1 week Ago
How do you train and deaf and blind dog, and what can it teach us about being kinder, more resilient humans? That’s the story Connecticut veterinarian Melissa Shapiro brought to Tall Pines STEM Academy on April 25, a story meant to inspire resilience, inclusion and kindness through the positive example of 8-year-old Piglet and his family pack of other dogs rescued by Dr. Shapiro and her husband, Warren Shapiro. It was Piglet’s second visit to Tall Pines, a charter school where nearly 400 students attend grades 5-8.
Piglet was accompanied by his baby brother Georgie, who also is blind and deaf, and their packmates Zoey, Lucy and Edie. Posters welcoming the dogs back to Tall Pines lined the walls of Morris Lodge, the log cabin structure where Piglet, Georgie, Zoey, Lucy and Edie performed what Shapiro called their “little circus show,” and she imparted her message of kindness, perseverance and inclusion. Piglet, born in Georgia, is a double-merle or double-dapple dachshund-Chihuahua mix.
“When two merle dogs are bred together, there is a 25% chance that each puppy will receive the merle or dapple gene, which is a dominant gene, and that’s linked to ear and eye defects and a white coat,” Shapiro said. Rescued from a hoarding situation and meant to be fostered, tiny 2-pound Piglet gained weight and learned to navigate the world around him using his senses of touch and smell. “We communicate using tap signals because he can’t see or hear us,” Shapiro said.
Piglet and Georgie are trained to recognize touch signals that tell them to sit, wait, lie down, come forward, shake, spin, roll, crawl and go to their beds. Dr. Shapiro’s book about the journey of fostering and adopting Piglet, training him and incorporating into her pack of dogs is titled “Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family.
” It is available on Amazon . Piglet also became a social media influencer. He has an Instagram page and a Facebook page with videos of how he interacts with his family pack and navigates his world.
“A teacher saw his videos and wanted to use them to teach her students about growth mindset, which is being optimistic, flexible, perseverant and empathetic. So, we connected and created a program that we call 'Piglet Mindset,' which has evolved and grown from there,” Shapiro said. The Shapiros formed a nonprofit called Piglet International Inc .
, and bring their Piglet Mindset program to schools, telling Piglet’s story to demonstrate the values of kindness, compassion and acceptance. “We visit schools, and there’s an online program that teachers use as a supplement to their lessons about being positive, compassionate and kind in their classes,” she said. “It is really life changing and impactful for a lot of them.
” Last year they visited 33 schools, Shapiro said. Piglet has become an ambassador for disabled dogs. Last year the nonprofit donated $80,000 to support rescuing disabled dogs, Shapiro said.
Shapiro said Piglet and Georgie’s packmates demonstrate kindness by understanding and accepting that they are a little bit different from them, and that Piglet and Georgie feel confident because they always are welcome when the other dogs play, take walks, travel and do tricks. “They help them live their best lives despite their many disabilities and challenges,” she said. Shapiro encouraged the students to join Piglet and Georgie’s Kindness Club and bring kindness to their community by being positive and never giving up, being good listeners, being considerate and respectful, being a friend to all and setting an example for others to be kind.
Shapiro demonstrated Piglet’s training to the students, showing how he responds to touch commands to sit, stay, come forward and move through a tunnel. “He’s so cute!” one girl exclaimed..
