She may be pint-sized but Hamlet plays a big role to her owner, Melanie Gomez, and even to her social media fans. To Melanie, she’s a therapy pig that helps her get through difficult times. To her followers, she’s a source of happiness.
Gomez got Hamlet in 2014 after being diagnosed with epilepsy when she was in college. She began suffering from serious seizures and needed someone to give her comfort and help. Why pig and not a dog or cat?
She says, “My husband wanted a companion for me, but he is extremely allergic to dogs and cats. I showed him a video of a mini pig playing with a dog and he was sold.”
“Hamlet came to me in a seemingly hopeless situation. She never left my side on my worst days and was always ready to play. Hamlet saved me. My epilepsy taught me how frail life can be. Hamlet taught me that life is a beautiful gift despite its frailty,” she wrote in her blog.
Hamlet wasn’t merely a source of comfort, she is also intelligent enough to warn her human whenever a seizure attack seems to be happening. At age 2, she would notice signs of a seizure and immediately position herself on Gomez’ legs so she could not move and just stay in a safe place.
The sweet little pig also inspires other people through her social media account, hamlet_the_piggy, which now boasts 372k followers. This adorable piggy posts her fun shenanigans including her good “city life,” workouts, and of course, food trips!
Check out some of the cutest photos and videos we found on her feed!