It’s not uncommon to travel with a cat or dog, but what about a pig?
By Linneah Deighton, Associate Editor
January 2024
Oinking, squealing, and snuffling — sounds that you wouldn’t typically hear in an RV or your home, but that’s just an average day in the life of Mason and Donna Pruner, F509656. The Pruners travel in their 45-foot Entegra Anthem motorhome with their pot-bellied pig, Holly Pepper Potts — Holly, for short. Years ago, Mason wanted to surprise Donna with a pig for Christmas, and they have been inseparable ever since.
Donna and Mason are mostly known to the public as “Holly’s parents.”
Holly is a well-kept pig with a lavish lifestyle. “It’s been a real blessing. She’s actually one of the reasons why we have an RV, because they don’t have pig sitters,” said Mason. So, by purchasing an RV, it was much easier to just bring Holly along on trips than boarding or leaving her with a family member.
Holly is now 6 years old and has been traveling with the Pruners for three years. She’s a big hit at RV parks and even has her own Instagram account that highlights her adventures. If you take a peek at her Instagram page, you can get
a little glimpse into her daily life. Being a “Florida pig,” according to the Pruners, she spends a lot of her time burying herself under her blankets, getting cozy, and taking siestas. Holly is no stranger to fame, having over 15,000 followers on Instagram, and she was even featured on National Geographic’s “Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER” TV show.
So, how does one set up an RV to accommodate a pig? The secret is to childproof everything and to obtain a Pet Loader folding staircase. On the road, Holly can usually be found right between the two captain’s chairs, peacefully adrift and snoozing away. However, just like humans, pigs can become motion sick. This was more of an issue when she was younger, the Pruners said, but she would get her “sea legs” after the first day and be fine afterward.
“People will stop and talk to you. If you’re walking the dog, they’ll wave, and you’ll keep walking. But if it’s a pig, everybody wants to come over and meet the pig,” said Mason. He noted that people often walk by and think Holly is a dog at first, but then they’ll do a double take and see that she’s actually a pig. Donna sometimes remarks that Holly is a “swine-doodle,” which usually gets a chuckle out of people.
The Pruners say pigs make great travel companions, especially with how much they sleep as they mature, but they’re not a novelty. Pigs are a 15- to 20-year commitment, so anyone thinking about owning one should do their research first. Pigs aren’t like dogs. “They’re opinionated, they’re stubborn, and ‘pigheaded’ is a thing,” said Mason. “But they’re also very loving and very sweet, though.”
If you’re curious about a day in the life of Holly, you can check out her Instagram page (@holly.the.piglet). Whether she’s relaxing by the pool or strutting around a KOA park, she’s always a happy camper.