It's Not Easy Being The Only Pig In The House!

My name is Calvin - Calvin Swine. I love my owner and my home, but sometimes I think to myself, "It's not easy being the only pig in the house!" This is my story.

Shortly after I was born in the summer of '96, I left my biological mother and was adopted by an owner, who within a short time was unable to keep me. I was given back to the pet store where I was originally purchased, in hope of finding me a new and permanent home. The pet store employees simply called me "Pig" while I was there. When I was about six months old and weighed about twenty pounds, I was purchased from the pet store for the second time. My new Mom received me as a Valentine's Day gift in 1997 from her boyfriend while she was away at Penn State. Naturally my new Mom couldn't keep me in her apartment off campus, so I was taken home to her mother and father's house in Bethlehem, PA. Since there were only twelve weeks until graduation, my Mom's father agreed to take care of me. My Mom's mother wasn't very happy!

The transition from life in a pet store to life in my new home was pretty easy. I was already litter box trained before I learned to go outside and I moved right in to a nice big dog cage in the family room. Keep in mind I am not a farm pig, so I have no odor. The family dog, a black lab named "Dana", was nice to me. Since my new Mom and her boyfriend were never around and her father seemed to be the one who always gave me food and water and let me out of my cage, I considered him as "Dad". My Mom's mother was "Grandma". Dad would lift me up on the sofa where I could snuggle behind him while he watched TV. Life was great! I didn't really notice Dana getting a fat belly. I thought that was normal, since I had one, too. Then one day there were nine little "Dana's" in a box, also in the family room with me. From then on things haven't been as tranquil. Ten black animals all under one roof!

For six weeks following the "population explosion" in my room, the little "Dana's" grew fast. Since I was much bigger than them, they didn't bother me at all. In fact, I was the "boss hog" around them. Then the little "Dana's" seemed to disappear one by one until only two were left. I heard their names called Sinjin and Missy. Missy was the tiniest of all the little "Dana's". Now there were only four black animals under one roof, including myself, so things calmed down a little. As the weeks went by, Missy seemed to bond with me. Whenever I was out of my cage, Missy would follow me around the house and lie down near me as if she wanted to be friends. I think she was just afraid of me at that time and wanted to make sure I wasn't going to hurt her. That was in 1998.

Now Missy is so sassy and always gives me a hard time whenever I try to exert my authority. Dana and Sinjin don't care that I still think I am "boss hog" but Missy barks and even scratches me fiercely on the side of my head. It's a good thing my skin is thick. I don't care that the scratches make me look like a walking advertisement for Addidas, I still try to let Missy know who is boss!

Dad teases me alot. When I'm outside and he tells me to go in the house, when I don't listen he pronounces the word house like a straining, exhaled, drawn out "howooss" and it drives me crazy! Everybody laughs when I bark and make all kinds of sounds as I go running into my cage. Then Dad follows me right into my cage and gets right in my face. I can't even intimidate him by jerking my head real fast toward him as if I'm going to bite. He just gently scratches me and pets me until I calm down.

Whenever my Mom takes me to the vet to get my hooves and teeth (tusks) trimmed, or get a shot, the experience is very traumatic for me. I think I 'm a tough pig, but I might be wrong.

Even though I am three feet long, stand eighteen inches tall, and I weigh over 120 pounds, I feel I don't get the respect I deserve. Don't get me wrong, I know I am loved, especially by my Mom. She gives me my favorite treat, popcorn, and lets me think that I'm still "boss hog". It just seems nobody else takes me seriously around the house. Maybe it's because I don't like to play ball like the other black animals. I prefer things like sunning myself by the sliding glass door, or laying by the Kalglo radiant heater, or having my big belly scratched as I lay on my side, or grazing in the grass in the back yard while I wag my tail back and forth like a cow, or snuggling under the blanket in my cage while I sleep, and especially eating. I love the "cookies" from Ross Mill Farm! I guess I should appreciate my good home - but as I said before, "It's not easy being the only pig in the house!"

An update to my story:
In April of 2004 Sinjin and his mom, Dana, moved out, leaving just Missy and me. With only two black animals under the roof, instead of four, life was much easier for Dad. He was the one who usually cleaned up the back yard! Then in July of 2007, my Mom bought her own house in Nazareth, PA, so she and I moved out of Dad and Grandma's house. Before we could move in, though, Mom had to have a "piggy ramp" built for me to be able to go out to the fenced-in back yard. The transition from living at one place to another was not too bad, but it did take a while for me to get used to my new home. Thankfully, I am well liked by Mom's neighbors and the kids at the nearby playground. Life is easier as "the only pig in the house" for now I really am the "boss hog" and also a "guard pig"! I love my new home, especially sleeping in Mom's room on the second floor, but I miss the warmth of the sun at the sliding glass door and in the sunroom at Dad and Grandma's. At least I still have a Kalglo radiant infrared heater to lay by. Mom has had me for 12 wonderful years now! I continue to see Dana, who will be 15 in August 2009, and I get to go to Grandma's once in a while for Dad and her to "pig sit" me. Missy is there and so is the warm sliding glass door and sunroom on sunny days. As Dad likes to say "life is good". I agree!

A sad note:
As Mom and I were nearing our move, Sinjin had to be put to sleep on August 12, 2007 due to Cushing's disease. He was 9 years old. We all miss him dearly!