I noticed while adding June 2022 to our Full Article Archive Page that we did not publish a June 2 article in 2020 or 2021. Today, I rectify that egregious oversight with an article on Ms. Pricilla Pigsley, an Abyssinian guinea pig from New Orleans, Louisiana, who earned the prestigious honor of being petoftheday.com’s pet of the day on June 2, 1999.
Ms. Pricilla Pigsley Content
You can find the original 1999 article Priscilla Pigsley on petsoftheday.com, linked below.
Ms. Pricilla Pigsley In Her Own Words (or squeaks)
Like many of the birds featured in an 1897 bird magazine that I have covered, Ms. Priscilla Pigsley was not shy about telling her own story in her own words – although she was a bit shy about revealing her age.
In fact, Ms. Pigsley was loath to reveal her age, but she admitted that it had been speculated that she was about six months old. She lived “a half-block off Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.” Ms. Pigsley did not live alone, but shared a home (or cage) with Mr. Elvis Pigsley (we presume Mr. Pigsley was also an Abyssinian guinea pig).
We learned from Ms. Pigsley that being an Abyssinian guinea pig was not all fun and games:
Because I am an Abyssinian Guinea Pig, my hair is in rosettes and makes my life one big Bad hair day.
Priscilla Pigsley
Fortunately, Ms. Pigsley did not let her hair troubles keep her down.
I take my mind off of it by constantly squeaking food orders to my Daddy, usually requesting a favorite treat such as parsley, green pepper, and corn on the cob.
Priscilla Pigsley
Ms. Prgsley aspired to the wholesome profession of being a Las Vegas showgirl (what?) – although she suggested that the prospect of buffets was what inspired her to this career path. Our guinea pig friend hoped that her appearance on the Pet of the Day site would help propel her to her dreams.
About Ms. Priscilla Pigsley
Ms. Pigsley’s close-up concluded with a third-party assessment of her character and lifestyle:
Priscilla’s favorite activities are watching TV (she seems fascinated by the changing colors and shapes), stealing food from her soul/cage-mate Elvis, and napping with her head in a tube (she inexplicably prefers to keep her rather ample hindquarters out of the tube in a most unladylike fashion).
How Did I Find Ms. Priscilla Pigsley?
Readers may wonder where I came up with a June 2, 1999 article for my own content on June 2, 2022. I used a unique niche search engine called Marginalia Search, an “independent DIY search engine that focuses on non-commercial content.” Unlike most alternative search engines, Marginalia uses its own index. It is a terrific tool for unearthing small sites and old content that will not readily appear in Google, Bing, or derivatives thereof. I relied on it for one interesting link in my article on a 1999 Pokémon urban legend. Try some queries that are of interest to you in Marginalia.
On Pet of the Day
Unlike many older sites that I have found on Marginalia, Pet of the Day seems to still be going strong. Rudy the guinea pig was featured on May 31, 2022. The site still has a distinctly old-school design and aesthetic, but it is quite neat and easy to read (albeit navigation could be more intuitive). You can nominate your own pet if you want him or her to join the luminaries of the Pet of the Day archive.
On Our Guinea Pig Story
While I publish many on this day in history-style posts, I did not opt to feature Ms. Priscilla Pigsley only because her story was published on June 2, 1999. I also featured her because we have our own Abyssinian guinea pig content here at The New Leaf Journal. On May 4, 2021, I introduced Pumtake the Abyssinian guinea pig as a character in my ongoing Justin and Justina dialogue series.
