I was planning on posting this story on Easter Sunday.  Ham is a popular meal on Easter, so I thought best to wait a week.

 

"Alfred" Photo courtesy of Brendan
"Alfred" Photo courtesy of Brendan
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This guy's name is Alfred.  The two year old piggy resides in Union County and is owned by family friend, Brendan.

I will not refer to this creature as a "swine."  To me that's a negative connotation.  There isn't much of anything that's bad about this fellow.

Most of us think of potbellied pigs as the only type of pig pet.  Potbellied pigs can grow to enormous proportions.  Alfred is a tea cup pig.  When tea cup is used in reference to dogs, it usually means the pooch is very small, weighing only a couple of pounds.  A tea cup pig normally reaches a maximum weight of 30 to 35 pounds.

Their normal lifespan is quite long, usually 15 to 20 years.  So, owning one of these guys is a real commitment.

Brendan adopted Alfred from a breeder in upstate New York who breeds nothing but tea cup pigs.  My friend says if you plan to adopt one, be prepared to shell out some big bucks.

He says pigs are really misunderstood.

Properly trained pigs are not dirty.  As a matter of fact Alfred uses a litter box.  Brendan says when you bring a baby pig home.you have to decide between walking the pig on a leash or training for a litter box.

They are very intelligent and are easy to train.

"Alfred" taking a snooze. Photo courtesy of Brendan
"Alfred" taking a snooze. Photo courtesy of Brendan
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Even though Alfred is potty trained, Brendan takes Alfred for a couple of walks a day on a leash.  He says his curly tailed friend loves to ride in the car.  People who see Alfred's head sticking out the window are at first in disbelief then laugh.

Aside from being intelligent, tea cup pigs are very affectionate.  Brendan says Alfred is a bit skittish at first around strangers. If you feed him a piece of carrot or celery you'll have a friend for life.

Anyone who ponders the idea of owning a pig should check first with their municipality and find out if it's, excuse the expression, Kosher to own a pig.

When Brendan takes Alfred for a ride to the grocery store, it adds a whole new meaning to "This little piggy went to market."

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