EDITORS REVIEW
without humans , they would no longer be subjected to the horrendous cruelty they suffer at the hands of humans . The first several years / decades following the loss of humans would also see great losses of dogs , most notably those stuck in homes / shelters / breeding facilities / puppy mills / pet stores / laboratories . It will be the feral and homeless dogs that will fare the best , having already learned to survive without a pat on the head , kibble in a bowl twice a day and a egg-carton mattress to sleep on .
But it ’ s not that simple , the authors point out . Are the remaining dogs thriving , or just surviving ? As companion animals with much of their friendliness built into their DNA , how will they cope ? Fairly easily , some have pointed out : dogs will evolve from companions to people back to the comfort of the pack . Instead of being leashed up for a walk , they will roam and sniff at their leisure , run and play as they wish , and procreate as they desire . No more will dogs be eradicated because they are “ homeless ” or as what happened in England during World War II when thousands of pets were killed because pet owners decided to euthanize their pets rather than take the chance they would be homeless if the owners were killed during bombing raids .
But post-human owned dogs will also have the introduction of fear of predation , and the loss of a whole host of veterinary care , including the eradication of heartworms , ringworms , skin diseases , ticks , fleas , that can go from bad to death fairly quickly , cancer or even euthanasia to relieve that suffering or pain . The authors admit there are more gains than losses , however , when it comes to whether dogs are better off without humans . Is there a dogtopia , they ask , that will include humans ? It is unlikely humans could have evolved into who we are today – for the better -- without dogs , but perhaps the same can ’ t be said for dogs . This book will certainly give you food for thought on what dogs need – and don ’ t need -- to live their best lives . — The editor
PIGLET :
The Unexpected Story of a Deaf , Blind , Pink Puppy and His Family
Written by Melissa Shapiro , DVM , with Mim Eichler Rivas Published by Atria Books on Aug . 3 , 2021 ; 319 pages . Where to purchase : Amazon , $ 18 paperback , $ 18.53 hardcover , $ 25.99 audio CD , Kindle , $ 13.99 ; Barnes and Noble , $ 21.99 hardcover , $ 18 paperback , $ 13.99 Nook , $ 39.99 audio CD ; Simon and Schuster , $ 26 .
I didn ’ t know Piglet , the subject matter of “ Piglet : The Unexpected Story of a Deaf , Blind , Pink Puppy and His Family ” before I picked up this book at my booksellers ’ establishment . Now I am a rabid fan . And for those who also may not know about Piglet , he was rescued in March 2017 from a hoarding situation in Georgia . A tiny Dachshund / Chihuahua , he was born deaf and blind due to the breeding of his dapple-to-dapple parents , which has a 25-percent chance of developing congenital ear and eye defects . Named Piglet for his pink skin , the tiny screaming baby was soon sent to a foster home in Connecticut .
A Piglet State of Mind : For the Melissa Shapiro family , what ’ s one more dog when you already have a six-pack of rescue dogs , four birds , and three kids ? Especially a one-and-a-half-pound puppy ? I mean , how much more work can one little puppy be ? It turns out , a lot , when that little puppy is deaf and blind with a voice that just won ’ t stop demanding . Shapiro , a Connecticut veterinarian , only meant to foster little Piglet for a couple of weeks , tops , until he put on some weight and got back on his feet . The Shapiro family had fostered dogs and birds before , so they knew the ropes . But they didn ’ t know how close they would bond to little Piglet in just a few days .
After life settled down ( sort of ) and word got out gradually , this little special-needs pup became a symbol for acceptance and diversity with his Inclusion Pack of six canines . A teacher who read about Piglet on Facebook developed a curriculum ( PigletMindset . org ) around Piglet and how he faces his challenges with a positive mindset . His story also inspired others to foster and adopt specialneeds dogs . The purchase of Piglet merchandise , such as T-shirts , stickers , etc ., goes to support dog rescues .
With lovely writing by Shapiro and her co-author Mim Eichler Rivas ( who also co-authored “ The Pursuit of Happyness ”), “ Piglet ” is a warm , family story in two parts . The first tells the story of Shapiro and Piglet . As readers , we become part of Melissa ’ s family as we follow her life growing up with two very encouraging parents . At an early age , she decided to become a veterinarian and devoted her high school and college years toward getting into veterinary school , which was more difficult since Connecticut did not have a vet school .
We meet all her family dogs ( and a ferret ) and even learn how she met her husband , Warren . When two of her kids are off to college , a deaf , blind , pink pup prematurely falls into her lap , a pup who is a devil barker , screamer , and wailer . But Shapiro understands the pup ’ s fears and comforts him , though it is her husband who turns out to be the Piglet ’ s Favorite Dad . With the help of the Shapiro family ’ s pack of six dogs , eventually the little pup blossoms . How Piglet maps out a new room very methodically and never forgets it , or how he learns a new person by their smell , is simply amazing . Just because one has only three of the five senses does not make one any less a person — or dog .
The second half of the book is about Piglet ’ s and Shapiro ’ s work ; being interviewed about deaf and blind dogs , with Shapiro explaining how they navigate and learn using body taps for different commands . A tap on the rump is sit , for example . Piglet and
58 Building Better Trainers Through Education