Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy is a dachshund chihuahua mix rescued from a hoarding situation in Georgia. After his rough start, Piglet made his way to CT on March 4, 2017. He was fostered by veterinarian Melissa Shapiro and her husband Warren Shapiro, who agreed to take care of Piglet until the rescue group could place him in his forever home. They weren?t planning on keeping Piglet because they already had 6 rescued dogs of their own. But Piglet had a different plan. After 2 months of searching, Piglet made it clear that he was already home.Initially, Piglet was very anxious, didn?t know how to communicate with his family, and screamed constantly. Thankfully, over a few months, he responded to gentle, calming touch. He settled down, learned tap signals, and mapped his environment. Piglet became a confident, determined, happy little dog with an inspiring mission. Piglet?s Mission Avocates for and supports rescued animals through education and fundraising, Inspire and motivate others to adopt special needs pets. Facilitate Piglet Mindset Educational Outreach to teachers, students, and others in the community.Encourage Acceptance, Inclusion, Empathy, and Kindness through the example of Piglet?s Inclusion Pack.Put a smile on faces all around the world.A Piglet Mindset is facing and overcoming challenges with a positive attitude. It is focusing on what you have and moving past what you don?t. It is accepting individuals for who they are, and including them despite their differences. It is showing empathy and compassion for others no matter what their situation. And it is being kind to all people and animals. In September 2017, an innovative 3rd grade teacher from Massachusetts started using Piglet?s Facebook videos to teach growth mindset to her students. With her insight into what an engaging growth mindset model Piglet is for children, she coined the phrase Piglet Mindset and created a full growth mindset curriculum centered around Piglet and his positive attitude. We collaborated to develop our Piglet Mindset Educational Outreach Program with the primary goal of reinforcing Growth Mindset lessons and emphasizing Acceptance, Inclusion, Empathy, and Kindness. We also teach children about animal rescue and how to become effective animal advocates. Piglet Mindset Lesson Plans and educational materials are available on Piglet?s website, https://www.pigletmindset.org/ for teachers who are interested in using Piglet as part of their growth mindset and inclusion curriculum. We encourage teachers to add to and improvise to fit Piglet Mindset into their own teaching style and classroom atmosphere. Our program can also be used with scouts, camps, emotional support, church, and senior organizations who share Piglet's Mission.In order to expand and improve our Piglet Mindset Educational Outreach Program, we incorporated as Piglet International Inc. and received 501(c)(3) non-profit status. This means that all donations to our organization are tax deductible as dictated by federal law. Funds raised from Piglet's Merchandise Store will directly benefit our Piglet Mindset Educational Outreach Program. Our goals include upgrading our online educational materials, promoting our program to increase access, and supporting Virtual-online and in-person visits to schools and events. Of course, we will continue to raise awareness and donate to special needs dog rescue organizations. So a portion of Piglet fundraisers will also benefit special needs dogs rescues. Learn more by visiting Piglet's website, https://www.pigletmindset.org/

Don't forget that our new book PIGLET, The Unexpected Story of a Deaf Blind Pink Puppy and His Family is available in bookstores, online, and wherever books are sold. We hope you'll pick up a copy to go along with your Piggy t-shirt!