Welcome to our new Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy blog. Since it’s our first blog post, it seems fitting that we give an overview of why we are here in the first place.
Piglet is a double dapple dachshund chihuahua mix rescued from a hoarding situation in Georgia. He is the result of two dapple colored dogs that should have been but weren’t spayed and neutered. Breeding dapple to dapple results in a 25% chance that each puppy will be mostly white with congenital ear and eye defects. The puppies can be deaf, blind, both, or mildly affected. Piglet is deaf and blind making him a very special needs dog.
Piglet is lucky to have been rescued and placed in a foster home in CT when he was about 8 weeks old. He was anxious, screamed all the time, and was very difficult to comfort. Over a few months, he calmed down and connected with his foster family, and convinced them that they were in fact his forever family. When I agreed to adopt Piglet, I promised myself that he would have a meaningful, productive life.
Piglet requires accommodations and supervision to keep him safe. We use gates to protect him from stairs, outdoor fencing to keep him out of the road, and a harness and leash to guide him on his walks and when we enter new buildings and new environments. He loves to play with our other dogs and they are especially gentle with him. We all offer Piglet special consideration and compassion because he is so profoundly disabled.
But, Piglet’s special needs are not the only reason Piglet is special.
Piglet is very small, adorable, and he is pink. Somehow, despite being deaf and blind, he connects with people both in person and through posts on social media. His determination and positive attitude towards facing his challenges is inspiring and exemplary.
Not only has he mapped his home environment, he is also comfortable with the layout of his neighborhood streets, walks at the beach, the animal hospital where he goes to work with his veterinarian mom, and the bank and stores he regularly visits. He loves to take walks on Ivy League college campuses and in cities where he is surprisingly confident. He travels well on a train and in the car for events and vacation time away.
Piglet has become a role model for children as they face their own challenges with a positive Piglet Mindset. Our educational Piglet YouTube videos teach growth mindset, kindness, compassion, and tolerance. Piglet’s classroom visits are inspiring and motivating for the children.
The children are especially interested in learning about how we communicate with Piglet using tap signals. We use tap signals to teach Piglet useful dog tricks like sit, stay, come, ok, go pee, among other things. Piglet has a rock solid sit-stay which is important for taking pictures of the handsome pink puppy! Along with his sister dogs, Piglet gives tricks demos during classroom visits, presentations, and when meeting new people. Piglet pushed past his comfort zone to participate in the first annual Special K9 Games in Columbus, Ohio.
With his broad worldwide social media reach, Piglet has raised thousands of dollars for special needs dog rescues. Piglet merchandise has been sent all over the USA and to most countries around the world.
Piglet has a wide circle of friends who he recognizes by smelling their mouths. Videos of his signature tail wagging greeting for his BFFs and new friends puts smiles on faces all around the world.
The list of Piglet’s accomplishments and the impact he’s had on people and animals is long. My own dog rescue and animal advocacy network has grown substantially since Piglet came onto the scene. But, putting all the social media hype aside, I am truly, insanely crazy about Piglet. I watch him eat, drink, play, carry on when he’s frustrated, and chew the gate that keeps him inside the kitchen. He is a tiny powerhouse of energy and determination.
He also has a soft side. Piglet loves to sleep wrapped in a blanket on our laps or snuggled in our arms. I would have expected the novelty of Piglet to have worn off long ago. He requires constant supervision, thought, and planning which can be disruptive and draining at times. Yet, the magic of this tiny dog keeps me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what will happen next.
Piglet is a very special dog.
