There is a new internet star on the block, and her name is ‘Pig!’
No, ‘Pig’ is not of the porcine persuasion. Pig is a dog, and a truly remarkable one at that. According to an article on AL.com, Pig was born without part of her spine and is missing several ribs. Pig also has vertebrae that are fused and twisted, deformed hips that rotate in the wrong direction, and a spinal cord that actually splits in two near her neck.
Pig’s journey began when she saved herself and her siblings by barking for help after someone abandoned the litter in the woods of northeast Atlanta.
Pig found her forever home with Kim Dillenbeck, who has experience in fostering sick and elderly dogs. While at her sister’s house over Christmas, Dillenbeck first heard about the pup, and she knew if she didn’t adopt Pig, the dog probably wouldn’t survive.
“I met some of (my sister’s) neighbors who came over for Christmas breakfast, and after hearing about Pig, we all went to her house,” Dillenbeck told AL.com. “I bonded with Pig right away. I thought I’d either be with her or near her helping her find a home.”
“Pretty quickly, I decided to be her mother because she probably wouldn’t live,” Dillenbeck said. “We assumed that by now, she would be suffocating under her own organs, or something like that, because of her shape.”
But Pig is defying the odds and, from the looks of it, she is having the time of her life.
Pig’s first major outing was at Do Dah Day last month, and she was the talk of the festival. People lined up to get photos with her and ask about her oddly shaped body.
Pig isn’t yet fully grown, and her vets hope that with her growth doesn’t come more health complications. However, as of now, Pig is loving life with her Welsh Corgi housemates, Lady and Tank.
“Pig doesn’t know there’s anything wrong with her,” Dillenbeck said. “I’m the lucky one. She makes me laugh every day.”
