Lee — Despite frigid temperatures and falling snow, the Lee Library’s meeting space was standing room only on February 18 as local kids, parents, and grandparents partied with new friends, albeit those acquaintances came with snouts.
Michelle and Terry Burns, proprietors of entertainment business Gilbert the Party Pig, brought their hooved children to the venue to not only meet those in attendance but to enlighten the community about pigs and dispel myths regarding the animals.
“We wanted a pet pig,” Michelle Burns said of acquiring Gilbert three years ago when the now-five-year-old Gottingen mini pig was only two years old. Soon they added three girls, all of the smaller Juliana breed: 65-pound Meadow, now two-years-old, followed by one-year-old Sprinkle and seven-month-old Dot. That breed is known for its spots, and Meadow is able to eat out of human hands and ring a bell, Michelle Burns said.
Sodium is very bad for pigs, possibly resulting in kidney failure, she told the Lee crowd. “Hoof care is very, very important,” Michelle Burns said. If their hoofs aren’t maintained, the pigs’ walk can be affected, she said.
According to Michelle Burns, during warm weather the pigs are outside, but not in this winter’s cold. Outdoors, they are “rooters” and have a strong sense of smell that can extend 25 feet under the ground, she said. However, Michelle Burns admitted Gilbert isn’t much of a rooter and that trait depends on the personality of the individual pig.
The couple cart their four-legged entourage to nursing homes, libraries, and vocational programs. Their business is expanding this week to include “piggy yoga,” where pigs roam around chasing cereal while patrons exercise, similar to the popular trend of goat yoga.
“It’s joyful, but I also like to educate about what great animals they really are,” Michelle Burns said of their events. She and her husband are vegetarians and advocated that pigs are “misunderstood,” thought of as dirty and lacking feelings. They are also among the most abused animals, and Gottingen breeds, such as Gilbert, are often used for experiments in laboratories, Michelle Burns said. “They’re just beautiful souls that want love just as much as a cat or a dog,” she said. “They’ll sit on your lap and cuddle up on the couch with you with a blanket.”
As with the recent event, most other appearances by the Burns brood sell out. “I saw the Party Pigs [when] they went to one of the early childhood centers in Lee, and I thought this would be a great thing to have at the library,” said Lee Head Librarian Loren Nazarov, adding that the program was “booked full.”
For Lee newcomer Samantha Mackey, the function was among the first activities she and her children attended after recently moving to the town from New Hampshire, citing the community as “a beautiful place to raise a family.” Mackey’s mother, a teacher in Great Barrington, accompanied her during the winter break week.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Mackey said of the program. “We’re really excited to be in an area where we have pigs and sheep and cows on our block. So, it’s a good event for us.”
With four cuties running around the Burns home, does Michelle Burns have a favorite? “I do not have a favorite because I feel they are all special in their own way,” she said. “I love them all the same.”
