While there are plenty of clothing and accessory options out there for the most common pets like cats, dogs, and even chickens, larger animals are often left in the cold – sometimes literally – when it comes to adorable and fun fashion. This is exactly what happened to Doreen Burke, who owns a beautiful pig named Rosie. Sadly, Rosie outgrew dog outfits a long time ago, so Doreen decided to start a company called Snort Life to solve this problem for her own pig and others out there.
- Doreen didn’t hesitate to make Rosie some custom clothes. Realizing that the options were pretty much nonexistent, Doreen wasted no time in making some herself so that Rosie could be her fabulous self. “After only about six months of having her, I realized she was going to need custom clothes. So I got a sewing machine, watched YouTube videos, and I taught myself to sew,” Doreen told People.
- She soon realized that other pig owners were interested in her designs as well. Initially, Doreen was only making these clothes for Rosie and had no intention of making extra to sell on. However, it wasn’t long before Snort Life came alive. “I’m passionate about my pig and have always been into fashion, so it just worked. The business happened organically,” Doreen explained. “It started with me making my own patterns for Rosie and posting them on social media, but then I realized there’s a whole community out there who need them.”
- No pig is built alike. The reason Snort Life is so necessary is that even though most pigs are larger, they’re still not identical in size and therefore need more custom creations. “People are out there trying to fit pigs into dog clothes, and they aren’t built the same, and each pig needs custom clothing to fit properly. That’s when I decided to start Snort Life,” she said. “I’ve made costumes for birthdays, tuxedos for weddings, motorcycle jackets, clowns, cop uniforms, newsboy outfits, cowboys, you name it.”
- To be fair, Doreen never expected Rosie to get so big. She got Rosie, who’s technically a miniature pig, back in 2014, but had no idea just how big she would get. “At the point that I got her, September 2, 2014, there wasn’t a lot on the internet about mini pigs, and so I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. It turns out there’s really no such thing as a mini pig, but the breeder told me she would grow to be about 40-50 pounds, but now she’s over 200 pounds!” she recalled.
- Snort Life has made lots of pigs and their owners very happy, which Doreen thrives on too. “IÂ really just like making people happy, and it makes people smile seeing pigs dressed up in cute outfits, while also knowing the pig isn’t being squeezed into dog clothes,” Doreen said. “And this is a great side job for me because my full-time work doesn’t allow me to be creative and fun like this.”
Check out Doreen’s designs on the Snort Life website and follow her on Instagram @rosie_snortlife.
