1996 (?) - October 27, 2003

Charlotte was named when we got her and probably got her name from E.B. White's book Charlotte's Web.  The name of the pig in that book was actually Wilbur, but a lot of pigs end up with the name Charlotte.

1996 (?)

Charlotte was a medium-to-large pig.  When we first got the pigs, she was the only one who didn't need to lose some weight, but as she got older, she seemed to gain the weight everyone else lost and wound up with quite an impressive pot belly...  We aren't sure exactly how much she weighed, but are reasonably certain she was over 200 pounds (90 kg).  Her weight was more difficult to control than Arnold's or Charlie's because she foraged around in the yard and found things to eat in addition to her pig chow.

She was the smooth-faced variety of pot-bellied pig and looked more like a domestic pig than most.

She did the standard grunting and also produced an ear-shattering squeal during vet visits.  Our pig vet once commented that she'd never been cursed so thoroughly in her entire career as she had been by Charlotte.

The previous owner of our house saw Charlotte being kept in appalling conditions and rescued her.  She was around a year old at that point and was already bossy.  Far from being cautious and shy when introduced to her new home, the first thing she did upon arrival was beat up both Arnold and Charlie.

Bossy, assertive, nosy, and somewhat mischievous.  Every evening after the pigs ate, Charlotte waited for Arnold and Charlie to get settled into one of the pig houses for the night, then strutted over and booted them out.  Sometimes, she waited for them to move to the other house and get settled, then made them move back again - occasionally more than once.  We used to try to discourage her from doing this, but then realized it was pretty much the only exercise Arnold and Charlie got, so she was probably doing them a favor.  

Often when I worked in the yard, she strolled over and just hung around, keeping me company.  Of course, she got her ears and tummy scratched.

She used to enjoy coming inside the house on occasion, but after a few years she lost interest.  

Probable intestinal blockage; probable uterine tumor.  See Details. 

Charlotte was very close to Chuckie.  After he died, she seemed to prefer being by herself or seeking out human companionship.