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Kids, you decide if adopting Petunia is the right thing to do! (Be sure to read our tips for pet adoption to help you out.) Adopt a Pet Scenario: Petunia the Potbelly Pig After seeing her photo on a local animal shelter’s website, you would just love to adopt Petunia the potbelly pig! You have a fenced-in backyard and a clean, unused tool shed that could be her new home. You’ve promised mom and dad that you’ll help them take care of Petunia every day—including cleaning up her poop (ew!) and providing her clean water and nutritional food twice a day. The idea of adopting Petunia from the local animal rescue is thrilling, but you have just a few more things to consider. . .
. . . After reading more about natural potbelly pig behaviors and talking to your veterinarian, you can expect or anticipate that Petunia will enjoy a home where she can use her powerful snout to dig up the backyard in search of grubs to eat and to build her own little mud hole—just as all pot belly pigs like to do! The dilemma is: Will mom and dad mind the giant mess Petunia is surely going to create in your yard? And, where will you play with your friends? Next, you visit the local farm animal adoption center where Petunia is available for adoption. You spend plenty of time with her—petting, feeding and even playing around! Now you have a general idea of what potbelly pigs are like, and for sure, they love to dig!!!
From your research, you know that forcing Petunia to wear a “snout ring” to keep her from digging is cruel. And, it would be just awful to adopt her and then later, give her up give if you or other family members are unwilling to tolerate the digging. So, everyone in the family must decide together what is most important before Petunia comes homes—a well-groomed backyard? Or, allowing Petunia to fulfill her natural instincts to dig? 
If you decide to adopt Petunia, you will not only need to accommodate her digging instincts, but will also need to give her proper obedience training (just like dogs) so that she is well behaved! Ultimately, whatever you decide, the most important thing is to make a decision that is kind and fair to Petunia, and that all of you can happily live with! Challenge:
During your research, you learn that most potbelly pigs are happiest if they can live with another pig. Do you have the proper housing and yard, and enough time and money to adopt two pigs? |
