While both dogs and pigs can communicate with their human counterparts, pigs are more likely to engage when food is involved.

Pigs and dogs share a lot in common—they’re both intelligent, friendly animals that often makes them attractive as household pets.

Ongoing research on how dogs communicate with people have revealed that canines are closely attuned to our emotions, and can detect even the most subtle of feelings.

But little similar research has been done in other domesticated animals, such as “mini-pigs,” a catch-all term that characterizes just about any small-breed pig. (See amazing photos of wild, warty pigs.)

Pig ownership has increased in recent years: Since 1998, for instance, the number of mini-pigs in the United States and Canada has risen from 200,000 to perhaps as many as a million. But due to some irresponsible breeders, many people get tricked

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