May 18, 2009

(ZT Pet News Photo by Victoria Lim)

ROCHEPORT, Mo. -– From the pigskin to pig breeder, Nancy Shepherd has been hog wild for more than three decades. The transition from being a NFL cheerleader to swine enthusiast may not seem obvious, but to Shepherd, it was natural.

“Being physical and being a pig farmer kind of go together. I was never a prissy girl. I was always a tomboy,” she said of how she blended the sport of cheering to farming.

After being Kansas City Chiefs' cheerleader, she admits her entry into pig farming happened by accident -- "destiny," she called it. In the '70s, a neighbor invited her to a pig birthing, where one of the piglets began faltering. Her neighbor was about to “do it in,” Shepherd recalled, so she decided to take it in, instead.

So Roto, as it was called, found a new home. Shepherd borrowed a boar and raised her first litter. She was now in the pig business. She estimates her pigs breed 14 to 21 piglets a year, with customers from as close as Ohio and as far away as California, Oregon and Japan.

“Pigs are very special. They’re verbal. Their sounds mean something,” she said. “They kind of demand you treat them with respect.”

One of Roto’s children -- Tulip -- had a litter of one: Banjo. To give Tulip the ability to breed again quickly, Shepherd hand-raised Banjo and just like any other mother-child relationship, she was hooked.

She threw birthday parties for Banjo that brought scores of friends together yearly, bearing gifts of birthday cake and the pig’s favorite beverage: Orange Crush soda. A fan club formed -- 400 members, at its peak.

Banjo passed when he was 9-and-a-half years old. By then, pig parties were the rage for Shepherd. So, to continue the celebrations, she held a wedding -- marrying Yod,the groom dressed in a cummerbund, and Jitterburg, the blushing bride with adorned in a veil, pierced ears and a pedicure. Shepherd served as minister.

“Dearly pig-loved,” her ceremony began. “We are gathered here today to join this gilt and this boar in holy pig-tramony …” as Shepherd's friends served as best man and matron of honor.

The couple stayed together until Jitterbug died in 2003 of kidney failure. Yoda died in 2006.

Shepherd laughs as she shuffles through wedding photos.

“We just knew how to have fun, is all I know!”

Shepherd now has a big, enclosed shelter for her pigs which she calls the “Piggy Palace.” As she cares for her brood, she disputes various pig myths and sayings.

“They have no odor whatsoever. Pigs don’t sweat – where did that come from? I don’t know how come policemen are called pigs. I don’t understand that part,” she said.

“Pigs are creatures with lots of intelligence, they’re affectionate, verbal and smart.”

After buyers apply to purchase one of her pigs, she submits applicants to a background check and provides a “how to care for” manual for their new owners, with a warning: “You have to be smarter than your pig, or your pig will train you very well!”

To learn more about Shepherd and her Pig O’ My Heart Potbellies, visit PotBellyPigs.com

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