March 1993 - April 14, 2007
NAME ORIGIN

Arnold was named when we got him, but I'm sure he was named after Arnold the pig from the television show Green Acres. It's a very common name for pet pigs.
DATE OF BIRTH

March 1993
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Large.  We figure he probably weighed around 300 pounds, though it's difficult to estimate pig weights.  He was overweight when we got him, but ended up at a very reasonable weight for his size,  which was kind of surprising, seeing as he didn't move unless he had to. 
I divide pot-bellied pigs into the wrinkly-faced and smooth-faced varieties.  Arnold had a wrinkly face.
VOCALIZATIONS

He made the standard grunting noises like most pigs do, but Arnold was also known for roaring when he was mad about something.  This roaring noise was quite loud and was usually accompanied by a lunge forward, which used to really intimidate us until we got to know him and found he was mostly bark and very little bite.

Like most pigs, he was capable of squealing at a deafening volume.  He only did that during vet visits when he had to be restrained, though.

HISTORY

The lady from whom we bought our house acquired Arnold and Charlie as little piglets.  She said they used to sleep in the bed with her until they got too large.  She was a great mommy to them and would not have given them up if she had had a choice.
PERSONALITY

Arnold reminded us of someone's crabby old uncle.  He was quite grumpy and complained often.  His former mommy left us grooming and feeding instructions and we had to laugh about them because after almost every task she'd listed for us to do, she'd written, "Arnold hates it."

On the other hand, when he was younger, he loved to have his ears and tummy scratched and sometimes sought me out for some petting and brushing.  As he got older, he seemed to just want to be left alone.  No matter where he was or what he was doing, though, he would always turn around and look at me when I called his name.

When Arnold was younger, he used to challenge Charlotte's authority, once pinning her against a wall and holding her there until he felt like letting her go.  Later in life, he decided to just ignore her.

He was comically finicky about food - not a behavior you'd expect from a pig.  He wouldn't eat just anything, like a lot of pigs, and he always carefully chewed his food thirty-two times before swallowing.  When he got older, he decided that he didn't care for pig chow anymore, so for the rest of his life, we hand-fed him peanut butter, pumpkin, and banana sandwiches.

Despite the fact that he was crabby and didn't think much of us, we loved him and miss him.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Joint pain / arthritis; probable heart failure.  See Details. 
FRIENDS

He was closest to his sister, Charlie, and treated her quite well.  He even attempted to protect her from a dog that got into our yard once shortly after we moved in.  He didn't hesitate to swipe her food, though.  When it comes to food, it's every pig for himself!