‘89 Encores : On this last day of the year, and of the 1980s, the View staff pays a return visit to some of the people who made news in 1989. : Pigs in a Blanket
When last we looked in on Kayla Mull of Norco, in June, she was one of only a few Americans breeding miniature Chinese potbellied pigs--the newest pet rage.
After starting several years ago with three little pigs, Mull has reached the point where she placed 40 this year with eager families through her Creatures of Comfort Co. “At present, my husband, Marden , and I have 16 piglets roaming the house. Some of them sleep on the waterbed with us. They have names such as Frankenswine, Pigsqueak and Swine Romance.â€
Mull, a 38-year-old microbiologist, said that since spring she has received purchase requests from such faraway places as Norway, Japan and Belgium. The cost runs from $1,500 for a barrow (castrated male) to $10,000 for a pregnant sow. The minis grow up to 18 inches, weigh from 40 to 90 pounds and have a life expectancy of up to 20 years. “They are easily housebroken, and will sleep on the bed with you like a cat or dog,†Mull said.
During 1989, Mull said, her new owners of pigs included a Harvard college student who keeps one in his third-floor apartment and a man who takes his along on motorcycle camping trips.
“And there was a situation where one belonged to a couple who had been living together. They broke up, but she insisted upon and got the pig.â€
