June 1, 2008

CATSKILLS, N.Y. -- Potbellied pigs are the third most intelligent animal right behind primates and dolphins. These family-friendly curious creatures can also be wonderful household pets.

Moe is a one-year-old Vietnamese potbellied pig. He loves watching cartoons with Maxx – his family’s 5-year-old – playing in the backyard, and taking naps on the couch with the family dog. And he is happy to obey a command, as long as he gets a treat. He even helps enforce some house rules.

Every night at 7 o’clock Moe jumps on the bed and squeals if Maxx doesn’t get to bed; he’s great at enforcing the bedtimes. In fact, Moe sleeps with Maxx, in his bed, every night.

“We have had Moe since last August; he was 8-weeks-old when we got him,” Moe’s owner, Karen Hartman, said. “We saw his picture in the paper in the pet adoptions, and we went to look at him. They send someone to make sure you have the proper facilities for him and as long as you pass their inspection, you are allowed to adopt him.”

Moe was rescued from a hording case by the Catskills Animal Sanctuary.

“There have been situations where people impulsively take on this animal,” Kathy Stevens with the Catskills Animal Sanctuary said. “Just as people would impulsively take on a cat or dog and then they realize wow, this is a little bit more (responsibility) than getting a cat or a dog and I probably made a mistake.”

At the moment, Kathy has 20 pigs up for adoption. She wants all of them to find the right home – just like Moe did.

“They need some spacious and relatively quiet outdoor space. In addition they oftentimes love sleeping in the house,” Stevens said. “They also need a kind of patience – they are exceedingly smart, incredibly willful and stubborn – they want what they want, when they want it.”

According to Stevens, they also need a lot of attention, but unlike the similar experience of taking care of a dog; their affection won’t cause any allergies.

“Moe was housebroken in 24 hours,” Hartman said. “But he has the crate where he sleeps when we are not home, because they can be mischievous.”

His diet is a mix of healthy grains, vegetables and fresh water.

He’s cleaned with cat and dog wipes and moisturized with flax seed oil.

“The only thing that’s a little different is that you have to trim his hooves,” Hartman said.

And you also need to become one of his pack for the next twenty years – his expected lifespan.

“He has to be around people all the time, because when pigs are in their own environment they have large groups of pigs, so we are kind of the rest of the pigs.” Hartman said.

If you are thinking of adopting a potbellied pig, contact your local farm animal sanctuary. But first, find out whether your town allows you to have a pig as a pet, as they are considered exotic animals. It’s also a good idea to find out if your area has a farm animal veterinarian who’s able to care for the pig.

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