SFO Airport Introduces Therapy Pig for Stressed Fliers Katherine LaGrave - Conde Nast Traveler
go to original January 11, 2017

Stressed and weary travelers flying in and out of San Francisco International Airport may find a bright spot in their trips thanks to LiLou the pig and her partners in the Wag Brigade. (CBS News)

Traveling can be stressful - one needn't look further than lengthy TSA lines, meltdown-inducing delays, and overpriced tuna sandwiches to know just what we're talking about. In an attempt to help travelers quell some of that anxiety, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has introduced their latest team member: a small, spotted Juliana pig named LiLou who is famous enough to already have her own Instagram account.

LiLou is adorable, sure, but she's also making history. She's the first pig to be certified in the Animal Assisted Therapy Program of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the first non-canine addition to the Wag Brigade, a group of 22 trained therapy dogs that roam SFO's terminals with “Pet Me!” vests. Though she'll roam the terminals like the other members of the brigade, Lilou is not just a one-trick...er, pig: She also performs a variety of show-stopping moves, including "greeting people with her snout or a wave, twirling and standing up on her back hooves, and playing a toy piano" - even, USA Today reports, followed by a post-performance bow.

SFO isn't the only airport using animals to help treat travel stress. More than 30 U.S. airports have "therapy dog" programs, while others, like Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, have been bringing in miniature therapy horses since last May.

Looking for LiLou in particular? There's no set schedule as to when she'll show up, but airport spokesman Doug Yakel said SFO expects her to terminal-trot about once a month. If LiLou's Instagram is any indication, she may even be in disguise: In the past few months, the pig has dressed up as a wrapped gift, nurse, pilot, ballerina, and butterfly.

Read the rest at Condé Nast Traveler

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