Published: November 21, 2008 01:06 pm      

Swine sales soo-et

National Swine Registry’s big show continues today, saturday

Pru and Kitty were taking a nap while all around them others ate, played and even tried to escape authority figures.

Beneath the heat lamp, the two were warm and cozy, and dreaming of whatever it is pigs might dream about.

At about a year old, the slumbering duo will soon find out what it’s like to have a home and leave it for another.

Until then, they are under the watchful eye of 10-year-old Logan Thetford, who has raised and cared for them since birth. It’s her first time as a “parent,” and so far, she seems to be enjoying the ride.

“It’s fun,” she said, while never taking her eyes off the two gilts.

Thetford traveled to Duncan with Pru and Kitty in tow, in hopes of selling the two during the National Swine Registry Fall Classic at the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center this week.

Until this point, she has spent hours each day taking care of the animals, and their three other siblings, at her home in Elk City. Between the daily tasks of feeding, watering and cleaning out their pens, she brushes and plays with them.

“They roll over when they want me to scratch them,” Thetford said.

Thetford carries on a budding family tradition. Kim Thetford, her mother, also showed animals when she was growing up and, in three years, when her sister, Laramie, is old enough, she’ll show, too.

“It’s just good to teach responsibility and it’s fun,” Kim Thetford said, explaining that it takes a lot to raise a show-worthy animal.

Not only does her daughter feed and take care of the animals, she’s also in charge of making sure the animals are the proper weight and adjusting their diets accordingly.

It’s a lesson that will go far in teaching her about life and being responsible for others, even if the other, right now, is just a group of pigs.

This year is the family’s second year at the show. Last year, the Thetfords purchased the mother swine of the babies they brought down this year.

For them, the event is an opportunity not just to try to sell their own animals, but to see what other animals look like and meet people from around the country.

The National Swine Registry Fall Classic draws thousands of people each year, and is the largest show of its kind in the United States.

“It’s nice. They do a good job,” Kim Thetford said. “What’s amazing is all the people from all the different states that come.”