about The Barking Pig

When it comes to writing about myself, I don't have much to say. This is my art blog, by the way, I'm VERY new at art & have absolutely zero training/schooling in it. I'm a middle aged woman: mother of 2, sister, daughter, significant other, friend, and a special mom to my pot-bellied pig, Trixi.

You may be wondering, why would I name my art blog after a pig? It wasn't to be cute, and she really does bark when she runs; it is hilarious! It's so spontaneous though, it would almost be impossible to catch on video. But, back to why I named my blog after her. In a nutshell, she's been my saving grace.

I suffered from severe depression for years, and at times, I still do. My doctor suggested I get a pet, but Jim (my significant other) is allergic to dogs & cats. I'd had a pot-bellied pig long ago and when I brought up the idea, surprisingly, he was open to it. We checked the local regulations to make sure we have a pet pig and  surprisingly - we could!

Prior to getting Trixi I was sleeping close to 18 hours a day, and I was taking so much medication, nothing seemed to be helping. Then this little handful (150 lbs. now) of attitude came into our lives. Pigs are a lot like cats; they're finicky. They want everything on their terms. Since we lived in a condo Trixi lived inside with us. At first she had a little bed with a pink blanket, but she quickly outgrew that. Nowadays, she sleeps with 3 blankets and 3 pillows... IN OUR ROOM! (that's for another day)

I had wanted a convenient companion, but Trixi had other plans for us. I found out that you can't simply feed a pig and go back to sleep. (my 1st pig lived outside) No, she wanted me up with her, and at first I didn't want to do that. When I'd go back to bed she'd make her pig noises, trying to get me up, when that didn't work, she resorted to flipping over chairs and anything else she could get her strong snout under.  Soon, she had me trained. She knows her feeding times and when she's supposed to get her animal cookies. She snores and sometimes makes the cutest little sounds when she's sleeping. She lays by me when she wants a belly rub, and of course, I rub her belly. She runs & slides, and she'll push a ball on command. She'll moo (not oink) when she wants outside, I'll open the door and she won't go out. Then she'll moo again, I'll get back up, open the door, and sometimes she will go out; sometimes she won't. If not, the situation repeats.

I realized that unless I got up with her, our house was going to be destroyed... and this is how my sleeping 18 hours a day ceased, and it was the beginning of the end (although it took years) of my constant state of depression. I had to be up, I'd start taking her for walks - going outside, being in the sunshine, smelling grass and seeing beautiful trees and flowers. People would stop to talk to Trixi, and as a result, I was meeting our neighbors & talking with them. Funny how we take the most simple things for granted, and how, when we're in our darkest time, we forget the beauty that awaits us in our world.


She made me laugh, she made me cry, she made me yell, she made me feel.  I'd been breathing, but dead for so long. In a very real sense, she brought me back to life. I talk to her throughout the day; she's my buddy. Although she's pig-headed, if I'm depressed or sick she'll stay close by, as though she knows. I always wonder what amazing thing she must have done in a previous life to come back as a pig, yet be living like a queen.

Looks like it's too late to make a long story short, doesn't it? Naming my new blog after her seems appropriate; it's the least I can do. Afterall, my beautiful (remember: beauty is in the eye of the beholder) barking pig is a big part of why I am who I am today. I'll always be indebted to her.