Here’s the thing: I like kids. I love kids. But I don’t want kids of my own. I have my reasons. I’d like a partner, but I don’t want to live with him or her. In fact, I prefer distance. In my ideal family arrangement, I am involved with a man and a woman — perhaps they’re married — and I am co-parent to their kids. I would provide financial assistance for their educations and extended visits, and maybe sometimes whisk the kids off to Europe so my partners could enjoy some time to themselves. It’s not very traditional, but in the long history of the world neither is the nuclear family, and really all that matters is that there’s plenty of love to go around.

Similarly, dog friends Shelby and Reuben share their home with two dads, two cats, and a pig named Esther.

According to couple Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter, they were told Esther was a “micro pig.” They think she was born part of a commercial farm litter, from which she was somehow rescued or removed, probably because she was the smallest.

However, it quickly became evident that Esther is not at all micro and that she is, in fact, a full-size pig. Imagine the surprise of dogs Shelby and Reuben when their pig companion suddenly dwarfed them!

Many would call their family unconventional — even by pet terms — but all that matters is that there is love. Jenkins and Walter do not recommend adopting a full-sized pig, but family is forever, and they’ve adapted to their menagerie of two dogs, two cats, and one pig. In fact, they love Esther so much that they’ve transitioned to a vegan diet.

Just like their dogs Shelby and Reuben happily welcomed their strange new pack member, it’s important to take that message of acceptance to all aspects of our lives.

All photos via Esther’s Facebook page — go check it out and tell them Dogster sent you!

Check out these adorable stories on Dogster:

• Pix We Love: Corgi Falls in Love With Newborn Baby
• Smash, Our Monday Miracle, Was Once Abandoned in the Utah Desert
• Two Geniuses Re-Create Famous Movie Scenes … with a Dog

About Liz Acosta: Dogster’s former Cuteness Correspondent, Liz still manages the site’s daily “Awws,” only now she also wrangles Dogster’s social media. That’s why she wants you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and — her personal favorite — Instagram. See ya there!