The pigs of Israel were granted a few minutes of respite this month. Arcadi Gaydamak almost bought Tiv Ta'am, almost turned it into a kosher food chain and was almost declared an honorary citizen by the ultra-Orthodox and the vegetarians.

But the pigs' dream of a new life, far from the meat industry, was shattered when the deal was called off last week. The revulsion and disgust pigs provoke are deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, and are part and parcel of the prohibition against eating pig meat. The 1962 law banning the raising of pigs states that it is forbidden for anyone to raise pigs, to keep them and to kill them for the purpose of eating. The prohibition does not cover institutes of science and research and also does not refer to eight Arab communities whose names were added to the law in 1988. The sale of pork in various places became a legal battle that was decided only in 1994, to the detriment of the pig: The High Court of Justice permitted the sale of pork in communities where it had been forbidden by municipal bylaws. And they are raised in non-Jewish farming comunities.

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In Europe and the United States, people raise pigs in their homes. The pot-bellied pig is a popular choice, a famous example being George Clooney's Max, who lived on his estate near Los Angeles for 18 years. Clooney bought the pig as a gift to his girlfriend, the actress Kelly Preston (who later married John Travolta), and when the two separated, he got full custody of the animal. Max died of natural causes in December 2006, his death receiving extended coverage from the entertainment media.

Pig owners all over the world do not fail to exclaim in wonder at pig intelligence, at the amount of attention they demand and give in return. They are prepared to reject any preconceived notions: Pigs, it transpires, are clean and even give off a pleasant smell, they can be trained with ease, enjoy playing and generally do not cause allergies in people.

Roni Reshef of Tel Aviv describes herself as a pig fan and visited a family on Long Island that has three pet pigs: Amos and Posty his sister, both black, and Pilot, a pink pig.

"The three pigs have beds in the living room, and when the weather is good, they are allowed to go out to the backyard," she says. Amos knows how to throw a ball into a small basket and to place rings on a pole, and he can even recognize letters of the alphabet and pull out, with his snout, those that make up his name.

"Amos has also learned to open the refrigerator, and one time, he and his sister had a feast there. Since then, the fridge door is kept locked."

Pigs indeed do eat like pigs - they eat everything and in huge quantities. This gluttony leads to obesity, illness, harm to their joints, which have difficulty carrying their weight, and even to sores on their bellies that drag along the ground. A great deal is written on the Web sites of pig breeders about the need for routines for meals in the morning and the evening, so that the pig will not search for food all day.

Clear boundaries have to be set for pigs not only with regard to eating habits. It must be made clear repeatedly to a pig that it is not the boss of the household. Training by positive reinforcement will reduce aggressive responses of the type known too well by owners of dominant dogs. One must not shout at a pig, experts stress, and physical punishment will not lead to the desired behavior.

Some owners have difficulty in providing all the necessary conditions for a large pet, and they give it up. Over the past few years, shelters have been built for pigs that have been abandoned or neglected, and volunteers try to rehabilitate them there and turn them over for adoption.

Important information about abuse of pigs in the food industry can be found on the Web site www.anonymous.org.il/abuse.htm. One of the issues described there is the struggle to forbid locking pigs up in "pregnancy cages." According to the Environment Ministry, 153,000 pigs were raised in Israel in the year 2002. By comparison, that same year, 410,000 heads of cattle were raised here for meat and milk (http://tinyurl.com/39z327).

Dog concerns

Several dogs are available for adoption from S.O.S for Animals (03-744-1010, www.imutz.org). Archie, a sensitive,year-and-a-half-old puppy, neutered and house-trained. He was saved from a pound with a wounded leg that had not been attended to and underwent surgery but remains with a limp. That does not prevent him from running and playing. Jeremy is two years old, neutered and saved from a pound with an eye injury. He is small and sensitive and likes to be pampered.

This evening at 9 P.M. a fund-raising event, organized by the Haver Li association, will be held at the Stage club, 2 Yona Hanavi Street in Tel Aviv, with the participation of artists. All proceeds will go to save dogs who are due to be put to sleep. Tickets can be bought for NIS 50 at 050-7548187 and 054-5212728.

rivir@haaretz.co.il