Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, October 2, 1995                   TAG: 9510020058
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HINEY DOES HIS TRICKS, SLEEPS IN A PIGLOO ...

But ask those who own one of these little porkers, and you'll find that pigs can be loved.

One Roanoke couple, who first met their beloved Hiney four years ago when they had him flown in from Texas, say these pigs have all the characteristics of a domestic animal.

Hiney's owner asked to remain anonymous out of fear that the court might send her pet to the country; nevertheless, she was eager to have him show off his tricks last week.

A box of vanilla wafers sets Hiney's snout wiggling.

"Spin around, Hiney," his owner said.

Moving front and back legs, Hiney spins his 145-pound body around 360 degrees, earning a wafer.

He then wags his straight, hairy tail. His owner said that's a sign of contentment, although Hiney continues to sniff the box of wafers.

Hiney will even sit on command for a wafer, although his back legs don't have far to go, considering his belly nearly touches the ground.

During the day, Hiney stays in a wire pen in the back yard. Plenty of blankets are piled in an igloo-shaped dog house that his owners call a "pigloo."

At night and during bad weather, Hiney has a warm place in the basement, with an L.L. Bean dog pillow and a big, brown blanket that he uses to cover himself with.

"He gets it in his mouth and walks in a circle until it covers his back," Hiney's "mom" said.

And in the corner of the basement is a child's swimming pool filled with cedar chips that Hiney uses as a litter box when he is indoors.

Overall, Hiney acts just like the average house pet. He comes when his name is called. He was a lap pig when he was smaller, and he still likes attention and having his belly rubbed.

"He's lovable," said his owner.

Hiney is fed twice a day - either a special pig food or alfalfa pellets.

The popularity of potbellied pigs began in the United States about 1987, according to Jenny Blaney of the Potbellied Pigs Registry Service Inc.'s East Coast branch in Goldsboro, Md. The craze hit Canada about 1985, and soon the pigs were imported into the United States.

At the peak of the pig frenzy, the average price was about $1,000 for males, or boars, and $4,000 for females, or sows.

But recently, former Floyd breeder Bruce McCormack said he sold them for much less: about $100 for males and $150 for females.

"The price has gone down," said Blaney, adding that she doesn't think this means the popularity of the animals has decreased. "It means it's no longer a fad.

"Potbellied pigs are like any other pet, but more so," Blaney said.

The pigs are more manipulative than a cat, she said, and they don't pant and slobber like a dog. Their fans consider them smarter than dogs or cats.

Blaney admits it takes a certain kind of person to love a pig. "Yes, they're not for everyone," she said. "But you get out of a potbellied pig what you put into it."