Back in February, I mentioned Piglet, a blind and deaf Dachshund-Chihuahua mix. I never planned anything beyond that one mention, but I just couldn’t get that cute little dog out of my mind. I wanted to know more about this dog. As it happens, you can read about Piglet at https://www.pinkpigletpuppy.org/ and see him in action on YouTube at youtube.com/watch?v=rtU5nTs7RZk.

His owner, Melissa Shapiro, DVM, rescued Piglet, along with his mother and three littermates. His parents were both dapple colored and when you cross two dapples, there’s a chance that a puppy will have ear and/or eye defects. In Piglet’s case, he ended up both deaf and blind.

Originally, Dr. Shapiro and her husband just planned to foster the puppy, but after a couple of months, they adopted him. It took months but Piglet finally got into a routine and now visits school classrooms, prompting children to adopt a “Piglet state of mind” with the focus on what you can do, and not what you can’t.

Piglet’s (and Dr. Shapiro’s) mission is to encourage spay and neuter of dogs and cats, education about the severe consequences of double dapple/merle breeding, inspire and motivate others to adopt special needs pets, facilitate Piglet mindset outreach to teachers and students, fundraise for special needs dog rescues, and put a smile on faces all around the world.

I know the challenges of raising a puppy that can see and hear, so I wondered how Dr. Shapiro managed with Piglet. Since Dr. Shapiro’s practice is a mobile one, and Piglet was too small and needed too much care to be left alone, Piglet traveled everywhere with her. After a visit, clients would come to the car and meet Piglet and some of Dr. Shapiro’s other dogs. Piglet got used to meeting new people. Piglet likes to sniff a hand, and then he likes to sniff the person’s breath. That’s how he identifies his friends and Dr. Shapiro says that he will remember them if they meet again. She says his friendliness is structured. That is, he likes to say hi, but not “hang out.” He will sniff breaths, let a picture be taken, and then he goes back into his crate for a cookie and a rest.

School visits seemed like they might be a challenge, but on school visits, besides Piglet, Dr. Shapiro takes two or three other little dogs. The children can pet and hug them, and then Dr. Shapiro gives her talk and those two dogs do some tricks. She explains to the children that Piglet needs time to process his environment since he can only use three of the five senses. Says Dr. Shapiro, “Piglet will sit on his towel for pictures. He is very patient and knows that he has to sit with people he doesn’t know. He considers the photo shoots a trick that he performs. When he’s had enough, he will curl up and take a nap.”

Short visits are one thing, but what about life at home? Can a deaf and blind dog be housetrained? Dr. Shapiro says that there are accidents now and then, but she takes him out frequently. She takes him into the yard with the other dogs and initially, she says, “when he would pee, I would immediately give him a light tap. Eventually, he learned that that specific tap meant to pee.” He also has a general daily routine so he knows what to expect. Indoors, he has the run of the living room and kitchen. When Dr. Shapiro can’t watch him, he is put in the gated kitchen where he’ll be safe as he still chews and gets into things, even at two years old.

Watching Piglet play with the other dogs on YouTube it’s hard to believe he’s blind. Dr. Shapiro says that Piglet loves Susie because she was the nicest to him when he first arrived, but he also spends a lot of time with Zoey who is about his size. They play well together and if he loses the group, she runs over and tags him on the leg so he will turn and return to where all the dogs are playing.

It’s obvious that Piglet loves to play, and seeing his calm acceptance of strangers, I’m glad Dr. Shapiro didn’t give up on the blind and deaf screaming puppy. I don’t know how successful all the parts of Piglet’s mission are but I know for sure that he can put a smile on the face of anyone who meets him.