Surprisingly often for a wool shop, someone will pop their head around the door and ask if I mind if they bring their little dog in while they browse around my shop.

I always say of course I don’t mind because from experience quiet little dogs are a lot better behaved than husbands who quickly get impatient with their textile loving wife and cause her to exclaim in exasperation to me, “I’ll come back on my own another day when I’ll have time to have a good   look around!”

 

I usually mention that I have dogs of my own – how many? – Oh I have 6 large ones in the kitchen, as well as 3 cats and 2 miniature pigs.

This causes an exclamation! I explain that my daughter, Katie is studying pigs as part of her Masters course in Zoo Conservation Biology. Apparently, Pigs are known to be the third most intelligent animal after chimpanzees and dolphins and yes they are very clean and cute.

As part of her study Katie has introduced Rupert & Penny to early learning toys including a toy piano.

A local reporter heard about this and before we knew it a number of different news agencies appeared at the house and took photos of Rupert. The “piano playing pig” had arrived, despite Katie’s protests that she was just teaching Rupert the difference between different toy instruments.

Rupert has now taken part in an audition for a TV programme due to be screened during the summer. There is every possibility that he has been successful and Katie's miniature pigs could soon be household names!