In the tradition of the beloved New York Times bestsellers Marley and Me and Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love, a charming, inspirational memoir about empathy, resilience, kindness, and an adorable deaf blind pink dog.
When Connecticut 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 pup.
One of the most anxious dogs Melissa had ever encountered, the 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 good-bye to the now dashing, six-pound pink boy dog with the larger than life spirit, Melissa faced a heart-wrenching decision. Could she hand him over to someone willing to give Piglet the full-time attention he required or could she adapt her schedule and her household to make a permanent place for him in her life and work? Of course, the answer was simple: love would find a way.
Curious, engaged, and incredibly eager to learn, Piglet quickly became part of the family. What started out as a few simple Facebook posts of Piglet and his pack rapidly evolved into a global celebration of Piglet’s infectiously positive mindset. Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family fully illustrates this heartwarming story of one special little puppy with a purpose to teach the power of empathy, love, and kindness.
“Educators and their students, animal advocacy groups, his legion of social media friends, and now readers of this book, will continue to be inspired by Piglet and his pack face each new challenge with resilience. Including serious factual details as needed while creating an emotional bond with touches of sorrow and joy, this book will rightly gain its canine influencer new followers.” ― Booklist
“Piglet is just getting started on his quest to make the world a better place.” ― People.com
“A little dog with a big following,helping students learn a powerful lesson about acceptance.”
-- Lester Holt ― NBC Nightly News
“Piglet—a pink, blind, and deaf puppy—inspires others to overcome the odds.”
― CBSnews.com
“Sometimes we need a little inspiration to remember to never give up. . . . And a little deaf and blind puppy named Piglet is just that inspiration.”
― theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com
“Piglet, an adorable blind and deaf pink puppy, goes viral for a good cause.”
― aol.com
“Piglet, a beacon of hope and happiness.”
― DoYouRemember.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
“I never thought I would call a book about a dog and their caring and compassionate humans a page-turner. However, I was wrong and pleasantly surprised that Melissa 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 this unexpected joyride. Suffice it to say, Piglet is a beautiful and inspirational story about a beautiful and inspirational dog and his beautiful and inspirational humans who all can be viewed as poster beings who enrich our lives by embracing kindness, compassion, and love when the easy way out would have been to say something like, "This is hopeless." Feeling hopeless? Pick up this book, savor its heartwarming messages, and share it widely. It is that good.” -- Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What they Do and A Dog's World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs In a World Without Humans (with Jessica Pierce)
