Deborah Devonshire on pet pigs

"Grandmother Redesdale was  fat, pink cheeked and smiling, with wispy white hair tucked into a small black cap. She was always dressed in black, unlike widows of today, and was a wonderful storyteller. She kept a Berkshire pig instead of a dog, the double of Beatrix Potter's Pig-Wig, which she took to church on a lead. No one thought it a bit odd - affection for animals was taken for granted - and she had a similar affection for my father whom she called "Poor Dowdie", with an indulgent smile"

Extract from the marvellous Memoirs of the Youngest Mitford Sister Wait for Me!  by Deborah Devonshire published by John Murray (publishers) ISBN 978-1-84854-190-0