Meet the pig-lovers who have taken a porker for a pet as popularity grows
Dogs have hogged the “man’s best friend” title for centuries, but a growing number of people now think that is just hogwash, insisting that miniature pigs make better pets. A study has found that little porkers are just as likely to shower humans with affection and – as the big bad wolf from the fairy tale knows – they are far more intelligent than dogs to boot.
One owner whose pig is definitely her best friend is Joanne Lefson, 50, who this week revealed that her sow Pigcasso is bringing home the bacon, having made £1million with her “pork-traits”. The painting pig’s clients include tennis ace Rafael Nadal, making her snout to sniff at, especially as she was rescued en route to the abattoir.
While globe-trotter Pigcasso now lives in South Africa and weighs 1,000lbs, for space-tight Brits, miniature breeds have been winning our hearts. Little piggies Smokey and Bandit live a life of luxury in Rainbow Lagdale Smith and John Beresford’s Cheshire home, liking nothing better than cuddling up with them on the sofa.
Two little piggies at Pennywell Farm in Devon play football (Richard Austin/REX/Shutterstock)John, a police officer who jokes he is a “pig with a pig”, says: “They have free range on the bottom floor of the house. They’re in the lounge. The fires are on and the pigs will sleep in front of the fire. There are patio doors, so they’ll get up or eat outdoors or use the toilet outside. Smokey’s never tried to go upstairs, but Bandit enjoys going upstairs – but can’t get down again.”
Rainbow and John have a pig walking licence from the Animal and Plant Health Agency, which allows them to walk them on a pre-approved route as it is still classed as transporting livestock. Rainbow says: “We could never get Smokey into a harness. She just wasn’t interested, but we’re training Bandit so that we can take him on walks.”
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Rainbow with her pet pigsThe two pets have very different personalities. Bandit, a castrated male, is still very young compared to older female Smokey. Rainbow says: “He’s way more cuddly and soppy.” Victoria Wiseman, an actress from Colchester, Essex, has loved pigs since she was a child, and her decision to get Peanut and Noodle was five years in the making. She says: “I did a lot of research.”
Before buying Peanut and Noodle, she built an enclosure with a water feature. She says: “The main thing that I do with mine is teach them agility and tricks, so I’ve got a big course outside. They’ve got an agility bridge and they’ve got an agility seesaw. They’ve got jumps and hoop jumps as well.”
Smokey and Bandit live a life of luxury as house petsVictoria trains them every day if she can, for 20 minutes to half an hour. She says: “Peanut will do almost anything when it comes to daredevil stuff. I’ve got crash mats next to the agility bridge. He went on it and jumped off the thing, just for fun. I knew it was for fun as he went on and did it again.”
Noodle is scared of heights, but has other talents. She says: “He has a big amount of focus, but is calmer. I have started doing heel-to music with him like they do with dogs, so he will weave between my legs.”
David Sanson says time spent with pigs is 'therapeutic’David Sansom has two, 10-month-old micro pigs called Polly and Poppy. With a background in agriculture David, 63, from Ibstock, Leics, used to have a commercial pig herd, which inspired him to get his adorable pets. He says: “I always loved having pigs. I got soft as I aged so couldn’t ever send them to slaughter. That’s why I got back into them with micro pigs.”
The two little porkers live in a big enclosure with David’s two miniature Shetland ponies. He says: “I’ve got a Labrador as well and the whole lot all get on brilliantly They all seem to respect each other.” Like his dog, David’s pigs love being petted. He says: “They are very similar in wanting attention. Of course, with a dog you should be going out and walking each day. For the lazy pet owner, a micro pig is probably ideal.”
John and Rainbow’s petsDavid hangs out with his pigs as often as he can. “I spend ages chatting with them, the locals must think I am mad. When I’m up there, sitting with the micro pigs, and just chatting, and rubbing them, it’s very relaxing. It’s quite therapeutic, really.”
Katie Mason fell in love with micro-pigs while working with them at a farm in Devon and it wasn’t long before she had two of her own, Rupert and Penny. Rupert was once snouted, sorry, scouted, by a producer to audition on Britain’s Got Talent. Katie, 41, who helped breed pigs at Pennywell Farm, Buckfastleigh, Devon, before turning to teaching, taught him the names of things using positive reinforcement, and in front of the judges Rupert played a keyboard, filed some paperwork, pulled levers, used a mobile phone, and went through tunnels.
Pigcasso’s abstract art has made her owner a millionaire (Farm Sanctuary SA / CATERS NEWS)Sadly he was given the chop before the live semi-finals. Rupert’s pen pal Penny wasn’t as easy to train. Katie says: “Penny was really naughty. She opened all the cupboards, the fridge, the oven, the lot and took everything out. Rupert wouldn’t do a thing wrong. He used to hate me telling Penny off, he took it personally and would go in the corner all upset.”
The pigs could go outside when they wanted, but preferred sitting on the sofa. They also got on well with Katie’s Labrador and Border Collie. She says: “They used to sleep on top of the old Lab when they were smaller. They’re very intelligent, very clean, and very easy to train. You don’t need to toilet train them as they are naturally toilet-trained.”
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Sadly they’ve both gone to the big stye in the sky, but Katie would highly recommend pigs as pets. She says: “They will probably be the most intelligent pet you could have. Studies have shown they understand consequences and they understand their own reflection, the only other animals that understand mirrors are dolphins, chimps... and humans.”
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