Dec 21, 2008

Potbellied Pigs as Pets

In 1990, my husband bought me a one-year-old pot bellied pig for Mother's Day. Her name was Priscilla, and her original owners couldn't keep her anymore. I was smitten from the first moment I laid eyes on her. Priscilla caught on quickly to anything we showed her including sitting, sitting up on her haunches, and shaking hands with us.

She slept on her own skinny mattress complete with pillow, and blanket. We would say goodnight, tuck her in and she stayed there until we came down the stairs in the morning. She honked at the door indicating when she needed to go potty, and walked with a harness and leash. To our surprise, she didn't have any odor and was cleaner than my dogs.

I talk to people who consider pigs homely, however, Priscilla ('Ditta'), was anything but. She had a darling personality and we tried to bring people closer by making her irresistible. We shared her tricks, and smarts with everyone and tied a little pink bow on the coarse hair at the end of her tail - which seemed to never stop wagging. She became quite the ambassador for pot bellies to anyone I knew.

Ditta lived in 5 different homes with us, spreading smiles at each one. There were always knitted eyebrows, and confusion as to why someone would, 'have one of those as a pet'. But that always changed to understanding, and a desire to own one for themselves. Along the way, we rescued another piggy named, Charlotte, who (as it turned out, was a boy) we renamed, Charles.

In Priscilla's 16th summer, she started having trouble getting up. Her health deteriorated quickly, and the decision was made to relieve her of her pain. At the end of the summer of 2007, Priscilla was put to rest at home with us, her human family of 15 years. I have always appreciated the affection she brought, and her tolerance as we learned about caring for her. She was one-in-a-million to our family.

Since then I have rescued a couple of piggies and placed them in permanant homes, which has made me so happy, as these guys have their own place in my heart. If you would like to know more about pot bellied pigs check out How To Care For a Pot Bellied Pig and The Intelligent Pig.