Piglet, a Bas Bleu–favorite memoir and endearing puppy tribute, became available in our catalog pages this spring. Since then, we’ve added the paperback edition, as well as an adapted children’s book. The books have been dubbed “sweet” and “heartwarming” by our pet-loving readers. This week in the Bluestocking Salon, we interviewed author Melissa Shapiro about juggling multiple businesses, unexpected social media success, and all her pets!

There are no spoilers ahead (since you can’t really spoil reality!), but if you’d prefer to read the book first, you can pick up a copy of Piglet here (or you can find the accompanying children’s book here). And here’s our review of the book:

Connecticut veterinarian Melissa Shapiro already had six dogs when she got a call about a tiny dachshund/Chihuahua puppy, born deaf and blind, who was recently rescued from a hoarding situation. Unable to resist his distinctive pink coloring and feeling uniquely equipped to handle his special needs, Shapiro welcomed the one-pound, extremely anxious pup, whom she dubbed Piglet, into her pack (which also included three children and a very patient husband). Though he screamed and cowered during his first few days, eventually patience, love, and kindness led Piglet to overcome his fear and eventually thrive, despite his disabilities, and Shapiro's social media posts about him turned the little underdog into an inspirational worldwide phenomenon! This uplifting memoir about empathy and resilience, complete with lots of adorable photographs, will warm the hearts of dog lovers everywhere. And now, we're offering the illustrated children's book version of this compassionate story, too! For ages 4-8. Sold separately. (AG)

BB: Thank you for taking the time to sit down and answer some questions for us! Your adorable book Piglet (and now, your children’s book follow-up Piglet Comes Home) is such a delight. Can you tell us about your journey from social media phenomenon to author?

Like most people who work with animals, I’ve always thought it would be fun to write about my veterinary and rescue experiences, and my own pets, in a book. I knew I had to wait for just the right one to come along to partner with and build a story that was worthy of sharing in a book.

When I met my tiny deaf blind pink puppy, books were the last thing on my mind. My initial goals for building his social media pages were to raise awareness and funds for disabled rescued dogs. But in the process, as Piglet, his Piglet Mindset® educational program, and our rescue work were nationally recognized and validated, his heartwarming, inspirational draw brought the opportunity to share his and my story in our books.

BB: What was it like for @pinkpigletpuppy to blow up on Instagram? How did you have to adapt your social media practices to account for a larger audience?

From the very beginning, when I created Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy on Facebook, my focus was on educating, advocating, and encouraging adoption of disabled rescued dogs. I had no idea Piglet would draw the attention he did. So as the page grew, it took some adjusting to the new responsibilities of being an “influencer.”

I continue to keep things authentic and real, so not much has changed, other than I can’t read ALL the comments on each post. And I do have to worry about engagement and reach. But mostly, we have a lot of fun sharing our dogs and meeting literally thousands of Piggy friends on our pages.

BB: Which challenges were unique to memoir writing?

My major challenges were digging deep into the past, reflecting and remembering, deciding what to include that would be meaningful and relevant to the overall story, and would be interesting to the reader. Other difficult decisions—who to include and who to leave out. I worked with a very talented writer who was able to put things into perspective and order, which made a big difference.

BB: What about writing a children’s book?

I struggled with the line between the fictionalized story and the true story of Piglet. Finding a conflict that was plausible and not absurd for a deaf blind dog was important and I think we succeeded. The fictionalized story had to fit with Piglet’s true capabilities and limitations. I also felt that the illustrations should accurately portray all of our dogs’ personalities and interactions with each other. Everything came together in a beautiful book about Piglet finding his forever family!

BB: What advice would you give aspiring authors who aren’t sure where to start?

Build your story and your message so you have something to write about that will be interesting to a wide-ranging audience.

BB: Can you tell us more about your large pet family? How is Piglet doing now?

Piglet is a happy little dog living his absolute best life! He continues to spread his message of positivity, resilience, and inclusions through his social media pages, his online educational program, school and library visits, and bookstore events.

Piglet is a very active dog. He enjoys being out and about doing his Piglet Show with his sister dogs, posing for the camera, and exploring new places. He loves to travel by car, train, and plane, although his travels were halted for a while due to COVID.

Our other dogs are very sweet and are very important members of our family. Even though Piglet is featured the most, each of the other dogs have their own fans and followers!! They are a sweet group of dogs who genuinely enjoy each other. That’s why they are called Piglet’s Inclusion Pack!

BB: As a veterinarian, the CEO of nonprofit Piglet International Inc., an educational speaker, an animal rescuer, and an author, you really have your hands full. How do you do it all?

I’m fortunate to have had a really wonderful veterinary career. And now, I’ve walked into a new chapter of amazing network of rescuers, educators, and social media friends. Piglet followers are generous supporters of our nonprofit with donations, ordering Piglet merch, attending virtual and in-person events, and participating on our social media posts.

The educators who bring Piglet Mindset® to their students are creative, motivating, and inspiring to work with. My husband Warren and our three kids are all active in our organization. They are encouraging and supportive of our Piglet Mindset®, our rescue work, and our books. Warren also does a tremendous amount of cleaning and laundry!!

While it truly is “work,” most of what I do is so much fun, it’s hard to take a break!!

BB: What is your favorite part about educational speaking? What new challenges has it presented over the years?

I’ve been visiting schools to talk about vet med since I got my veterinary degree. I’ve always loved sharing my passion for caring for and about animals. This new Piglet Project is an extension of that and much more.

I create material that teachers bring to their students. Then I get to follow with in-person and virtual visits. It’s taken some time to sort out the presentations to where they are now—format, important points, choosing videos and pictures to showcase Piglet’s message, and helping the dogs understand their “jobs”—they are naturals at their part of the presentations. I’m like their manager!

There are many new opportunities to speak to adults and kids in a variety of venues and contexts. It’s taken time to become more versatile and be able to adapt my material to different settings. It’s been a fun, challenging, and motivating experience to improve my presentations, and find new audiences to share my Piggy Project with.

The major challenges have been the tech aspects of creating presentations, improvising when things don’t go as planned, and stepping back to enjoy each and every moment of our successes.

BB: What is the Piglet Mindset®? How do children tend to respond to Piglet’s story, and what makes it so effective at spreading a mentality built around growth, resilience, and inclusion?

Piglet Mindset® is an online collection of educational materials designed to teach growth mindset and inclusion to children (and adults). The program is a supplement to ongoing SEL curriculum and can be incorporated to fit individual teaching and learning styles. It was created in 2017 through a collaboration between a 3rd grade teacher in MA and me. Teachers around the US and world download the free online materials and once the kids are well versed and hooked into having a Piglet Mindset®, we (Piglet and his sister dogs) make virtual and in-person visits to enhance the experience.

It is effective because Piglet, like most animals, is engaging and disarming. So are our other dogs, who are called Piglet’s Inclusion Pack. Kids love dogs and they absolutely can’t get enough of Piglet, the deaf blind pink puppy. They become more aware of their own resilience and coping skills, and they notice, with empathy, when their peers are in need of support and understanding. Teachers report specific situations where Piglet Mindset® has had a positive, remarkable impact on kids who have behavioral issues, or for a student with a disability where the other children begin to recognize that they can be more interactive with and inclusive towards him.

Teachers add pink Piglet Mindset® centers or have Piglet Mindset® themes throughout the classroom and across their subject materials. In addition to the main online Piglet Mindset® PowerPoints, there are also lesson plans and an activities collection for teachers to introduce the five senses, animal rescue, discussions of disabilities, as well as accommodations and accessibility. Parents are excited when their children come home talking about what Piglet would do when a challenge or obstacle arises!

My memoir has been in classrooms since August 2021. Teachers read the book to their students, editing as needed. And now the children’s book, Piglet Comes Home, will be joining our program. Many teachers have the book, some signed by Piggy and me, and can’t wait to read it to their kids. Librarians are also very excited to share Piglet during their library classes, which commonly include SEL.

Piglet is adorable, profoundly disabled, extremely confident, and resilient. He is a simple effective teaching model for children and adults in many different relevant ways!

BB: Can you share a fun fact about yourself that most of our readers wouldn’t expect?

 I love my dogs and birds but I have a secret obsession with turtles. And, I really wish I had learned to play the banjo when I was young.

BB: What’s next for you?

My long-range ongoing goal is to expand our Piglet Mindset education program to reach more and more children and adults around the world. We are working on sponsorships, including more volunteers and educators in the programs, and building our nonprofit board and internal structure. Ultimately, I’d love for our Piglet Mindset® to be self-sustaining with or without my direct involvement.  

As for books, there are many ideas and topics being formulated. I’d love for there to be a series of Piglet adventures in book and other media formats.