Piglet Finds Her Person, by Christina Lawrence
- Jan 17
- 3 min read
Animals were always an important part of our family growing up. We had a house fire a few years back, and I couldn’t wait to adopt again as soon as we had a stable roof over our heads. But we had moved in with my brother, who was already taking care of our Mom’s senior dog Sprinkles, and I wasn’t sure either was going to be OK with another dog. A cat seemed like a better choice.
Best Laid Plans
With my brother’s blessing, I finally settled on finding a cat-sized dog that I could snuggle and cuddle with. Then while visiting every local shelter’s website and all the pet finders organizations, I stumbled upon Piggly Wiggly (Piglet) at Pets in Need. It was September 2025, and she’d only been at the shelter about a week, having transferred from SF Animal Care and Control (SFACC). She was a 42 lb. bulldog mix with a big smile and a stubby corkscrew tail, which is probably how she got her name. She wasn’t what I’d been looking for and it’s hard to explain why I knew right away ─ no question about it ─ that she was my dog.
An Instant “Meant to Be” Connection
I called and made an appointment to see her the very next day. Three of us piled into the car – my 18-year-old son Ace, Sprinkles, and me – and when we met Piglet, everything seemed to click. Sprinkles is about 15 years old and just goes with the flow at this point, so there were no issues there. And Ace and I were instantly smitten. I filled out the paperwork, and out we went with leash in hand.
Heading off for her new life, Piglet jumped into the car without hesitation. She did her version of a happy dance, seeming to know right away that I was her person and she was on her way home. We picked up my 7-year old Parker from school and he was "over the moon" that Piglet was going to be a part of our family. Once we got to the house, she walked in as if she’d lived there her whole life. She started following me everywhere, and she really hasn’t left my side since.
Settling In
Piglet is the first dog that I’ve picked out and adopted as “my dog.” Being a first-time dog mom, I'm kind of obsessed with her. She was clearly taken care of in her former life, because she didn’t need any adjustment period at all.
She already understood about the crate, she knew several tricks, and she seemed very well behaved (didn’t bark, didn’t chew up things, and respected our house rules). We noticed right away that she was affectionate, extremely social, and very smart.
In the spirit of full disclosure, though, I have to confess that she's become a bit more mischievous the longer she’s been with us – kind of pushing the boundaries just like a kid might do. She can also be quite the drama queen. If she needs to go outside and I open the slider, she’ll just look at me. When I go back and sit down, she’ll walk over to the door again. telling me she needs to go outside. It’s a little game she plays as long as I’ll let her get away with it and winning is always on her terms.
A Very Happy Ending
Piglet can be funny and goofy, and she likes a lot of attention. Parker loves to play with her, and she loves to play with him.
When I asked Parker what he’d like to add to this story, he said, “I love her” and that seemed the perfect note to end on, at least for now, as we look forward to many happy times ahead.
To learn more about Pets In Need and their mission, visit PetsInNeed.org or follow them on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petsinneed1965/
You might just make a new friend who will steal your heart.
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