Lovable pet pig becomes internet sensation after learning to ‘talk’ with buttons

She had been putting off adopting a pig for years, but after seeing a video of a hog online, she decided she was financially ready to take the leap.

‘I have always wanted a pig,’ she said. ‘The way people react when they see cute dogs is how I have always felt about pigs.

‘As a kid, I used to go to the petting zoo just to see the pigs.

‘They are so smart and so cute, and I knew I would adopt one day.’

Mina fell in love with Merlin the second she laid eyes on him and brought him back home, where she had treats, toys, and a bed waiting for him.

‘He was a little bigger and older than all the other pigs, and he had been there the longest. So I decided to take him home,’ Mina added.

Merlin immediately felt at home in his new surroundings

The extremely smart pig soon learned how to sit on command, and while he knows how to use a litter box, he prefers to go out for walks on his leash.

Mina has also been teaching Merlin his colours. Her most recent video shows her calling for Merlin to walk to different green-coloured items – which he does without hesitation.

‘He was incredibly easy to train. Any new trick never took more than a day,’ Mina said.

In order to train Merlin to talk and communicate, Mina bought some buttons online that can be programmed with pre-recorded sounds and messages.

Each button is differently coloured and has a different message to allow Merlin to communicate his needs and desires with Mina.

These include asking for food or water, for a walk and even for her to sing and dance with him.

Mina motivated Merlin to learn each new trick with lots of treats and kisses after he successfully completed one.

Mina added: ‘If he did something, I would just repeat the words over and over again.

‘He has a button where he clicks it when he’s hungry. Or when he’s thirsty, and if he presses outside, we’ll go outside.

‘He knows music and dance, so I will start singing or pick him up and twirl.’

Merlin often gets confused for a dog when they are out on walks – that is until they hear him ‘oinking’- because he loves playing with other animals, running about and wagging his tail.

‘For the first week, I felt like a famous person because everyone was stopping me for pictures or to pet him,’ Mina said.

‘The thing people always comment about is how he wags his tail just like a dog, and he smiles like a human when he’s happy.

‘He’s very social, and he loves being a pet.’

Merlin also loves playing with his rat siblings and often carries them on his back for tours around their house.

‘Merlin is very gentle with the rats, so when I bring them out for playtime, he will take them on piggybacks,’ Mina explained.

‘It’s amazing and just melts my heart.

‘I’m confident he would be good friends with any animals. I want to get a dog one day, and I think they’ll warm up to each other and become besties.’