Oh piggies - 13 years old today!

The piglets who were in a large part the inspiration for starting this blog are THIRTEEN today!  THIRTEEN! How can that be? 

Oh piggies....I watched you being born and fostered you and your parents for the first two years of your life.  It's hard to believe you are thirteen now, and both your parents (Scotch and Soda) have passed on. 

Clockwise: Babies on their birthday;  Whisper with his blankie that he tore from a larger one and placed over his own back;  Blue-eyed baby;  Fizzy posing for the camera at about 3 months. 

Who knew that when the SPCA seized your parents from a life of neglect and abuse and asked Hearts on Noses Sanctuary to take them in (who in turn asked me to foster the TWO pigs), that there were all those babies waiting in the wings - or the belly - to be born just two or three weeks later.  What a ride that was!  You brought me so much laughter in so many ways.

Belle, one of my shelties at that time, watching over the piglets. 

Toddy and his magical tail having fun in a pool.

Fostering you was one of the best times of my life.  I've visited you whenever I could, and I hope to visit you again once Covid is less of a threat where you live. 

Treats for my babies, during a visit to Hearts on Noses a few years ago.

RobRoy hoping the door to the feedroom will open

Happy thirteenth birthday, Whisper, RobRoy, Tom, Lizzie, Derby, Toddy, Swizzle, Fizzy, Rickey, and Spritzer.  May you have many more happy and safe years ahead.

Feasting on watermelon during a visit to the sanctuary.

The Piggies' Empty Stockings

Remember Scotch, Soda, and their ten little piglets - the family I fostered for Hearts on Noses Pig Sanctuary from 2007-2009?  Soda passed away this fall, but the rest are doing well at the Sanctuary along with their many piggy friends - forty three of them in all!

If you are stuck for gift ideas for the people who have everything, or if you hate shopping as much as I do, or if you just want to reduce over-the-top consumerism and subsequent waste and environmental impact........making a donation to one or more of the amazing charities out there is a great way to make a positive contribution to the world.  And if you enjoyed my many stories of life with the critters, perhaps you'll consider one of the rescues or sanctuaries that I've mentioned frequently in this blog.  Like Hearts on Noses.

Belle herding all the piglets in 2007

I hear rumors that the piggies have written their letters to Santa Claus and what they are hoping for is stockings full of money to pay for food and veterinary care and soft warm straw and maybe even a few treats.  In fact, they are hoping to find a total of $100 in each stocking Christmas morning.

My former foster piggies checking out the empty pan

Hearts on Noses has created a fundraiser page with 43 squares - one with each pig's name on it.  When a stocking reaches $100, that square turns green.  Of course, I'm partial to Scotch and the kiddies (now seniors!), so I stuffed a little into each of their stockings.  I'm hoping some of my followers on the blog might add a little more.  If you use the page to donate through Canada Helps, your tax receipt is issued automatically and immediately. In the message part, just tell my friends at Hearts on Noses, which pig's stocking your money is to go into.  The link is at the end of this post.

RobRoy's wondering if Santa is hiding in the shed

If your memory is failing, or if you are new to the blog but still want to help, the names of my former fosters are:  Scotch, Whisper, RobRoy, Tom, Lizzie, Derby, Toddy, Fizzy,, Rickey, Mica and Switzer (those last two were called Swizzle and Spritzer when I was fostering them.....somehow their names were changed over the years!)

Treats for my babies

I don't get over to the sanctuary very often, but every time I go there I am awed at the progress Janice and her amazing team of volunteers have made  - they provide an awesome, beautiful, safe haven for 43 very happy pigs and a few other critters as well. Let's make their Christmas special.

Visions of sugarplums dance in his head 

Here's the link to their page - just follow the directions on there: http://www.heartsonnoses.com/

Remembering Soda

Back in June 2007, when I was renting a very old farm house with a dilapidated  old barn on 5 acres of land, my friend Janice asked if I could foster two potbellied pigs that her sanctuary, Hearts on Noses, had been asked to take in.  The sanctuary was full, but my barn wasn't  - I had four dogs, a cat, and an alpaca, none of whom lived in the barn.  And I had grown to love piggies from my work at her sanctuary and another. So I said yes.

The pigs were part of an SPCA seizure, and they were in pretty bad shape - vastly overweight, living knee deep in filth in a crate barely large enough for two small dogs.  I have never forgotten the moment they waddled out of the trailer onto the green grass of my farm, and immediately began stretching and bowing and oofing (their happy noise) and kneading the lawn as they experienced freedom for what may have been the first time: 

First day at the farm

I named them Scotch and Soda.  Scotch was mellow, smooth, and leaves the mouth with an mmmmmmmmm smile. Soda was effervescent – I wouldn’t say bubbly but certainly she had “oomph” and attitude, with that sharp little edge of an unsweetened drink.  

Unbeknownst to us - or the the SPCA - Soda was already pregnant, and within just a few weeks she gave birth to twelve babies.  Sadly, one was stillborn and one died within a day or two, but the remaining ten were healthy and strong and so my two foster piggies became twelve foster piggies.  They lived with me for nearly two years, until I retired and moved away (as Janice had known I was going to do), and then the whole family moved to the sanctuary.

Newborn piglets

This Monday evening, Janice contacted me with the sad news that Soda had suddenly passed away.  She had been off her food a few days earlier, but seemed to bounce back, and then suddenly she was gone. Scotch and Soda were full grown when they came to us, which means they were likely 5 years old or more.  That would make Soda at least 16 at her passing . Her piggy family were with her in their cosy cabin at her passing, then they came outside. But when two of the volunteers went  into her pighouse to say their goodbyes, they found Scotch back  in there with her, straw on his nose where he had been rooting at her side, giving those nudges he was so prone to give to those he loved most.

Scotch and Soda 2007

Scotch and Soda were a truly bonded couple.  On the night that I separated Scotch and Soda for what was likely the first time in their lives – the separation being necessitated by Soda’s imminent piggybirth – I sat in the stall with Scotch and watched big wet tears silently slide down his cheeks. I sang him his favourite song and slowly the tears stopped and he lay there not understanding why his bunkmate wasn’t at his side. He was lonely and very sad. 

The next day I bought him a Soda-sized teddy bear and tucked it along side him, and he slept that way for several nights. One morning, I came in to find Teddy lying with his face in the water dish on the other side of the stall, nose and mouth immersed in water. To this day, I’m not sure if Scotch thought Teddy might be thirsty, or if he was trying to tell me a stuffed bear was no subsitute for his Soda.  Fortunately it wasn’t long before I was able to integrate Soda and the babies back into the main stall.

Scotch, Soda, and one of the kids.

Soda was a character - I'm quite sure Ms Piggy was her hero, and those that created the Muppet's character certainly captured the personality of a female pig, especially a female pig at that time of her cycle (which is every 21 days).  PMS is not just confined to humans!

Soda was bossy, pushy, funny,  sweet, bitchy, and one cool pig. In describing porcine communication, I once said:

Soda is the queen of the nasty noises: “arf, arf, arf” means “I’m pissed off,” and a very loud, very deep, very rude sound that is reminiscent of what happens when some people eat too many beans. It clearly means “I’m really, really mad at you, now BACK OFF YOU *&%%%”. This is accompanied by a facing off and a hard shove on the leg with the snout. It isn’t just [pig] verbal communication that amazes me but also the nonverbal communication of their emotions. Scotch arches his back downward, stretches out full length, raises his snoutie, and kneads the ground in pleasure every time he is let out into the big yard. Soda, I swear, tosses her head in the classic Ms Piggy move and with an exaggerated swivel of the hips, saunters past me with the message “I am QUEEN. Out of my way, peon!”. 

Soda loved food (okay, what pig doesn't) - but she had a knack for helping herself that surpassed all the others.  I still suspect her of instigating the Great Barn Raid back when the piggies were just little ones, though the piglets wrote the apology letter.  You can read it here.  Even after she moved to the sanctuary, she still found ways to steal a snack:

Soda helping herself from the feed bucket
as it was being prepared for the dinner rounds

And she was also the best mudwallow builder.  While Scotch would knock over water bowls, Soda would heave herself underneath the side of their kiddy pool and dump the whole thing onto the ground. She loved her mudbaths! 

Queen of the mudpacks

In recent years, when I visited Scotch and Soda and family at the sanctuary, I found it hard to tell Soda apart from her only daughter, Lizzie.  Soda never looked like an old pig (must be all those mudpacks!), and her daughter, now eleven years old, looks a lot like her.  It was a lot easier to tell them apart when I was fostering! 

Soda chats with daughter Lizzie, age three months.

Soda and Lizzie  November 2007

Fostering Scotch and Soda and their babies was one of the highlights of my life.  There wasn't a day without laughter, a day without amazement, a day without feeling great love for those funny, oh-so-smart, somewhat cheeky pigs.  And seldom a day with challenges! But Soda was the best mama ever.

Thank you, Janice, for entrusting me with her all those years ago, and thank you for loving her for so many years. My heart goes out to Scotch, who has lost his lifelong mate, and to Whisper, Toddy, Derby, Rickey, Swizzle, Spritzer, RobRoy, Fizzy, Tom and Lizzie, who have lost their piggy mama.  I am thankful they have their human mama to help them through the grief. 

You were a good, good pig, Soda.  You'll find your two tiny lost babies at the Rainbow Bridge, as well as so many sanctuary friends to play with and to boss around until the rest of your family joins you. And I'm betting there are lots of good muddy wallows and fresh green grass at there too.   Run free, sweet funny feisty girl.  You were greatly loved. 

Foster Mama
xxoooxx

Visiting Old Friends

I have just returned from a trip to the mainland to attend my nephew's Celebration of Life and to visit old friends. One of those friendship visits was to Hearts on Noses, the pig sanctuary for whom I once fostered Scotch, Soda, and their ten babies.  Those babies will be ELEVEN next month, which means Scotch and Soda are likely around 15, as they were full grown when they arrived at my little acreage.

Here's a few of my favourite photos from my visit to the sanctuary:

First to greet me was Chilco, one of two dogs at the sanctuary.
In this photo, he was staring intensely at a bug crawling across
the spot of dirt where he wanted to lie down!

I'm not sure what Janice was saying, but I love how the pig (Cotton? Pete?)
is so attentive and engaged. Don't you wish all your conversation partners were this interested in what you have to say?

What would a photoshoot be without the twelve I fostered from 2007-2009?
That's Janice watching over the fence, volunteer Jana filling the water dishes, and Lacey grazing in the background.

Scotch, you've grown a bushy beard! 

Looking after pigs is thirsty work! 

Roscoe, in one of his calmer moments.

Anyone remember the time Roscoe knocked me over in the poop corner while I was trying to build his pen? You can read about it here: The handywoman, the pig, and the hot summer's day

I think he has mellowed a bit since then - well, sometimes.  I love this series of photos of volunteer Magda sharing a cuddle, some lovings and some greens with him:

There was a new family of volunteers the day I visited.  The son, Ryan, took some time to get to know Roscoe.

Ryan meets Roscoe
(photo posted with parental permission)

Rose, beautiful Rose - one of the first Hearts on Noses piggies I met, back around 2006 I think - when she was little enough to be a house pig and opened the fridge door, pulled open the crisper, and took off running with a bag of food!

Rose still gets excited about food -
I was distributing peanuts. 

Scotch the pigapotamus!

Of course, there are always a few critters who find their own way to the sanctuary,
and know a good thing when they see it!

Lots of healthy green grass for the pigs to munch on!

Whisper, Rob Roy and Fizzy
They always followed me around when I fostered them,
and were the first of the twelve to run up to me when I visited the other day.
One has flopped over for a belly rub! 

Maggie stayed home with a petsitter while I was on the mainland.  I think she wants to tell you about that herself - tomorrow, perhaps!

A Plethora of Pigs

Last May,  I mentioned the huge intake of potbellied pigs our local SPCA had received - over two dozen,  mostly very young, of which  two were nursing mamas, and 8 or 9 more were pregnant.

Just one of many since born to the young pregnant mamas

I've posted various photos and updates on Facebook since that time but neglected to update my "blog-only" readers. Busy, tired, and dealing with the heat, I feel like this piggy looks:

One of the pregnant young pigs enjoys
a rest in the sun.

But that doesn't mean all those pigs suddenly went away. Some did - to other homes, sanctuaries and rescues. Many are still in need of adoption.

Yes we are!  We's waitin' fer you! 

Hearts on Noses Sanctuary in Mission BC took on one nursing mama and her babies. I transported them over there and follow along on their progress through photos Janice, the sanctuary owner,  posts on Facebook.    Rainbow, Plumb, and Tierra will live out their lives at the sanctuary, loved and cared for by Janice and her volunteers:

Top:  Transport Day - arrival at Hearts on Noses
Bottom:  Rainbow, Plumb and Tierra enjoying their new life
(Thanks to Janice Gillett for the lower photo)

Two pregnant mamas were fostered and later adopted by RASTA sanctuary in Chemainus BC.  They each had their babies there, and both families will live out their lives at that sanctuary, loved and cared for by Lucie and her volunteers.

Mama Sophie nursing her babes at RASTA,
where they will live out their lives.

Piglets are so cute and photogenic.
But these babes will grow to be 120-200 pounds, on average.
They, with their mama Emma, have a permanent home at RASTA. 

Another mama, who gave birth the morning after arriving at the SPCA shelter, went with her babies to Broken Promises Rescue in Victoria BC.  Broken Promises carefully screens potential adopters before placing the animals in forever homes.

Mama with babes, one day after arriving at the SPCA.
Care and rehoming taken on by Broken Promises Rescue

Piglets and mama pig at Broken Promises Rescue
this July.  

The four  adult and young male pigs in the original group immediately went to Nanaimo SPCA. Pigs become sexually mature at 3-4 months, and no way were they taking chances on any more pregnancies! The remaining pigs, mostly pregnant ones who at about six months old were themselves little more than babies, went into foster care on the properties of generous and caring local residents. Babies were born,  and once spayed or neutered, are being put up for adoption. I got to transport six babies from a foster home to one of the few island vet clinics that performs this surgery on potbellied pigs.

Mama Barbara leads the babies to the barn

They weren't too keen on being crated for transport

In fact, they were darn hard to corral.

They did laps around the barn for awhile!
Once pigs are scared, sometimes all you can do is sit quietly and wait.
Good thing we allowed lots of time. Eventually they all made it into the two crates for transport.

Three of the six on the way back to foster care post surgery

Some pigs and their litters have since returned from other foster homes to the shelter, and some of those have found their forever homes too. ALL of the pigs who came into the SPCA's care at the start, as well as those born since arrival, will be spayed and neutered - those living out their lives at sanctuaries, and those going on to forever homes. Pigs are prolific breeders, with females cycling every 21 days, and piglets reaching sexual maturity at 2-4 months of age. That so many six month old piglets were pregnant - all inbred -  with a typical litter size of 5-7, meant that the 28 or so pigs that came into the SPCA's care had the potential to become 50-70 within weeks of their arrival.  I'm not sure what the final tally was  but I do know the SPCA still has many to be be placed.

We can be kinda timid at first.....

But the kind volunteers at the SPCA are helping us become brave! 

There are challenges to finding forever homes for companion potbellied pigs. Firstly, many municipalities have zoning bylaws that forbid keeping them in cities, or that limit them to acreages of a certain size.  This is not a bad thing - pigs need lots of outdoor space to root around, and can become quite destructive when this need is not met.

Pssst!  Wanna go root up the garden?

Secondly, the massively misleading and unethical marketing of so called micro or teacup pigs has led to so much misinformation that many potential adopters have very unrealistic ideas of what  a pet pig's needs and behaviours will be like. Stories and images of the mythical 'micro' or 'teacup' pig, with claims it will only reach 20 -30 pounds,  have already led to hundreds of pigs being abandoned or surrendered in this province - and thousands across North America - when they outgrew the size the breeder claimed it would reach, were less suitable to an indoor existence than the buyer presumed, or simply lost their appeal to someone who simply wanted the latest in trendy pets and didn't bother to do any research.

I'll get big!

Us too!

I'm gonna get soooooo big!

Let's just get one thing straight: there is no such thing as a micro or teacup pig.  Mini pigs - potbellied pigs and a few other breeds of small pigs - are called mini because over the 4-5 years that it takes to grow to their full size, they will reach, on average, about 120-200 pounds. This is very small compared to their commercially raised farm cousins who, if allowed to fully mature (most are slaughtered young), grow to 700-1000 pounds.  Breeders sometimes mislead prospective buyers by showing off the parent pigs along with the babies and leading the buyer to believe that is as big as they will get.  In human society, we equate 'parent' with 'adult'. In reality, those parent pigs may only be 6 -9 months old themselves, and nearly always are under two years old - not even half their adult size yet.

I'm only six months old and pregnant!
I won't be full grown for another 4 or more years!

So.....if you or someone you know is considering a pig as a companion animal, and if you have the zoning, space, shelter, fencing, time, and other resources necessary......

I'm waiting for you!  Or one or more of my many siblings and half-siblings are!

If you have done your homework by learning from reliable sources such as sanctuaries and rescues rather than from breeders with only cutesy photos accompanied by ridiculous claims on their websites.....

We is cute....but we is challenging!
We is very different from dogs and cats!

If you are prepared to meet their needs for an appropriate mini-pig diet which may need to be specially ordered, their need to root, their need for protection from predators, their need for companionship, their need for hoof trims and tusk trims, their need for a mud wallow to keep cool (pigs don't sweat, despite the old saying 'sweating like a pig' and need mud or water to cool their bodies).....

I won't be able to use this dishpan fer a bath much longer!

If you are prepared for their incredible intelligence which enables them to figure out how to open fridges, escape poorly designed pens, empty cupboards, turn over garbage cans, and get into all sorts of mischief......

Are you sayin' we can be brats?

Ha ha ha!  That's silly!  We are angels!

Okay we might help ourselves to food sometimes....

If you are prepared for all these things, and have a loving heart and a strong sense of commitment, then please adopt .... and hang on for the ride of your life!

We can be taught manners - we're very food motivated!
(Okay, sometimes we forgets our manners too. We can be pushy. Very pushy.  Ms Piggy Pushy). 

They are fun, loving, and very loyal animals who do best with another pig or five for companionship.

We're happy and easier to manage with a piggy friend or two or five. 

Sibling love

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For further information on adoption, contact the Cowichan and District Branch of the BC SPCA. 

For further reading, check out this comprehensive and well-balanced source of further information on mini-pigs and their care, including videos on how to trim hooves: 
www.minipiginfo.com
They also have a facebook page which is well worth following: https://www.facebook.com/minipiginfo/ .

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