Pigs Raised With English Bulldogs, What Happens Next Melts Hearts
A pair of English bulldogs have gone viral on social media for their wholesome daily walks, but it's their unexpected companions who have captured internet users’ hearts.
The dogs are joined by two pigs who behave so much like canines that viewers can hardly believe what they are seeing. The TikTok footage follows Beryl, 4, and 20-month-old Barry, a pair of bulldogs, alongside their unlikely siblings Pete and Paul, two 20‑month‑old pigs.
Newsweek spoke to owner Maria, 45, about the video showing the quartet wandering through local streets, ambling along a canal, disappearing into woodland, and even hurling themselves into muddy water together, racking up more than 476,000 views (@barry.beryl.paul.pete).
“Barry, Pete and Paul have been raised together since babies,” Maria said. “I'm not sure if Barry thinks he's a pig, or if the pigs think they're dogs.”
Pigs Who Live Like Dogs
Maria said that she had a bulldog called Pig who passed away aged 10, then she joked about getting a pig in memory of their beloved pet.
“Next thing you know, I am researching and looking into the husbandry of pigs, then planned a weekend to visit a farm down which is where we met Pete and Paul!” Maria said. “We picked them up six weeks later.”
Today, the pigs are treated like the bulldogs and even live inside the family home based in England.
“They are house pigs who love to lounge on the sofa,” Maria said.
They eat and go to the toilet outside, and they have their own run, straw pit, and paddling pool. But, most of the time, Maria finds them curled up with their canine companions.
“As they have been together since puppy and piglets, they are all best of friends,” she said. Beryl joined the group about five months later. “She was a little unsure of Pete and Paul to start off with, she now rules the roost!
“Paul is a little bit in love with Beryl, and will often go up and give her issues, and climb into bed with her for a snuggle.”
Smarter Than Dogs-and Much More Stubborn
While pigs may look nothing like dogs, research shows they can learn commands such as “come” and “sit,” and can adapt their behavior when rules change. Maria said that living with them proves just how clever they are.
“They're more intelligent than dogs, so you must outsmart them sometimes,” she added.
But that intelligence comes with challenges.
“Pigs are hard work,” Maria said. “I wouldn't change them for the world now, but the first 12 months really had me questioning if I had done the right thing!
“They need to be engaged, stimulated, exercised,” she added.
“They chew skirting boards, they love mud, they dig the garden up, they love flipping water bowls, they chew the fence, they chew their pen, they scream when you want them to do something they don't want to do.
“They're stubborn, they're also 75 kilos [165 pounds] so if they don't want to budge, they won't budge,” Maria said.
Like dogs, they can't be left alone for more than four hours.
“It's more about the human interaction for me; they love having a fuss and a cuddle,” Maria said. “It sounds random, but you can almost talk to them, and they always grunt back when you speak to them.”
TikTok Reacts
The April 12 video has over 42,000 likes, and many comments, at the time of writing.
“I think people should walk a far more wide variety of pets, it would just make everyone happy,” one user commented.
Another wrote: “What in the fairytale is this?”
A third added: “I love the fact they are a pack.”
Reference
Pigs Show Potential for ‘Remarkable' Level of Behavioral, Mental Flexibility in New Study. https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2021/02/11/frontiers-psychology-domestic-pigs-remarkably-intelligent-can-learn-play-video-games-operate-joystick-snout/. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 7:08 AM.