Requiem for a Heavyweight: Fading Pig Fad Sees Potbellies Orphaned

Porque’s in the pokey.

Por que?

Because pet owners who found Vietnamese potbellied pigs all the rage a year ago are starting to tell porkers, such as Porque, “Th-th-that’s all, folks.”

Porque is one of those low-slung pigs that are turning up as unwanted orphans in animal shelters from Boston to Agoura Hills.

Abandoned by his owner a few miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the 18-inch-high, 3-foot-long Porque ended up behind bars to become a mascot of a city animal shelter in Lincoln Heights.

“Owning potbellied pigs was a mini-fad that has peaked,” said Frank Andrews, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Control, whose shelters have taken in two pet pigs.

Although East Coast animal activists blame the recession for forcing pet owners there to surrender their animals to shelters, fickleness is fingered on the West Coast.

Once the uniqueness of owning a pet pig here wears out, so does its welcome.

“There are a lot of trendy people who have bought pigs just to say they have them--just because it was the hot thing to do,” said Ronald Costello, a pig owner who lives in West Hills. “Now they don’t want them.”

Even the pigs’ high cost--as much as $10,000 each a few years ago--did not scare off those who decided that they must be among the first to own one of the creatures.

“There was impulse buying. They had to have it right away,” said Jennifer Summer, president of the North Hollywood-based West Coast Assn. of Potbellied Pigs. “L.A. people don’t want to wait when they decide to get a pet.”

Raena Barry, a pet-pig advocate from Moorpark who has helped find new homes for unwanted Vietnamese potbellies, said many who have purchased the pets received only rudimentary information about raising them.

Some buyers also have been misled about the potbellies’ ultimate size, she said. Many were shocked when their piglets started growing. And growing. And growing.

Some who have tried to train their pet pigs have also been frustrated when the animals reacted differently to discipline than puppies do. Pigs can be stubborn. And they can hold a grudge if they are mistreated.

Barry, founder of the National Committees on Potbellied Pigs, said her group is encouraging pig breeders to give pet buyers better information and pig-raising instructions.

She said buyers should be aware that the pigs typically grow to 65 pounds or more. That is small by farm pig standards, but not by some pet owners’ expectations.

Costello said he has helped find new homes for potbellies that have grown to 130 pounds. He said he has talked dozens of other people out of buying pet pigs by explaining that they do not stay four-pound piglets forever.

“You give it another three or four years and this is going to be a big problem” for shelters, Costello said.

The situation prompted Summer, an insurance company worker, to form her potbellied pig owners group four months ago. It has about 80 members.

Besides hunting for new homes for unwanted pigs, the association counsels unhappy pig owners and teaches pig-training techniques. Summer said it hopes to educate would-be pig owners as well.

Jim Connelly, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Animal Regulation, said even the tiniest of potbellied pigs do not appeal to everyone, however.

“I’ve got kids at home, so naturally I have animals,” Connelly said. “But not pigs. My pigs stay in cartoons.”

The county’s Andrews agreed.

“Once you see one up close, it’s not really the cute, cuddly pet,” he said. “When you have your best $28 pants on, it cools your enthusiasm.”

At the Lacy Street animal shelter in Lincoln Heights, Porque is usually in no mood to be cuddled. That is because he may have been abused by his owner before animal control officers spied him waddling down an El Sereno street about six months ago.

Although some cities and unincorporated Los Angeles County areas allow potbellied pigs, it is against the law to keep them within the city of Los Angeles, said the shelter’s Lt. Keith Kramer.

Porque was named by shelter workers after no one claimed him. Since then, he has grunted his way into the workers’ hearts, said animal control officer George Figueroa.

“He’s not going to the Farmer John plant, I can guarantee you that,” Figueroa said.