HARTFORD, Conn. -- A Glastonbury, Connecticut, couple with a now-famous pig has brought their five pigs throughout the state and further to many schools, nursing homes, birthdays and private events over the last four years.

It’s for their business Gilbert the Party Pig which, despite delighting people everywhere, is probably most famous for its star pig, Sprinkle, a porcine who has drawn Hollywood accolades for a role in the popular series, “Only Murders in the Building.”

Now, business owners Michelle and Terry Burns are looking to expand eventually to a Gilbert Forever Sanctuary Farm and are hoping to have the public travel to them as well.

​”Our mission is to create a lifelong sanctuary where rescued pigs can live in peace and continue to inspire our community,” the Burns family explained on Facebook.

The couple of nearly 25 years started the business four years ago and now live with two teenagers and five pigs. Michelle Burns is a former preschool teacher who has always loved animals, especially pigs.

The business began when one of Burns’ former colleagues from her preschool teaching days asked her to bring her 2-year-old pig at the time and introduced the pig to preschool students. She saw the joy that Gilbert, a 160-pound pig, brought to those students and then pursued it as a business.

Michelle Burns had trained Gilbert on a leash since he was six months old and is he very social.

“We’ve taken him in the car, and he was used to being around people and people touching him,” Michelle Burns said, while she was in the car on their way to their first of two appearances on Sunday. “I did one post about it, and it spread like word-of-mouth. My phone was ringing off the hook, and I was getting emails about bringing Gilbert to other schools and libraries. It ended up becoming a full-time job for us.”

After one year of Gilbert starring around the state, the Burns family has added one pig each year and have since rescued Meadow, Sprinkle, Dot and Buddy. The event appearances are typically an hour in length.

Michelle Burns said would like to adopt more rescue pigs, but their rented home is maxed out at five. The family is saving for what they hope is the future The Gilbert Forever Sanctuary Farm at a location to be determined. Michelle Burns said should like to eventually have as many as 15 rescues.

“We are transitioning from a traveling event service to building a permanent sanctuary right here in New England — a dedicated space where rescued pigs can live out their lives in safety, while the community continues to learn from and connect with them,” Michelle Burns said.

One the road with the porcine crew

The Burns family is regularly in the car with pigs traveling up to two hours throughout the state and beyond. The family has had requests from New York City, New York State, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire to showcase their pigs. The business website notes the Burns’ will travel throughout New England as well as New York and New Jersey.

“It’s a family business, so we both do it together and this is what we do,” Michelle Burns said. “(Terry’s) usually the driver. He does the heavy lifting because my pigs are very spoiled. They don’t want to use a ramp. He has to help them get in and out of the car. We have tried ramps. They don’t like them. I’m more of the talker and send all the receipts and invoices. We each do our part.”

The family’s pigs are mini and less than 100 pounds, with the exception of Gilbert.

The pigs have several scheduled appearances at library events around Connecticut this summer as well as many private events and more. Michelle Burns said all of the pigs get into that action.

“We switch pigs out. For example, I have two of my youngest pigs right now in the car,” Michelle Burns said on Sunday morning. “We’re only going to take one hour at a time, so it’s an hour, so one pig, 30 minutes each. And then depending on the weather and if it’s really hot, I leave the car going with the AC blasting for the one in the car. If it’s winter, we leave the heat on, obviously. And then this afternoon we’re going to bring them home (after the surprise birthday appearance) and then two others are going to do the birthday later today.”

Gilbert The Party Pig also features “piggy hikes” in the warmer months where people can walk trails with the pigs. The pigs are also requested regularly at Pilates and yoga businesses.

The family pig Sprinkle has become the most high-profile of the five. The pig has appeared on two shows, including Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building. The show was filmed in Queens, New York.

“They reached out and said we need a pig in a convertible,” Michelle Burns said. “They needed her to do different things that some pigs wouldn’t do and she nailed it. We were pretty lucky.”

Sprinkle also appears on FOX show Best Medicine, which premiered in January. Michelle Burns said the show’s first season was filmed in Wappinger Falls, New York.

Sprinkle has also recently appeared on a music video for artist Ethan Regan and his single Spring Cleaning.

“People tend to call me when they need a pig,” Michelle Burns said. “It’s definitely my pleasure when a television show from FOX calls.”

Michelle Burns said the winter was slow for the business but it has some weeks where they have two appearances a day for six straight days.

“We’re pretty busy surviving and we’re able to pay our bills, pay our rent and our car payment,” Michelle Burns said. “People think it’s a side job when we come. We have no time to have a regular job because if I’m not doing a party, I am on the phone booking something or writing out receipts and doing other things.”

Michelle Burns said the family is hoping the public can help the family in its next move.

“We’re just breaking even and people may think, oh, ‘you did television shows’ but it’s good for one day, but it’s not life-changing money where I’m able to put a down payment on a house,” Michelle Burns said. “We just bought a new Siena minivan because the other had over 200,000 miles on it and needs a new motor. The pigs have more space in the minivan. But the money we were saving for the house has gone into the car payment. When you are thinking ahead – something happens.”

The family has a goal to raise $60,000 and as of Sunday morning had about $900 on the online fundraiser.

Michelle Burns said her five pigs sleep in the house and go outside to relieve themselves.

“My pigs have been raised from babies. I got all of them at two months old and they lived in my house with me and my family, like we treat them like dogs,” Michelle Burns said. “I have a fenced in backyard, and they come out in and out as they want, and they basically sleep in the house at night.”

Buddy, the youngest, sleeps in bed with Burns because he can climb stairs. The others sleep on couches on the main floor of the house. Meadow and Sprinkle sleep on one couch and Dot wants to snuggle with Gilbert on another couch.

“It’s like this big grunting fest for five minutes until they get comfortable, and we’re just in bed upstairs laughing,” Michelle Burns said. “We will watch the camera downstairs, or we could just hear it because it’s echoing and we just laugh because they’re just trying to get comfortable, grunting, making all these sounds, and finally, it’s quiet, once everybody gets their pillow. They’re pretty comical.”

“My pigs are bored when we’re not doing stuff because they are very social animals and they thrive on enrichment,” she said. “A bored pig is a destructive pig, which is probably why my floors aren’t coming up and my walls aren’t getting peeled because my pigs are always busy doing something. Pigs can be destructive if they’re bored and nothing is going on.

“Since we keep them so busy, there’s no time for them to eat walls or do anything to the house,” the 46-year-old added.

Michelle and Terry Burns have been vegetarians since 2016. Michelle Burns said that is one of the more common questions they are asked. She said they eat plant-based bacon.

“This is the best job I’ve ever had in my life,” she added. “This is it for me until I’m too old to do it anymore.”

©2026 Hartford Courant. Visit at courant.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.