational ambassador, setting an example of resilience, empathy,
and kindness for people of all ages. His social media following
continues to grow, and his Piglet Mindset educational outreach
program reaches thousands of children each year.
I feel extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to be
part of Piglet’s story, and now, to write a book about his, and our,
journey. It was a much more challenging project than I expected, but
Piglet is a heartwarming story that will bring Piglet’s message of
positivity to a wide-ranging audience of adults and children all
around the world. That was and is our goal.
MB: How does your book relate to your background and general areas
of interest?
MS: Becoming a veterinarian was my primary focus from the time I was
6 years old until I was accepted into vet school during my junior
year in college. Until then, everything I did revolved around
animals and my goal of getting into vet school.
While the main storyline in the book is fostering, adopting, and
caring for a deaf blind dog, the book is also about my life as a
veterinarian, wife, parent, and animal rescuer, which all led me to
my initial encounter with the tiny pink baby dog.
MB: Who is your intended audience?
MS: Piglet is a book for everyone. It is a positive feel-good story
that teen and adult readers coming from a wide range of backgrounds
will enjoy, identify with, and even learn from. It is for animal
lovers and rescuers, dog people, educators, parents, and students.
MB: What are some of the topics you weave into your book and what
are some of your major messages?
MS: Piglet is a book based on Piglet’s heartwarming story of
survival, facing challenges with a positive attitude, and becoming
an inspirational role model for children and adults around the world
through his social media pages and Piglet Mindset educational
program. Bringing Piglet into our lives created an unexpected twist
in our master plan, hence the subtitle, the unexpected story. We all
had to accept and embrace him and our decision to make him a
permanent member of our family. Accepting the unexpected is a major
theme that weaves its way through the course of the book.
Of course, my husband who we refer to as Piglet’s Favorite Dad has a
big role in the book, as do my three children, all of whom have been
swept up in this most unexpected, and sometimes ridiculous life
change that I couldn’t have thought up in my wildest dreams. As it
turns out, as crazy as they thought we were, all three of our kids
have bought into the positive aspects of adopting Piglet and
bringing the Power of Pink to children and adults all around the
world.
We tried to create an enjoyable, educational, thought-provoking book
that incorporates topics and messages that include growth mindset,
animal rescue, animal welfare, veterinary medicine, dog training,
compassion for all, parenting, setting goals, and setting an example
of acceptance and inclusion, empathy, and kindness.
Readers will absolutely find themselves smiling, and maybe shedding
some tears, and hopefully they will take something away to help make
their own lives a little bit better!
MB: How does your book differ from others that are concerned with
some of the same general topics?
MS: Piglet is not a straightforward animal rescue story. It is not
just a veterinary medicine story, not just a dog story, not just a
story about disabilities, and not just a story about family and
friends. Actually, it is all of these things, woven through the
story of a tiny deaf blind pink puppy who wasn’t meant to survive
let alone live a happy, meaningful, productive life. The book is
about family and friends, empathy and kindness, and accepting the
unexpected, all wrapped around the amazing resilience and mindset of
the tiny sweet little Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy.
MB: Are you hopeful that things will change for the better as people
learn to connect with dogs (and other nonhumans) based on some of
what you've written?
MS: Yes! Piglet’s message is universal and engages people from all
walks of life. He is so compelling that people seem to find him and
latch on. When they share their stories with me, I know Piglet and I
are making a difference, one Piggy friend and one Piglet Mindset
classroom at a time!
MB: What are some of your current projects?
MS: The main goals of our nonprofit are expanding our Piglet Mindset
educational outreach in schools and collaborating with other animal
and human disabilities organizations. We will continue to advocate
for individuals with disabilities through social media and now the
book.
MB: Is there anything else you'd like to tell readers?
MS: When I first read the e-mail letting me know about a tiny deaf
blind puppy who needed a home, I was set on saying no. Even when
agreeing to foster him, I was 100 percent set on finding his forever
home, and that home was not going to be mine. Ultimately saying yes
was very difficult and has taught me a lesson that I didn’t think
applied to me at this stage in my life.
Sometimes it really is okay to step back, change direction, and your
mind. It’s that old family saying, “Why say no when you can say
yes?”
References
In conversation with Meliissa Shapiro.
Notes
1) Melissa Shapiro, DVM, is a veterinarian, a lifelong animal
welfare advocate, and mom to three children and many disabled
rescued dogs and birds. Since bringing Piglet home in 2017, she has
used his social media platform to educate, advocate, and inspire
others to adopt pets with special needs. Her nonprofit organization,
Piglet International Inc., supports the Piglet Mindset Educational
Outreach, a free downloadable educational program that teaches
growth mindset, acceptance, inclusion, empathy, and kindness to
students and others in the community, as well as various animal
rights causes. She lives in Connecticut with her husband Warren, six
rescued dogs, three rescued birds, and Piglet, the deaf blind pink
puppy. You can contact Piget at [email protected].
2) Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy was rescued from a hoarding
situation in Georgia along with his mother and 3 litter mates. He is
a Dachshund Chihuahua mix, and the product of two dapple colored
parents. Dapple to dapple breeding results in a 25% chance of each
puppy being “double dapple”. This double dapple color pattern is
linked to congenital ear and eye defects that may result in
partially or completely deaf/blind puppies. Piglet is deaf and
blind.
Instagram: Piglet loves doing groups work with the other dogs. He
receives tap signals for communication where the other dogs can hear
and see verbal and hand signal cues.