Princess the Potbelly

This week we went to Lil’ Orphan Hammies, a potbellied pig rescue and sanctuary. I thoroughly enjoyed this field trip as it allowed me to bond with pigs which is something that I had never done. I attempted to interact and spend time with as many pigs as I could until I found the one that I connected with the most. “Princess” the potbellied pig ended up being my favorite pig at the sanctuary. She was on the smaller side, and very much a princess. She was a treat lover. I feel like our bond was primarily due to food. Before going to the sanctuary, I researched the personalities of potbellied pigs and two of the main aspects of their personalities are that they are very food oriented and food aggressive animals as well as extremely intelligent animals. I don’t know how much of an “interspecies collaboration” it was, but I used these aspects of her personality to train her. I trained Princess to put her head on my knee every time she wanted another cookie.

I started off by giving her lots of cookies so that she would become more comfortable with me. Every time I gave her a cookie, I would make her come closer to me until she was eventually resting her head on my knee. After a few minutes, she learned that she would not get the cookie unless she put her head on my knee. This proved how truly intelligent these animals are. It is a shame that so many people buy into the miniature pig craze, but I am glad that there is a place like Lil’ Orphan Hammies that gives these pigs a second chance at life.

Princess resting her head on my knee	Princess giving kisses

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