Just imagine when people drive up to the house and our dogs run out to greet them…
I can hear them saying…"Hey one of those dogs is a pig".
This seemed like a good soft sell angle to take with Gary given that I knew I was getting a pet pig, but he had yet to be introduced to the idea…. there has to be a strategy you see…
Then the cute piglet photos started turning up in his inbox, next the conversation turned to, "theres a great breeder in Gympie, thats just 100k's down the road. Lets just go and have a look for the fun of it!" Sublety is my middle name!!
But its true Gympie is only a 100'ks down the road and Mandy from LOV Mini pigs is a great breeder. The other part about looking just for the fun of it..well you can read into that any which way really.
What a place. We pulled up at the gate having following a very pretty country road out to Mandys farm and the sight at the gate was just delightful. Little pigs everywhere. Mother wandering around with gorgeous litters of tiny ones following them. Young teenage pigs wandering around chatting in groups. Big Males in a paddock of their own sunning themselves and all in all it looked like a scene from Babe!
Mandy met us with a piglet in her arms and I was gone! I guess Gary saw the writing on the wall…talk about the puppy dog close, well this was the ultimate piglet close! 4 weeks old, so placid, pretty to boot and he was ours…we paid a deposit before we left an hour later and I started to count the days.
We agreed he would be lonely in the laundry so a little bed was created in the corner of the bedroom, a safe outdoor area built where he could relax in the sun and get to know his surroundings and a little coat waited for him as it was mid winter. Couldn't have him getting cold could we.
On the day we were to be collecting him, I was as excited as a kid at Christmas. We had a carry cage in the back seat although Mandy had assured us he would prefer to travel home on my lap…who was I to go against an experts opinion. The Alpha could cope with this one Im sure. He was an absolute treat and true to form slept all the home on my lap. We had bonded me and my Truffles…
The dogs, all four of them were really not sure what to make of him, so we made sure we took our time and introduced him properly to the dogs as per Mandy's instructions and of course my bible Oink, My life with mini pigs.
OMG if there is one thing that describes cute it was Truffles at 6 weeks old. Striped little body wandering around in a dog coat made for a chihuahua, preferring cuddles to anything, unless that anything was a piece of pineapple and snoring in the corner of our bedroom each night.
The most surprising part of the whole process was watching Gary turn rapidly into the pig whisperer, he seemed to have a natural flair for pig training and soon had Truffles coming on command, laying down and completely adoring him. I have to confess to moments of professional jealousy. I was the expert, Id read two books after all! But the love between them was soooo sweet.
Truffles wouldnt go to bed at night unless he fell asleep in Garys arms and to watch my big tough hubbie tiptoeing through the house so he didnt wake the sleeping baby as he carried Truffles through to his little bed would melt the heart of any woman..
Lucy is an old friend from school and when she said this was there last litter of pigs they where having, despite my love of bacon, I had to have one. Now what do you call a pet pig? After a competition on my facebook page with the prize being a packet of Pork Crackling, it was decieded we would call her Chris P. Bacon. Chrispy flew into Cairns on a Friday afternoon and we brought her home to the Tablelands.I was more worried how Bryon the cat would take to her.We all fell in love with her straight away, well all but Byron. Up went the child proof gates to the kitchen. That kept her out for 2 days but after a number of time outs for pushing her way in she learnt to stay out when I said NO!. It really is some thing to tell a pig 'right outside you know the rules' and listen to her grunt back but reluctently trot outside. Then came the halter training which is still a work in progress, she loves a walk down the road as long you stop at everything she wants to check out.I must say I love my pig and have thanked Lucy for the laughs we have every day with her.My friends do think it's a bit strange that I have a pig that comes inside and has the best diet in the house.Today she pushed her luck with Bryon the cat and now has a scratch on her nose for her troubles.
Thats so good to hear David, I love that shes living with you guys…double win, you dont eat bacon anymore and she has an amazing home…we’ll look forward to the photos..