Judy said Napoleon was very loving. He came trotting to the door when she came home. He sang little oinking songs to her throughout the day. He insisted on sleeping next to her at night. He did tricks like rolling over. She fed him yogurt as a reward, and he licked it off the spoon.
Judy did an impersonation of one of Napoleon's oinking songs. It was cute.
Sadly, she lost Napoleon due to a custody situation.
As a result of talking to her, I did more research about pot-bellied pigs. This wikipedia quote is concerning:
Unfortunately, pigs do not like to be held or "cuddled," as dogs, cats or other domesticated predators do. ... Attempts by humans at lifting or hugging are always interpreted by the pig as hostile and result in struggling and squealing. The one time pigs, by instinct, will welcome close contact is to huddle while sleeping, an instinct which conserves body heat and provides protection.
But at least the pig likes to be held when sleeping. That is important.
This could be me!
This could be me!
This could be me!
...
Talking with my friend, a Googler.
Me: "I emailed the [Google-internal] mailing list 'pet-owners' about raising a pig, and -- "
Friend: "What? You're so absurd."
Me: " -- and no one owns a pig."
Friend: "Maybe there's a special mailing list 'pig-owners'."
Your Googler friend is right...I'll never understand your desire to have a pig as a pet...
ReplyDeleteIn your last photo, are you saying you are considering a sex change? :-)
"He insisted on sleeping next to her at night" oO WTF
ReplyDeleteare we talking about pig here ?!?
One good thing about a piggy pet is you don't have to worry about it jumping up on a shelf and knocking things off. Even though I am from Wisconsin, I am not a pig expert, but I do believe they have problems springy gracefully from one location to another.
ReplyDeleteWell, spider pig might be a different story.
My friend had a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig when she was in high school and he was pretty funny. I think that breed doesn't get too big so he never outgrew their backyard.
ReplyDeleteIf you get one, you'll have to record his oink song so the rest of us can hear it.
"she lost Napoleon due to a custody situation"
ReplyDeleteHave pigs replaced children at last?
Isn't the kid in the second picture cuddling the pig?
ReplyDeleteI expect that some pigs are OK with being held. Same with cats - some have no problem with it, while others hate it.
ReplyDeleteOne good thing about a piggy pet is you don't have to worry about it jumping up on a shelf and knocking things off.
ReplyDeleteInstead you can worry about it crushing you. I remember reading Isabella Rossellini's recollections about her pet (full-size) pig. As a piglet, she'd liked to have it sit on her lap* **, but as a full-grown roughly 600 lb pig, it still wanted to do that.
* maybe she'd trained it not to mind contact, I don't know
** also, see a pic here.
A pig in hand is better than two pigs in a blanket, eh? Cute little oinkers. I find myself simultaneously attracted and repulsed by the idea of keeping them as pets. They are smart, form strong bonds with their owners and have dainty little hooves. On the other hand, they are repellently obese and possibly a bit snappy and territorial. And you'd have to make one hell of a pet door for them to come and go as they please... (every postman's worst nightmare: as they saunter away from the mailbox, a klaxon sounds and the microwave-sized pet door slams upward--out charges an enraged black boar with stiletto tusks and eyes of fire, to dispatch the intruder). Painting the words, "Jody lives here!" in blood-colored paint above the pet door would complete the effect nicely. :)
ReplyDeleteIt could be partly cultural. I'm not Chinese, but I've read that pigs are often associated with good fortune and prosperity. Given half a chance, I'm sure every American would probably have a leprechaun chained to their water heater... Wait a second, uh, nevermind...
I am Chinese (by ancestry at least) and I thought Chinese people associated pigs with good eatin' most of all...
ReplyDeleteAgreed! They make fine dumplings, cute or not. =)
ReplyDeleteI was a German fest in Milwaukee today. The sign said "Pigs Head $5.00" While quantities were availble. They looked mighty good roasting over that bed of coals. Yeap, pigs are a mighty fine animal.
ReplyDeleteholy crap, I've wanted a pot bellied pig for so long! But I also love eating pork and have had delusions of raising all my own food. So would you eat your pig at some point? I wouldn't, but I'd be annoyed at the waste of one tasty pig.
ReplyDelete