Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family
In the tradition of the beloved New York Times bestsellers Marley and Me and Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love, “a beautiful, inspiring” (Laura Schroff, New York Times bestselling author) memoir about empathy, resilience, kindness, and an adorable deaf blind pink dog.
When veterinarian Melissa Shapiro gets a call about a tiny deaf blind puppy rescued from a hoarding situation in need of fostering, she doesn’t hesitate to say, “yes.” Little does she know how that decision will transform her, her family, and legions of admirers destined to embrace the saga of the indomitable pink “puppy with a purpose” (Good Morning America).
The anxious and traumatized Piglet weighed under two pounds upon his welcome into the Shapiro household—which included Melissa’s husband Warren and their three college-aged kids, plus six other rescued dogs. After weeks of reassurance, and lots of love, Piglet connected, gained confidence, and his extraordinary spirit emerged. Melissa soon forged a powerful bond with Piglet, allowing the two to communicate without sound or visual cues.
Two months later, when the day arrived to say goodbye to the now dashing, six-pound pink dog with the larger-than-life spirit, Melissa faced a heart-wrenching decision. Could she hand him over to someone willing to give Piglet full-time attention or could she adapt her life to make a permanent place for him? Of course, the answer was simple: love would find a way.
Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family fully illustrates this heartwarming story of one special little puppy who teaches the power of empathy, love, and kindness. “Feeling hopeless? Pick up this book, savor its heartwarming messages, and share it widely. It is that good” (Marc Bekoff, PhD, author of Canine Confidential).
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Description
Audiobook version also available.
Review
“A puppy with a purpose, Piglet teaches us the power of love and kindness.” — Good Morning America
“Piglet is just getting started on his quest to make the world a better place.” ― People.com
“Shapiro’s personal tale will inspire even the most time-pressed among us to take time out for the pups — and people — that matter.” — Zibby Owens ― The Washington Post
“A little dog with a big following,helping students learn a powerful lesson about acceptance.”
— Lester Holt ― NBC Nightly News
“Such a beautiful, inspiring story of Piglet, and his loving, patient human mom and veterinarian, Melissa Shapiro. This story will warm your heart and brings to life how this beautiful dog came into the Shaprio family with his own purpose. Through sheer love and dedication, Piglet no longer lives in a world of total darkness.
This story touched my heart and soul in such a profound way, as it reminded to me how my sweet, blind, and deaf 5-pound poodle, Emma, is happy, content, and loves her precious life too.” — Laura Schroff, #1 internationally and bestselling author of An Invisible Thread
About the Author
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.
Mim Eichler-Rivas is coauthor with Chris Gardner of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Pursuit of Happyness. Mim’s list of more than three dozen acclaimed coauthorships includes the national bestseller Finding Fish with Antwone Fisher. Mim’s solo title, Beautiful Jim Key, has sold briskly for more than a dozen years and has a feature film in the works.
