Pet of the Day

January 29, 2010

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Pork Chop, the Pet of the Day
Name: Pork Chop
Age: Four years old
Gender: Female
Kind: Vietnamese Potbelly Pig
Home: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
 
   Pork Chop is a pet I knew I would have all my life. I met a pet pig when I was young, walking home everyday from elementary school. As soon as I could legally have one (must be zoned) and bought my home, I went for it! I tried to adopt but couldn't find a pig to call my own, so I ended up buying from a certified breeder. From the day she came into our lives, she never whimpered, never whined, followed myself and the dogs everywhere! While looking for information on care and training of pigs, I found so little, but all of a sudden a lot of pigs were looking for new homes! So I started VegasPigPets, a rescue and placement of unwanted and abandoned potbelly pigs into new, permanent, loving homes! Pork Chop is my ambassador pig showing people that you can give a pig a safe, loving home with proper education, training and of course, love! Pork Chop also shows people what a 140-pound potbelly pig looks like, she is not huge, she only comes up to my knees, but everyone thinks a mini pig or a teacup pig will fit in their purse. She is quite the educator and of course, she's my newest animal child in my family of adopted dogs, parrots and tortoises!

    Pork Chop is the pig pet everyone wants. She's just a lover, shows no aggression, naps at my feet and I put her to bed in my closet every night! She was trained from the day she arrived, she does an obstacle course almost every day, sits, shakes hands and kneels. When I brought her home, I wasn't sure how she'd get along with the dogs, as dogs are predators and pigs are prey and it's never recommended the two types of animals be put together right away. I set up a gate with a litter box and let her stay at the back of the house to let the dogs and Pork Chop get to know each other slowly. She never winced, the dogs never showed any signs of wanting to attack and she sure wouldn't use the litter box. So the next morning I put the dogs on a leash and took them all outside together and Pork Chop had held her business 'til she could go outside! She walked the backyard, picked her spot and four years later, she still does her business in the same spot! She has never had an accident in the house and instead of doggy doors, we now have piggy doors (just a bit wider) so they all can come and go as they please! Back to the dogs, though, she snuggled up to them and at first they were a bit weary of this tiny ten-pound piglet, but she laid and cuddled up to them and they must have figured out she was okay! She is always in the middle of everything, wants to be with everybody, animals and humans, but like any pig, she is very suspicious of changes or strangers and will retreat to her closet until she feels comfortable.

    Her diet is very strict as pigs, being pigs, will eat anything. She is not as active as she was, so gets 1/2 cup of mini pig pellets twice a day and a salad of mostly veggies, and a grape or a piece of apple. She gets her morning pellets in what is called a "busy ball" and she pushes it around the backyard to get her pellets out. She gets no free food, but she already knows that, so if I'm in the kitchen, she'll sit behind me and make tiny grunts to let me know she's waiting patiently! I have been told not all pigs are sweet and mellow like her, but the most important things that made her that way, was that she was spayed at the recommended eight weeks old, I trained her early on and integrated her into my family "herd" and that made for a very secure, loving, always smiling pig! And she really does smile!

Pork Chop, the Pet of the Day View more images of Pork Chop!
Pork Chop, the Pet of the Day
Pork Chop, the Pet of the Day
Pork Chop, the Pet of the Day

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