By Jarissa Aquinde, Positively Woof Rescue and Adoption Story Editor
Penny Pig (aka Penelopig, Pignelope, PigPen, Cleopigtra) was found owner surrendered to animal control in NYC around Christmas 2015. She weighed 34 pounds, and was completely shut down in the shelter. She was pulled by In Our Hands Rescue, after Sam (Penny Pig’s now furever mom) reached out, offering to foster her.
Penny Pig’s foster pawrents and In Our Hands figured she’d spend a month gaining necessary weight and health, and then be adopted. Penny turned out to be, by far, her pawrent’s most difficult foster, and by far the most rewarding. In 5 months, they struggled to deal with her crippling separation anxiety, dealt with her post-surgery needs after a tail amputation, attempted to teach her to walk on a leash, and fell totally in love with her.
*PENNY WITH HER ADOPTABLE FOSTER BROTHER, ZEUS*
Penny Pig is basically a human in the way that she understands, responds, demands and approaches problems and conversations. After 5 months, Sam just had to admit that Penny Pig had adopted her new pawrents. She is good with other dogs, but fearfully aggressive to dogs her size when she first meets them. It hasn’t always been easy, but Sam has fostered about 40 dogs of all ages and sizes since she arrived, and she has managed to make friends with all of them with proper introductions and management.
Penny Pig is a wonderful pit bull ambassador, changing perceptions everywhere she goes and insisting that everyone love her as much as she instantly loves them. She is also an OG volunteer at a new rescue that her forever family was invited to join called Muddy Paws Rescue. In fact, Penny Pig helps her mom run their social media accounts and frequently volunteers at events. She lives in NYC with her parents and foster siblings. You can often see her hunting rats and pigeons late at night.
is the award-winning coauthor of Training the Best Dog Ever, which became a #1 best seller in dog training on Amazon Kindle. He is Leader of the Pack at Positively Woof, which helps shelter dogs get adopted by making videos and raises awareness and funds. Larry is an award-winning dog filmmaker and has been a frequent contributor to the American Animal Hospital Association and Dog Fancy magazine.