The Perfect Day to Go Whole Hog

Sorry to hog this space, but we’ve something to snout about: Today is National Pig Day--”a time to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man’s most intelligent and useful domesticated animals,” says Chase’s Calendar of Events. So if you know any pigs, take them to lunch. Or at least send roses.

Pet therapist and talk show host Warren Eckstein says swine are “smarter and more fun” than most people. He should know. For years he’s lived with two porkers, Spotty and Corky, 900 and 1,200 pounds, respectively, and so polite and personable that they’ve been allowed to share his bath and his boudoir.

We also checked in with Ellen Stanley, the Lubbock, Texas, art teacher who started Pig Day in 1972 because she loves everything porcine. We were shocked to learn that she knows no live pigs, eats pork and that her massive collection of oinksters is composed of miniature porcelain figurines. But since she came up with the Pig Day idea, she says, she’s heard from thousands of lovers of live pigs who have taught her true reverence for the real thing.