14 DAY TRIAL // 29-year-old Maria Cooper from Marden, in Kent County, England keeps a black pot-bellied pig as a faithful companion.
The Sun reports on this woman's unusual choice in a house pet. Maria called her sow Dinky, and, until recently, has shared a bed with the large animal. As Dinky is now over 1 year long, that proved problematic.
“I bought myself a black pot-bellied piglet this time last year. She was so cute that I decided to call her Dinky. […] It was love at first sight and she was much too precious to be kept in an outside enclosure — so I gave her the run of the house,” Maria explained her decision.
Even though Dinky keeps a healthy and balanced diet made out of nuts and bananas, she still managed to put on a lot of weight. Maria and husband Ian, a flooring contractor, decided to build the sow her own bedroom.
“I know she’s spoilt but she deserves something with a bit of style,” Mrs. Cooper says.
The couple have two children – Harriet, seven, and four-year-old Peter. Ian was forced to give up his own pets – tarantula spiders and bearded dragons – when they were born.
Dinky is not just Maria's friend, she is a source of entertainment and has helped her make her dream of her starting her own business come true. The 29-year-old realized that kids were overjoyed when she brought her pig to her own children's parties, and decided to capitalize on people's love for animals.
“She was such a born performer that I decided to make a business out of taking Dinky to kids’ parties. Last summer, I decided to have a complete career change and set up my own animal-handling business. It’s given Dinky a celebrity lifestyle — the kids love her.”
She started buying more animals – guinea pigs, cats, hamsters, chickens, cockerels, chinchillas, ducks, and even a pony. By bringing her pets to parties, parents don't have to drive all the way to petting zoos. By finding a niche in the entertainment market, she can now have her beloved pig around while she's working.
“I got the idea when I went on a school trip with my daughter to a petting zoo. It was miles away and I realised I could take my pets to schools, parties and events,” she says.