DIXON, CA (MPG) - In a small white house surrounded by a white picket fence on Mayes Street lives 10-year-old cherubic-faced Aberdean Gorley, who like other girls her age, loves all kinds of animals"'especially hogs.

Her mother, Dawn, found Aberdean in the hall, busy stuffing their 1-year-old black cat into a colorful sweater. There was also a more-than-friendly and laugh-triggering orange-striped kitty a foot. Aberdean is an animal lover and has had guinea pigs, a turtle, a chameleon, fish, ducks, chickens, and sheep"'but we were here to talk about her pigs.

Aberdean holds the record for garnering the highest price-per-pound hog at the Dixon May Fair this last spring"'a whopping $18 per pound for ‘Delilah’, her 221-pound pig. She also just got a top bid of $6.50 per pound for ‘Texas,’ a 249-pound Duroc hog at the Solano County Fair in Vallejo.

When asked about wearing the traditional 4-H white shirt and pants, soft-spoken Aberdean was quick to clarify she is an ‘Independent’ thus missing the green emblems and that the money went into her college savings fund. She had wanted to become a veterinarian but now she is re-considering, she explained to her mom almost secretively. Apparently, she has watched pigs deliver piglets.

“It’s gross,” Aberdean said. She hopes to be in FFA when she’s in high school following her 17-year-old brother, Sawyer, who also raised animals and taught her much like her friends like Delaney and Kylie, 16-year-old FFA students in Vacaville who told her to use ‘Show Shine’ before going in the auction.

“It makes them look so much better and they taught me other tricks,” she said. She tells about what she’s learned while raising about ten pigs over the past four years.

For example, the pigs are 50 pounds when you first get them, and you buy them from people who are FFA teachers or local farmers. Aberdean is fortunate to have an uncle with a farm in Vacaville and lets Aberdean come out almost every day to feed and care for her pigs. Her goal is to raise a 400-pounder to breed.

“The animals get fed a mixture of different grains as all our pigs are vegetarians,” Dawn said.

“They love pumpkins and squash and apples,” Aberdean added. Her favorite thing to do is to give them a bath and show pictures of shampooing Texas. White pigs get sunburned, so she isn’t planning on getting one. Also, because at fair time, people feed pigs, although, they are not supposed to, which gives the pigs diarrhea.

Aberdean feeds them barley and adds chocolate milk before a show and tells of how Texas ate a whole bucket at a time.

“Six months before a show, you give them their best life,” said Dawn. “The taste of fresh farm-raised pork tastes100-percent better than store bought. What you feed them changes the flavor.” Their favorite cut is pork chops. After an auction, students say goodbye to their animals when they take them to the butcher and yes, youth usually cry.

“Except with Texas,” added Aberdean. “I didn’t because he was kind of mean. He was a Duroc"'and they have bad, weird personalities.”

Next spring, Aberdean plans to show another pig and a turkey at the May Fair, and a pig and two quails at the County Fair.

“She’d have a pig in the house, if she could,” said her mother. “It’s a lot of work but seeing her happy and a freezer full of pork is worth it.”