Piglet helps train assistance dogs in Australia

Gidget, a three-month-old piglet, who is serving as a training distraction for assistance dogs may be the world's first to help canines in training.

For the past three weeks, Gidget has been helping train dogs at the Association of Australian Assistance Dogs (NQ) at Mareeba.

Owners Sarah Plowman-Ah Chee and hubby Lester, said the piglet - flown in from Gympie - was to be their son Augustine's baptism gift.

Gidget currently shares her Mareeba home with a horse named Beth, a pony named Tony, silky rooster Ralph, Penny the hen and a goat named Mona Lisa.

She loves feeding on rockmelon, mixed grain and milk.

"She's really playful," Cairns.com.au quoted Sarah as saying.

She went on: "Augustine and her will grow up together and become really good mates."

"Tony the Pony is quite old and set in his ways and Gidget comes along and thinks she can eat Beth's food.

"She was teasing the pony and he came behind her, kicked her and she rolled sideways about five times then landed on her feet.

"She's such a funny character."

Director of training Liz Oehm said: "They (dogs) just think she's another one of them except she snorts.

"Pigs smell differently to dogs and are very, very smart."