This 300-Pound Traveling Pig Has Been To Over 17 States In A Trailer With His Dedicated Owners

Jan 27, 2019

We all know dogs are man's best friend, but it turns out pigs make pretty excellent companions, too. Just ask Kristin Hartness, the proud owner of Ziggy, a 300-pound traveling pig.

Hartness adopted Ziggy as a piglet eight years ago. He was advertised as a "mini pig," so Hartness expected that her new pet would make a great pint-sized traveling companion. Imagine her surprise when Ziggy grew into a massive pig more than double her weight.

“My heart sank, not because I was sad Ziggy wasn’t going to be small, because how was I going to find places to rent on St. John with a huge pig,” Kristin told People magazine in 2016.

Hartness loved Ziggy, and she had no intentions of getting rid of him or letting him lead a dull life in her backyard. She was determined to give him the epic adventures she'd promised when he was just a piglet. The two wound up staying at a friend's beach house where Ziggy grew up digging his snout in the sand and splashing in the crystal-clear waves.

He became a local tourist sensation and loved his life on the island, but things were changing. Hartness was moving back to her native U.S., which meant she had to figure out how to bring a then-250-pound pig across the ocean.

Using her savings, Hartness rented a private jet that flew Ziggy first-class to America. The experience kicked off a series of travels that would become the foundation for their blog, Ziggy the Traveling Piggy.

Hartness and her fiancé, Jay Yontz, bought a motor home in Sarasota, Florida. The RV had more than enough room for Ziggy, and since he moved in, he's gone on many road trips across 17 states.

Ziggy has done many things aspiring travelers have on their bucket lists. He's hiked the Appalachian Trail, basked in the California sun in Malibu, see the Grand Canyon and watched countless breathtaking sunsets across some of the country's most beautiful scenery.

Hartness and her partner run Ziggy's social media pages, which include a Facebook and Instagram. "Through these channels, we’ve been trying to share our story in hopes our precious boy changes the world for the better,” Kristin said. “We have followers from all over the world and we hope to reach out to more and more.”

Tell us about your most memorable pet travel experiences in the comments! Don't forget to pass this along to your friends and family so they can enjoy Ziggy the traveling pig, too!