‘The pig thinks it’s a dog’

That a dog is a man’s best friend is widely accepted, and Kevorn Ellis of Wiltshire district in Anchovy, St James, has more than a few such friends. The owner of Souljapup Kennels is not only their keeper but their trainer and whisperer.

His social media videos — featuring his affable personality and cheerful interactions with his dogs — have earned him thousands of followers. In one widely shared clip, he champions the virtues of the terrier, known locally as the mongrel - a breed often dismissed because it lacks pedigree and is rarely treated as a cherished house pet.

In the video, a mongrel sits calmly on his left thigh as he hugs it, pretending to restrain the animal. Then he declares with enthusiasm: “Deadly, enuh, deadly sinting dis yah. A deh original Jamaican dog dis … Dem yah sinting yah made in Jamaica … Everybody needs a mongrel in dem life!”

He insists that mongrels are fiercer than rottweilers and pitbulls, better as watchdogs and far less “delicate”. He even touches briefly on the mongrels relocated to Canada several years ago. Yet dogs are not his only companions.

In other videos, he speaks warmly of a pet pig that has grown fiercely protective of him.

How, then, did he go from dog whisperer to pig owner? Jamaicans generally have little affection for pigs – creatures rarely admired for their looks and often associated with mud, noise, and mess. Their meat, however, is beloved.

Ellis has no intention of eating his pig. An associate named it ‘Donald Trump’, mistakenly believing it was a male. In a video, he claims its parents died in an accident and that he adopted it, though, when pressed, he admits he was talking “foolishness”. The broader story, however, is no joke: it is about how a man and his animals coexist, communicate, and understand one another.

The dogs obey him readily and compete for his affection, which he distributes generously. In one clip, he massages the belly of a pregnant dog while playfully scolding the presumed father, waiting nearby for his turn.

The pig, which he actually bought at six weeks old, was bottle-fed a mix of milks and trained in obedience and protection. It learns quickly, Ellis said, but can be moody and stubborn. It has already absorbed from the dogs that strangers should keep their distance.

“It can attack people and is now thinking that she is a dog,” Ellis says in another video as he commands the pig to sit and stay. It obeys, to his delight, and receives peanuts – her favourite treat, along with cashews.

In one clip he feeds the clean, pink pig and the dogs with peanut butter. In another, he rests his head on the reclining pig, stroking its head and large ears. In yet another, he massages it with his fingers and elbows as it closes its eyes in contentment. The pig drinks alongside the dogs from a small water hole. It is, he says, smarter, more loving, and cleaner than the dogs.

Ellis has bonded deeply with both his dogs and his pig, filling his days with joy. He is a dog whisperer – and now, companion to a pig that believes it is a dog. What more could he want?

Ellis, through his venture, Souljapup Kennels, trains, breeds, and sells dogs, specialising in workline German shepherds. It also offers protection dog-rental services and boarding for dogs of all sizes and breeds.

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