Sunday, November 9, 2008

The Tale of Daisy the Pig



This is a story, a true story, of a little pig named Daisy. Daisy was purchased from an unethical breeder in eastern BC, who sold her at two months to a young girl in the Okanagon, whose family within a month decided to move and didn’t want to take the piggy with them.

Enter Denise. Denise and I had been in contact several times as she was hoping to adopt two of Scotch and Soda’s family, the piggies I’m fostering for Hearts on Noses. Although currently living in the city in the Okanagon, Denise has some acreage just outside the city that she will be moving to shortly and was in the process of getting it ready for piggies.

One day, Denise saw an ad for Daisy and contacted the owner to find out more. Daisy supposedly slept on the girl’s bed and was crate trained for times she had to be alone. She was friendly, healthy, and a sweet little pig. And she was living nearby.

Meanwhile, Denise and I kept talking piggy talk about what they need and how to house them and what to expect. Suddenly, a week or so after Denise had contacted Daisy’s human, she got a phone call – come and get Daisy or we’re taking her to the SPCA first thing in the morning.

Denise and I talked, we agreed she should take Daisy, and I offered to help guide her through new-pig-itis. The next day she picked up Daisy. (Note: This is not a slam against the SPCA, who have some amazing workers and volunteers, but an acknowledgement that I knew Denise could offer Daisy a wonderful life whereas the end result of going to the SPCA was unknown.)

Denise and I have talked on the phone or via email every few days since Daisy came to live with her. Daisy wasn’t quite what the previous owner had said – her skin was red and sore from mites, her crate was filled with urine-soaked blankets and she was totally unhousetrained and likely had been kept crated virtually all the time. But she was sweet, and she did like to cuddle on the couch, and she won Denise’s heart in no time at all.

Now, just a couple of weeks later, Daisy walks on a harness and leash, lives happily and safely with the family in the house, always does her business outside, jumps in and out of Denise’s Forerunner to go to the acreage every day, still loves to cuddle, and it sounds like she has even won over Denise’s husband. She is scheduled to get spayed next week by a vet with potbellied-pig experience at a clinic where one of the employees also has a piggy and where pigs are known and understood.

Daisy has landed on her feet. What a happy pig and a happy family.

Now if only I could persuade Denise that her acreage would be just perfect for several more piggies who need a place to call home!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a very heart warming story Jean. I too think that Daisy would love other piggie friends to hang out with.

Else

Janice Gillett said...

OH how i love a really good story, a really good true one!!

She needs a lot more on her bones to catch her up from what life was feeding her before. Is she on Junior Mazuir and lots of it?? I am feeding my new one about 6 cups a day. He looked like an acordian pig when he got here. lol

The missing bristles around the eyes is indictative of lack of Vit D or simply pure sunshine.,, some times.

I love her name , i have a Daisy here too, daughter of Flower!

Thank you for saving her!!!

Jean said...

Yes she's on Junior Mazuri, though not six cups a day! The pictures were taken before she came into Denise's care, and she's now on a healthy diet of Junior Mazuri plus plenty of veggies and fruits.
I'll pass on the info about the Vitamin D, though it could also be hairloss from the problem the piggy had with mites.

Janice Gillett said...

Oh pictures of before , that explains her skinny frame. If she was crated lots and not exposed to the outdoors enough that is when we see the hair loss around the eyes. Her current diet will cover Vit D now.

She might need 6 cups a day to help her catch up. She wasn't on the right ratio of nutrition before. And her mother may not have had good milk if they were feeding her crap too.

Black Jack's Carol said...

Thanks for writing that story, Jean. It touched my heart!