Bella roams around in her lush, green backyard, her tail flicking to and fro happily as the warm sun soaks into her skin. She searches intently for the perfect patch of grass, and there’s a soft pitter-patter as her feet hit the earth.

Her ear twitches as she hears the rustling of one of her owners inside the house. He has just walked in the door, so Bella scampers through the yard on her short legs, reaches the dog door, and slips inside to greet him.

However, Bella is no dog.
She is a potbelly pig.

Bella is the pet of sophomore Cory Schubart and his family, and they got the black and white pig about five years ago from a farm in Illinois for Christmas.

“I grew up on a farm,” said Julie Schubart, Cory’s mother. “I just wanted something different.

While she has a snout instead of a little black nose and hooves instead of paws, Cory said she is “like a dog,” as she is house trained. She has also proved to be somewhat like a guard dog, as well.

“It took several weeks to [house train] her,” Julie said. “She is a little territorial. When strangers come over, she will stand guard in front of the refrigerator and has been known to charge at people a few times.”

However, pigs certainly have their differences from man’s best friend, and Bella has proved this.

“Pigs aren’t quite as cuddly as dogs,” Julie said. “The pig snorts a lot when she walks. If we pick her up she squeals so loud it hurts your ears. Pigs don’t sweat, so if it is really hot outside she comes in the house.”

The Schubart family actually owns a dog along with the little pig- a Bichon named Snoopy. But, Bella and Snoopy are not exactly best friends.

“Bella and Snoopy don’t really like each other,” Julie said. “They fight over food, but they are both good at begging. On rare occasions, they will chase each other in the yard. The dog is a little afraid of the pig.”

Bella also has a mischievous streak, and many of her antics involve her favorite thing- food.

“Bella was getting up at 3:30 in the morning and going outside. We thought she was going to the bathroom,” Julie said. “Cory followed her out to find she was checking under the apple tree for fallen apples to eat. She will also go through the boys backpacks if they are left within her reach to look for food. She ‘roots’ with her snout to open their back packs. Her life revolves around food. She would eat continuously if we let her.”

Comfort is another thing that is very important to Bella. She sleeps in the corner of a bedroom that’s piled in blankets that she loves to snuggle under. Julie said that “Bella used to sleep in bed with [them,] but has gotten a little big for that.”

“She likes to be warm and sleeps under blankets,” Julie said. “She likes to be covered up. When it is really cold, we turn a heating pad on for her.”

While many people think of sloppy mud in a smelly pen when they think of pigs, Cory said that Bella is “cleaner than a dog, surprisingly,” and they only have to trim her hooves every once in awhile.

Any pets outside the standard domestic animal are always of interest to people, and it’s no different with Bella.

“A lot of people want to see [her] and stuff,” Cory said. “We think it’s kind of weird, but people like it.”