I bought Porkchop a pot-bellied pig harness a few weeks ago, but had not tried to put it on him until last week.

Fran, a great friend and co-worker, was visiting Porkchop one day and we decided we'd give it a go. What a sight — you should have seen us trying to figure out how the harness went on that fat pig. We put it on (correctly, we later figured out), but both of us decided THAT wasn't right. So we put it on backwards, which REALLY wasn't right. Finally, we decided to look up "pot-bellied pig wearing a harness" on Google images, so we could quit harassing Porkchop. YAY! We finally figured it out (even though Fran had it correct the first time)!

Porkchop seemed awful proud to wear his lime green harness for the rest of the day. I have not tried to attach a lead to it, yet; I don't want to traumatize him all at once. He does a pretty good job of following pretty close to me when we walk, and even heels better than a dog does! At least, better than our dogs!

I've been having the hardest time finding healthy food for Porkchop. Pot-bellies are a lot like humans, in that if they eat potato chips, junk food, etc., they will gain weight. So, last week, when Porkchop and I were visiting my aunt and he stole one of her freshly picked beets, I thought: "Hey, that's something he can eat!" He was enjoying chewing on it, too — even had a "beet" red nose for a few hours, that afternoon!

Well, leave it to me, but I found out, later that night, that beet pulp is sometimes used to put weight on horses. Porkchop really does not need to gain weight! He does love sliced cucumbers and carrots, though. And he really loves dried veggies — carrots, snap peas, okra, green beans, zucchini and squash — but does not care for fresh squash or zucchini. Porkchop's main diet consists of a specialized feed made for pot-bellied pigs; he only gets his "treats" every now and then. However, his biggest fan, who comes to see him a few times each week, does tend to bring him some dry cereal that he really shouldn't have (but really does love). But, I guess, once (or twice) a week isn't too bad. At least that's what I tell myself when I cheat on my diet!