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If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their fellow men.
...............St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

No Linda Kelley web site would be complete without some mention of her pet pigs. Because of the many questions her unique pets generate, we are including each piggy's story and some FAQ.
Franklin's Bio	FAQ's


Hi! My name is Franklin. I'm a potbellied pig and I'm about 8 months old. I'm not sure exactly how old I am because my human mom rescued me when I was about 5 months old and we don't know when my real birthday is. But in November we're going to celebrate my first birthday!	Hog Heaven As far as Calvert County Commissioner Linda Kelley is concerned, pigs are people, too Click here to get the full Story	The National Junior Honor Society sponsored a Kiss the Pig contest last week as a fundraiser in conjunction with Friday evening's Sadie Hawkins Dance.Students paid 50 cents per vote to let us know which teacher they would most like to see kiss Franklin, a pot-bellied pig owned by Commissioner Linda Kelley. Julie Harris "won" by a margin of 3 votes. Commissioner Kelley brought Franklin to school on Friday afternoon so he could receive his kiss from Mrs. Harris.Franklin was so "kissable" that both Mr. Butler and Ms. Jill Johnson were persuaded to pucker up and plant one on him, as well! The NJHS would like to thank Commissioner Kelley for bringing Franklin to SMS to participate in our fundraiser. Jill JohnsonNJHS AdvisorSMS Students Take Honors in County Science FairThanks to all participants in the County Science Fair that took place at Calvert High School on Saturday. Congratulations to Katie King and Audrey DiBello for winning a Merit Award and a cash prize. 'Richard RothPig Kissin' The Eagle Express Click Here to get the full Story

		Franklin , May 2006, Windy Hill Elementary School Farm Extravaganza

Questions:	Answers:
Do some of your pigs live in the house?	Yes, three of the five live indoors (Precious, Gretchen and Franklin). Precious and Gretchen sleep in the dining room on their pillows and afghans. Franklin's room is the sunroom where he has his own crate to sleep in. Franklin shares his room with Clarke and Lewis, two matching buff tabby cats who came from a feral cat colony.
Are they housebroken?	Yes, all are housebroken, harness and leash trained. They go outside (down a special piggy ramp) to the back yard to "take care of business." They do not have accidents in the house.
How are the two pigs that live outdoors housed?	Frederick and Florence of Flint Hill (a.k.a. Freddie and Flossie) live in their own playhouse, which is heated and air-conditioned.
Why did you air condition their house?	The house sits in the middle of the yard. No trees can be planted for shade because of the septic field. The interior of the house can get as high as 105 degrees in the summer. I cannot house animals in that inhumane condition so I installed a window air conditioner to keep the house a livable temperature.
Aren't pigs dirty? Don't they roll in the mud?	Pigs roll in the mud to cool off. They have no sweat glands except on their snouts, and do not pant like dogs to cool off. Therefore, they roll in the mud to protect them from the sun's hot rays. Typically, my indoor pigs don't roll in the mud because they aren't subjected to the day's heat. However, when they do feel the need to roll in the mud (particularly after a rain when the dirt is soft), I brush them off before bringing them back inside.
I've heard that pigs can sunburn. Is this true?	Yes. Pigs are the only species, other than humans, that sunburn. Light pigs are particularly susceptible. Gretchen burns easily and if she's going to be out in the hot summer sun, I apply a sun block to her.
Are pigs smart?	Yes, they fourth smartest -- humans, whales/dolphins, chimpanzees/apes, and pigs.
What do they eat?	Pelleted pot-bellied pig food, specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs of pot bellied pigs. Regular pig food is made to put weight on market animals, an undesirable feature for our potbellies. I order their food from a supplier in Pennsylvania, but other brands are available locally from the feed stores.
How much do they weigh?	An average full-grown potbellied pig weighs about 150 pounds. Depending on diet and exercise, some may weigh more or less. Gretchen and Precious weigh in at about 180 pounds, Freddie and Flossie about 130, and Franklin at about 100 pounds. Pigs have extremely dense bodies and carry more weight. A 100 pound pig is about the size of a 50-60 pound dog.
What is their life expectancy?	Vietnamese potbellied pigs were first introduced to the U.S. in 1985. Originally, it was thought that they would live 15-30 years. No data was collected during the early years, but current experience indicates that the life span of a pet pig is probably about 15 years maximum, though 12 years is probably more realistic.
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