Maddie Whishard and her horse, who is currently without a name. Photo by MacKenzie Reagan/The Connection
The camera flashes.
My subject, taken aback, squeals.
“Looks like the pig’s a little camera shy,” I offer.
The swine in question, Winston, is a 1-year-old black Julian pig. His owner, Maddie Whishard of Oakton, said it took nearly six months to convince her parents to let her get a pet pig.
“I wrote a paper and did a ton of research,” she says.
So, what made this 16-year-old want to own a pig?
“People told me I couldn’t,” she says, noting that her peers doubted her when she initially showed interest in raising a piglet. Determined, Whishard read up on pig care and saved up her money (no word on whether or not she used a piggy bank).
Whishard bought Winston from a petting zoo in Maryland. In the beginning, “he was quite a handful,” she confesses. “The first six months were rough.” It took Winston a few months to become acclimated to his new home. Whishard dutifully taught her new charge, teaching him tricks like “sit,” “spin” and “dance.”
“After [those initial few months], he became enjoyable. He’s quite a gentleman,” says Whishard. Winston seems to have grown out of his piglet mischief, no longer getting into pantries and opening bulk-sized bags of brownie mix. (“We had to put a lock on the cabinet in the garage,” adds mom Anna).
At night, Winston sleeps in a crate in the Whishards’ garage, getting tucked in every night with a lullaby from Maddie. He spends his days roaming around in a fenced-in portion of the family’s yard, part of their vast property that includes an iron gate in front and a barn in the back.
The barn stood empty until recently, when Whishard purchased a horse. Whishard, who’s been riding horses since she was 8, works a few odd jobs — including fence painting, babysitting and lawn care — to pay for the mare, who currently lacks a name. Her ebony coat is marked with a few flecks of white, with a wide swath of ivory down her snout. While it took time for her to warm up to her new owner, the horse is now comfortable around Whishard. “She’s adjusting well. She’s good with people,” she says.
Whishard rides the horse at least once a day, following the many trails that run through this Fairfax County suburb. Eventually, Whishard hopes to train her new pet to foxhunt.
So how does she get on with Winston and the family’s beagle, Patch?
“She’s fine with the pig, but she won’t associate with him.” As for Winston, “he’s afraid of the horse.” And the dog? “She gets along pretty well with Patch.”
As they say, every dog (and pig, and horse) has its day.