Niles boy wins swine showmanship with ‘Toothless’

Published 9:15 am Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Eleven-year-old Trent George participates in the Swine Show Tuesday morning at the Berrien County Youth Fair. On Monday, he was named the top swine showman. Leader photo/ CRAIG HAUPERT

Eleven-year-old Trent George participates in the Swine Show Tuesday morning at the Berrien County Youth Fair. On Monday, he was named the top swine showman. Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT

“Toothless” is an unusual name for a pig, especially when the pig named “Toothless” has plenty of teeth.

To understand it, you would have to know that the pig’s handler — 11-year-old Trent George, of Niles — enjoys watching movies.

You would also have to know that one of Trent’s favorite movies is the 2010 computer-animated action-fantasy film, “How to Train Your Dragon.”

One of the main characters in the movie is a dragon named “Toothless.”

The dragon is black.

George’s pig is black.

So George named the pig “Toothless.”

Does it make sense now?

“They look about the same,” said the Niles sixth-grader, who was crowned Grand Champion Swine Showman Monday night at the Berrien County Youth Fair.

It was George’s first time being named the best at showing pigs at the fair.

He gave a lot of credit to the pleasant disposition of his show pig, “Toothless,” while reiterating that pigs are not born good, they are made good.

“My pig — I can do whatever I want with her. Some people have crazier pigs, so they can’t get them to do what they want, not mine,” George said. “I worked with her at home everyday to get her ready. You have to work her at home like you want to do in the ring.”

George has been showing animals since he was 5 years old, mainly pigs, sheep and cows.

He is no stranger to winning as he was named the Grand Champion Sheep Showman a year ago.

This year, that title went to his 8-year-old brother Drew, who said it was “pretty neat” to keep the sheep showman belt in the family in consecutive years.

Drew has been showing animals since he was 5. He will be in the third grade this fall at Ballard Elementary School.