Pig People

Some Of Us Are Dog People And Some North Forkers Say “Oink”

By T.J. Clemente

Doc Hollywood is a movie made in the eighties staring Michael J. Fox as a resident doctor who gets sidetracked on his way to becoming a Hollywood plastic surgeon. He ends up in a small rural town and if you ever saw the movie, you cannot forget the image of him walking around town with a huge pig on a leash and everybody saying, “Hi Doc, that’s a fine pig you got there.”

Well it seems that as the North Fork becomes more and more mainstream, a fear of losing that hometown feel, which is so pleasantly displayed in Doc Hollywood, will go along with it. However, we have a lot of people out here that have pet pigs, so don’t worry North Forkers, things that make the North Fork the North Fork, are not going to go away.

I give you a man on the North Fork and his pigs. Yes that is right, there are still people on the North Fork with pet pigs. You may not know this but pigs can be trained to litter in a box and live indoors as sort of a combination dog and cat. They are also pretty smart, which I personally never knew. They can play tricks, be affectionate and be mischievous. A lot of people on the North Fork have figured this out and because of it, an association titled, The Long Island Pot Bellied Pig Association exists. This organization basically helps place pigs with responsible owners. Not everyone can stomach having a pet pig, however, there are North Forkers who are in pet pig heaven. If you haven’t been there, it involves a happy pig with some belly scratches. It is just the most adorable thing that you ever did see.

The Long Island Pot Bellied Pig Association certainly sounds like an unusual organization for the island. But a lot of people out there are really into pigs, but just don’t know it yet. This organization aims to change that, and they tell as many people as they can about the joys of having pigs.

There is a guy on the North Fork that is out helping pigs and is having a great time doing it. New to rescuing pigs is Patrick Dempsey of Cutchogue. Through the Long Island Pot Bellied Pig Association, Patrick has rescued two pigs from the unmentionable fate just in the last twenty-four months. Showing the wit and humor of a pig owner, one of Patrick’s rescue-ie’s is a pig named Trief. It seems that Trief is a word that means non-kosher in Yiddish and he was named that by the Jewish family that previously owned him. The other pig that Patrick hasa is named Zoe. Patrick enjoys having pet pigs. He is a pig person.

One such pig lover is Marissa Pfeiffer of Riverhead. Marissa has been involved with pigs since she saved one from being killed when she was sixteen. Her main squeeze is Emma, a 130-pounder that lives in her home. Outside, she maintains three rescued pigs. It seems she is on a short list of people to be called when a pig needs a rescue. Over the years she has saved around fifteen pigs, finding them suitable owners. Emma co-habits her house with two dogs. But you could argue that she is a pig person.

And then there is Hannah, a 350-pound pig living in South Jamesport. This is SOME PIG. 350 pounds of pig running around your house is not an easy thing to deal with for most people. That’s like having a pet pig the size of an NFL offensive tackle and that eats just as much. Hannah is the prized pet of owner Ed Meiers, who claims that it took a while to get used to Hannah, but after that she now is really just part of the family. Hannah was a five-pound pig when she was given to Ed as a Father’s Day gift. That’s quite a gift if you ask me. All I get on fathers day are cards. It’s a good thing that Ed has trained Hannah not to beg at the dining room table.

Maybe you could consider yourself a pig person? They really do make absolutely wonderful pets. If you are interested in investigating the possibilities of adopting a pet pig or just want to know more about it feel free to contact Jeanne Watson, President of the Long Island Potbellied Pig Association at 941-386-9738. It is her pleasure to waddle you through all the intricate details to having a pig for a pet. Who knows, before long it might be you walking around town with your pet pig on a leash hearing, “Hi neighbor, nice pig!”