Piglet the Chihuahua Found Wrapped in a Blanket in the Woods

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — Piglet lay scared and cold under a blanket in the dense woods when a good Samaritan found her and rushed her to safety.

The Chihuahua was scared, but friendly, and is lucky to be alive after being rushed from the Spring Pond wooded area of Peabody to MSPCA-Angell in Jamaica Plain last month.

That good Samaritan, Tom Osborne of Lynn, stumbled across Piglet on March 13 while walking in the woods.

"She was wrapped in the blanket and just so scared," said Osborne in a statement. "I couldn't get close to her at first so I sat down on the ground and waited for her to relax. Despite the warm temperatures she was shaking uncontrollably-likely because she was so frightened."

He wrapped the dog in a coat and drove her in his truck to the MSPCA.

"I'm so glad she's now safe and warm and will get the medical care she needs," he said in an announcement. "If any dog deserves a second chance it would be her."

The reason she had a blanket, revealed a post on Facebook, was that a person had discovered the dog earlier that day, but couldn't get close to her. The person left a blanket and posted for help.

The dog had no collar or microchip and the staff at the MSPCA named her Piglet, after the character from "Winnie-the-Pooh." It's estimated that she's 5-7 years old, and was probably abandoned because of a noticeable hernia that protrudes from her belly.

"It's impossible to know how long she was in the woods, but she could have easily succumbed to exposure or been taken by a predator, particularly given her comprised condition," said MSPCA-Angell Adoption Center Manager Alyssa Krieger, in a statement. "She's very lucky that Tom took the time to gain her trust and bring her to safety."

Piglet's bilateral inguinal hernia was diagnosed via ultrasound at the MSPCA's Angell Animal Medical Center and surgeons operated the week of March 28.

"Given all she's been through we're going to prioritize a quiet and very safe home for her," said Krieger.

Piglet's surgery is expected to cost $1,000 and will be paid for by Spike's Fund, a fund that pays the medical care costs of homeless animals in the MSPCA's Boston adoption center.

Interested adopters are encouraged to email adoption@mspca.org for more information about Piglet.