Brother to Tatty and Pet, Little Dorrit was the runt of his litter and is half their size. He was born with what we believe to be a heart defect, and nearly died despite us hand feeding him around the clock. The cold was too much for him and his sisters were bullying him. He wouldn’t even get out of bed in case he lost his spot! This resulted in him becoming dangerously dehydrated. 

We decided it was best for us to remove Little Dorrit from the barn and bring him into the house with us. It was the only way we could keep him alive and a real last resort. He cuddled up next to the fire and over time he started to relax, gaining a healthy appetite and a real love for life. Unfortunately, being the runt of the litter will always affect Little Pig as his immune system is weaker than it should be. Even on the warmer days, he can only be outside for a few minutes. Outdoor sessions can often result in a very poorly little piglet. 

Luckily though, he’s learned to love being in the house and enjoys family life. He snuggles up with the dogs on the sofa or in their beds and adores his big (dog) brother Cossy – and Cossy has learned to love his naughty piggy behaviour.

Sprawled out in front of the log burner is where you’ll find Little Pig in the evenings. This is where he’s at his happiest. Although he rather enjoys zoomies around the house, too, often resulting in our coffee table being relocated. 

This cheeky little boy has his snout in everything. Daily tasks become a nightmare when he’s around. Even charging my phone can be impossible sometimes (he likes to run off with the cable and charging base).

Little Pig has learnt many tricks including walking backwards, standing on a box and twisting round. It helps to stimulate his clever mind and keep him entertained. His big straw bed takes pride of place in our hallway where he can enact natural rooting behaviour as part of his enrichment. Our house tends to become an extension of his bed when he finishes rooting around in it and decides to then run around the house, covering the kitchen in straw and hay. 

Although you may be giggling reading our tales of Little Pig’s adventures and misbehaving, we felt it was important to let you know how difficult pigs can be. They’ve become a fashionable pet in recent years, but the reality is that they are nothing like dogs. He has destroyed our house and occasionally our lives. Houses are not a pig’s natural place – they are intolerant, stubborn and they will take every opportunity to outsmart you. Little Pig is only in the house with us as it was his only chance of survival. 

Even as part of our inside family, he still has a limited number of days – we’ve already nearly lost him 3 times in his short life and the number of emergency vet callouts he’s required probably makes him the most expensive little piglet in the UK. We’re not sure how long he’s got left, but we will never stop doing everything we can to make him happy (even if that means living in a crazy, straw-covered house).

Little pig has now gone over a year with out any serious health problems and though he can not be outside for long when it is cold or wet he is now able to spend as much of his day outside as he desires.