By CYNTHIA MCMULLEN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, Jan 01, 2008 - 12:00 AM Updated: 06:00 PM
It's the Year of the Pig till Feb. 7, when the Chinese Year of the Rat begins.
And what a year Smithfield the painting pig had. Richmond's favorite "Pig-casso" finished 19 rounds of radiation in August. Based on his previous cancer experience, doctors give the 10-year-old at least another four years.
Area folks know the Vietnamese potbelly pig from regular appearances at the Virginia State Fair and local pet fairs, not to mention his brushes with fame on TV shows such as "Live With Regis and Kelly," "Pet Star" and "Virginia Currents."
After four years in remission, Smithfield suffered a recurrence of nasal cancer this summer. Surgeons at North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, N.C., removed another tumor from the top of his nose.
During the ensuing radiation treatments, Smithfield and his owner, Fran Martin of Midlothian, shared a tent for a month on the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. Though Smithfield has stayed in hotels before, Martin couldn't afford one for that length of time.
This time around, Smithfield's doctors tried acupuncture to alleviate pain and speed up the healing process. The results were dramatic, Martin says.
The two have traveled back to North Carolina several times for checkups. "We've gotten really good reports," Martin says. "And we talked about reconstructive surgery."
Smithfield's original bout with cancer left him with a barely discernible scar. This time -- because the tumor was in almost exactly the same place -- the procedure left a thumb-size hole above his snout.
While it looks like a third nostril, Martin says, it's also like a dolphin's blowhole. "When water's in there and he sneezes, it comes shooting out."
That Martin thinks Smithfield sometimes aims for her is an example of how their relationship works.
Like a disgruntled child, her beloved pig can be stubborn and mischievous. But he's also an excellent student. In addition to having learned how to paint, he can sit, shake and turn around like a dog.
Smithfield also will kiss (especially Martin), stick out his tongue and "smile" a quick, hilarious grin.
Even more remarkable, Smithfield -- who's hog wild about his chow -- will sit and stare at a pile of food, without touching it, as long as Martin tells him to stay.
Speaking of which, he has been on a diet. Martin reckons he is down to about 148. "He's getting back his peanut-shaped figure," she says, laughing.
His convalescence over, he's back up to speed. Neighborhood cats visit on a regular basis. And when he's outside, Smithfield loves nothing more than scarfing up acorns.
Actually, Martin says, he's obsessed with acorns -- not a good thing, because too many make him sick.
The neighborhood kids know Smithfield, too. "As soon as my friends get off the couch, he chases them," says Martin's son, Richard.
Richard Martin, who grew up with Smithfield, now lives in Danville. Smithfield loves a sleepover, he says. If friends were asleep on the living-room floor, the family pig would pull off their blankets. "He loves the attention and all the popcorn we dropped."
It's still not clear whether Smithfield will undergo reconstructive surgery.
"Everybody asks now, do all pigs have that [hole in the nose]? At the North Carolina State Fair in October, I must have had a thousand people ask me that a day," Martin says.
"One time I'd had it and said, just for a change of pace, 'He had a rhinoceros horn, and it broke off.'" Martin laughs. Looking at Smithfield, she says, "He knows we're talking about it.
"Unfortunately," she adds, "money is an issue." Smithfield's recent treatments are costing her about $8,000. "But if you're going to take on an animal, you have the responsibility . . . to follow through, do what you can."
Portrait of a porker
Smithfield, a black Vietnamese potbelly pig, is a cancer survivor who lives in Midlothian.
Family: Fran Martin and her sons, Richard and Chris
Age: 10 (Smithfield joined the family when he was 6 weeks old.)
Eyes: Blue
Favorite color: Blue
Diet: Vegetarian
Personal habits: House-trained
Occupation: Painter (His paintings, which usually take anywhere from seven to 30 minutes to complete, typically sell for $25 to $100.)
Marital status: Single (He had a girlfriend, Rosie, who dumped him. Fran Martin says having been neutered didn't keep them from being attracted to each other.) Long-range goal: To start a Friends of Smithfield scholarship for veterinary students who might want to specialize in swine
Web site: Paintingpig.com
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