Jack of Hearts , A Rescue at the Rescue

I never got off the acreage last week-end to get grocery's so i went
after work tonight. This would take valuable time and i thought
hopefully i will still have time to let Roscoe out for a run before it
gets dark and I have to feed everyone.

When i pulled in the driveway i heard the excited ooofs of a little pig out towards the big pigs and wondered who had got out. All the pigs are in there yards when i
am work during the day.

I looked over and saw a little black pig i have never met before and clearly all worked up from landing admits all these girly pigs that live here. About 4 months old i guess and for sure not neutered. I grabbed a bag of apples calling out to him to see if i could get his attention. He raced down pasture and around back and
into my yard with me quietly and slowly coming up behind him. Every body was excited here , all the pigs were up and all of them including the horses were watching me from there fence lines. I walked into the carport and got a sheet of plywood and walked up to where he was visiting Flower and placed the board now confining him. A few nails tacked into the posts to secure the plywood and into the house i go to
call for help. Then out to the barn i go with another piece of plywood too close up one of the horses stalls as this is where this little tiger has got to spend the night. Paula and Jim got here to help and put a crate together and we talked about our strategy and we spent more time on putting the darn crate together then we did on catching him.
He is all black except for his nose which by the way has the most perfect pink heart on it i have ever seen. Its 8:30 i have to put grocery's away , feed the dog child and make something to eat. Our little nose is deep in a bed of straw after eating his dinner and must be exhausted from his big adventure .

Penny is coming Home

I would guess Penny came into my life about five years ago. A guy called who lived at a trucking yard had lsot the trailer he lived in there and was moving in with his girlfreind. Could i take his pig?

A new pig freind had come into my life and she only had one so off she went to get her and brought her home. Penny and her Mis Piggy and new Mom came to visit here even one day. She is jsut a little pig by pot bellied pig standards.

A guy emailed me wanting to know about having a pig as he was in a wheel chair but had a horse and lived on acreage. It was during the same time Penny's Moms world came falling apart as she lost her job was selling her house and needed a place to board all her animals temporarily.

Thinking I was smart i put the two of them together and a deal was worked out. But Penny got lost in the shuffle, her Mom never came back to get her and the guy in the wheelchair just sold his house leaving a horse, a lama and Penny there.

The new home owners just called me and hearing there story my mouth just about hit the floor when i asked for the pigs name.

She is in Abbotsford and i want them to bring her now but must wait for them to get organized for the transport. Teddy Bear your house will be filled again with a pig very soon!

Customer Service sucks!

Today at work i worried about a few things.. how many more tickets to order, i needed hay before it started to rain and produce for the pigs tonight. I called The Hitching Post and was told he would be here at 6:30. No big deal for most folks but here it requires a bit of work. First of all my driveway to the barn has been gated off for seven pigs to live in. There dinner dishes already lined up in a row by Paula. Two horses need to be put in there stalls who haven't been inside yet this year as it is mild and i am saving the costs of using shavings. So at 6 after work i go out to the barn and drag out the hose to fill up the horses inside waters, toss them some hay and put them in there stalls. Put the hose away and go back up to the house with seven pigs in tow and a bucket of feed to entice them into a small enclosure while the hay guy delivers. I pick up all the dinner trays and get them out of the way so the truck doesn't' drive over them. I open one gate all the way and walk back up the driveway to open the other. This all takes me about 45 minutes. I waited for the hay guy to come and at 45 minutes late and unable to stand the screams of starving pigs i walked up to the entry gates and left a note " Hay Cancelled". It is then i realize while worrying about how to get hay, the 24 bags of pig chow here from New West today at work i forget about the order of tickets. But i must start feeding the pigs before it rains so i go back and let the seven back out , close gates and put back all there dinner dishes in a row. Once i feed the pigs i go back to the barn and let the horses back out as they wished , fed them more and then did rounds of apples for every one. I get off at 5 ..get home by 5:15 I had 45 minutes to catch up on some emails before i had to ready for the hay guy. Its now 8 and the dog needs to be fed and i have lost my appetite as tomorrow brings another day but on top of a regular Saturday here i must now pray for sun and then go about 35 minutes out of my way to go buy hay , stack it on on my truck and then come home and somehow have the energy to put it all away. And then i will open the gates.. put the horses away, remove the dinner trays in a row .........

Edited to add.. he still hasn't shown up and it is 8:20 .

Almost Friday

Its late and thank goodness for Kraft dinner so this will be short tonight.

Rocket is feeling so much better and loving the special dinner he has been getting every night. He has been taking his meds like a trooper , well tonight he wanted his baby cookies first well who wouldn't ha And more big news for Rocket is that he has a secret admirer who chose him to sponsor only last night!!! The stars have aligned themselves over our sweet boy in more ways then one !!

Rose is knocking the heck out of one end of her fence and i fear she is going to come threw it one night again. This is NOT something i want her to teach her neighbor Roscoe.. both big pigs and too strong for there own good. Or is it my good?? What ever it is i am going to buy a double pumper water squirt gun if she doesn't ' stop it!!

Does your front room lookl like this??

Rocket and ulcers

Rocket has been throwing up off and on for about four months. Because he wasn't continuously sick and had a habit of eating too fast I suspected ulcers. Rocket arrived here after the Chilliwack SPCA contacted me about a pig they had seized for abuse and been living in a junk yard dog setting. His shelter an old car.. that would of been enough to give me ulcers.

Today we watched him closely when he came out so we could get a sample of his poop. I then would have a vet take a look at it. Ulcers in pigs is difficult to detect , one way is to take a stool sample in to be checked for red blood cells. I called Ag west they have a really nice lady vet there and she was on the way to a calving. So we opted to drop off our sample at a dog/cat clinic here in town to be checked for blood and in the mean time she would call in a script for some amoxicillan. I wanted the amox to rule out a possible underlying infection and Dr McCrae mentioned sometimes infection is the cause for some ulcers. Huh..

Dr Loft who kindly took the sample to be tested called me a few hours later and confirmed my suspicion. There is blood in Rocky's stool sample so we will pick up the amox in the morning and get him started on that. I will call Ag West on Monday to find out about to get some ulcer meds.

Saturdays catch up

Been fighting the flu since last Saturday, I never get sick what is up with that! Almost deaf in one ear already, now with the flu i feel like i am a sealed unit. Anyone two feet away trying to tell me something is just a dull ramble and i have been warning people i am talking loud cause for some reason being deaf has this effect on me.

The night before last i had the pleasure of talking to a couple from Montana. They called me to ask a few questions about there Ellie Bellie who has chosen to be an outside pig. I promised them some pictures of the pigs houses here so i better get back outside and take some .

Last night while feeding the pigs i just about stepped on a Salamander in my carport. I have lived here 15 years and this is my first. I picked his sticky little self up and placed him to safety on my deck until i was finished feeding every one. Then i came in the house and turned this machine back on and started emailing for help. I had a load of wood chips dropped off and i wonder if by some miracles this little guy had crawled out of the pile after he survived the chipper. He was so docile , is this how they are? Or was he sick? I looked at my emergency cage three times wondering if i should bring him into the house. Cold meds do funny things to my metabolism and i am a tad high strung right now lol After trying to find help on the net i opted to pick him up one more time and carry him out to the little forest out front and watched him crawl into a little bolder cave with no trouble at all. All is well in Salamander rescue.

This morning Cliff, Paula, Jim , Pam and I attacked the mud in Roscoe's pen with a vengeance. While we were doing that Roscoe was in the carport creating chaos as i can't hear anything right now. Cliff said i heard a crash but didn't think nothing of it. lol Sure Roscoe give me something else to clean up!! We did as much as we could and then did our regular piggy clean up and fresh waters for every one. Thank goodness they all came to help cause i am only running at 25% right now.

Visitors arrived loaded with apples , carrots, popcorn and peanuts so the pigs had fun!! Comet in a split second had grabbed a bag out of Karen's hand and made a dash for it as we yanked it right back off of him. Winnie played the piano for popcorn , she won't work for free that girl! And Jean arrived just as every one was going with a load of piggy pellets for the week. This place is a on going affair. Jean and i talked about her barn leaking and we must get it tarped stat along with some gutter work. Any one for hire out there?

Its only 1:30 and there is still a lot of this day left but i just want to crawl under a blanket fora while.. i have a sick pig so i am going to call the vet first and see when they can come out here.

We trade cars and livestock

Why is it acceptable to trade/sell livestock like we were updating our transportation? Okay maybe there was a time where a basket of eggs traded for a sack of flour and i am pretty sure a horse could of fetched a wagon train of the stuff but come on, we are not living in this part of the world during those kind of times any more.. or are we?

Craig list ad reads: small 1 year old pot bellie pig male trade for other farm animal e-mail me thanks

Ummm does any one have a couple of good cats for a very large dog? Or maybe he will take a couple of small chickens for the pig. I mean after all there only chickens, why should any one concern themselves about where this trade will bring them. Well i for one wouldn't give him a toy stuffed animal to play with for a while then traded off down the road for something else. And from my side of this country road all life has equal value and crap i wish people would think for one second- what if it were me...

I am sick about this pig, will let you know what happens..

Is my Pig too fat?

Is my pig too fat???

The picture of these three together is a few days after arrival. Look at them now, can you tell who is who from the before picure?


As you know by now pigs live for food and that is the quickest way to a pig’s heart. It is up to you as there prime caregiver to understand the degree of their intelligence and the metabolism of your pig to keep that heart happy and healthy.

The life you set for him or her if you don’t moderate what your feeding them could cause severe medical problems stemming from excess body fat such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure , and arthritis to name a few.


Who wants to lie around too heavy and be miserable and depressed because it is too hard to get around from being over fed? You have seen over weight people on TV who are trapped in there homes from the inability to emotionally regulate what they eat. This is not the case with pigs as your the one who is feeding them so you’re the one who has the control of what is going into there mouths. It is your responsibility as there caregiver to make the correct choices for them. Sure you can over feed a pig and sure you can misunderstand there reluctance to get up or be cranky when asked to go out. As long as you push the feed bowl under his snout why would he have to get up? And this highly intelligent species will work that “feed me” here button with you if you don’t understand pigs and enable this type of behavior.

Can your pig see? Excess body fat will turn into fat folds above his eyes shutting off the air and his sight out. A painful transition to blindness as his eyeballs infect under the skin and deteriate. As in all species it is up to us to determine the fine balance for them so that they are healthy and active. I have never met a pig unless medically compromised who will not spring to his or her feet with snout in the air and a waggy tail at visitors here who may come bearing treats. No matter what condition they come in, they are eager to meet new friends. In more cases seen today an over fed pig will be reluctant to get up, is cranky and is now medically compromised from being over fed.

An over fed pig will eventually not want to get up, not want interaction from any one new near him or her and is reluctant to get up for any reason unless to relieve themselves. There only active sense left is scent and if you’re not the feed wagon then its get away from me. They fall into depression because sight is poor and there inability to move freely may now hurt little legs because (possible arthritis now) they are carrying far too much weight. The heavier they are the smaller there world becomes and they will simply lie down and wait to die day after day as there existence is nothing more but being fed.

Companion Animals

Its been a hectic week with returning calls after work about unwanted pigs, pigs wanted and pig families who want to learn more about there new found family members.

The stigma society has surrounded pigs with is there biggest threat. Education is the key and I will get in any ones face who has a pig or pigs who needs a little or a lot of enlightenment on this very misunderstood species. And the knowledge i have gained in the last 15 years of caring for them at this point is free. Its what i do , for them..

Pigs for example are not happy when over fed to the point of loosing all there natural senses such as sight, sound and the ability to move around freely. Who would of thought , that a pig needed proper care as well. The stigma surrounding pigs has reached so far into the depths of so many, even respected educated caregivers find themselves short on adequate care.

Arrogance is blinding and deadly.

Why is it that humans separate certain species to be our friends when there are so many more to be friends with? It's a mind set i want to change.

I keep getting off topic as it the "Woof" campaign that PETA has begun that has stirred me this week.

Last week-end i got up and opened the gates for the pigs and most of them high tailed it out to the back pasture, but not my Rose. Rose is a 3 year old Yorkshire and she reaches about my waist height and must weight a good 450-500 lbs. Rose followed me around the house and into the carport where i started to flatten out a stack of empty apple boxes. In comparison , all of the pigs had raced out to the apple trees and yet here was my Rose at my side. With a pat and the odd scratch on her ear i set about my task and Rose kept me company. She playfully bit at the corner of one box and i asked her if she was going to help. I don't think she thought what i was doing was fun but clearly she wanted to spend her free time from the confines of her paddock with me.

My trusted companion then walked along side of me as we went out past the barn and to the back pasture where i shook the apple tree.

Now my dog was no where in sight this entire time but i had my pig with me.

Please Join us!!!

November 1st Fund Raiser!!!!!!!

Hearts On Noses is a registered, not-for-profit society in Maple Ridge that rescues, rehabilitates and cares for unwanted, injured, orphaned, abused, neglected and abandoned mini pigs.
Currently there are 27 Vietnamese Pot Bellied pigs , farm pigs and horses residing at HONS.

We’d love and appreciate your support!

WWW.HEARTSONNOSES.COM

DATE: Sat. Nov. 1 2008
WHERE: The Golden Spike Pub
3224 St. John’s, Port Moody
TIME: 6:00pm - 10:00pm
PRICE: $15.00 per ticket

MENU OPTIONS: A choice of 1 of the following 3 veggie plates:

1. Veggie burger with fries or tossed green salad
2. Veggie stir fry
3. Veggie pasta in marinara sauce with garlic toast

For tickets contact Wendi @ 778-882-9247 or email k9jungle@yahoo.ca
Or Email Janice see my email under my profile secion ;o))

50/50 Draw
Toonie Toss
HEARTS ON NOSES
Pub Night Fundraiser and Celebration of World Vegan Day

NOVEMBER 1ST


Tons of Prizes , 50/50 draws

Farm Sanctuary

Not much time tonight , its just started to rain and I have to get out there and feed the kids. but i wanted to point out some things i added to the blog. Susan is a dear friend of mine and the pigs here as she supports us all the way from Ontario. She has a herd of her own she has rescued and has set out to try and do even more for our precious animals by joining A Walk for the Farm Animal Sanctuary. You can read more about this wonderful organization and what they do from that link and maybe even help Susan reach her goal.

Note that PETA is also doing a campaign calling out to the world to see how clever our pigs are and how they should be our friends too. If you click onto the PETA link i have added, there is a cute test on there to play. Be warned the video on the site will jump from cute dog pictures to horrific treatment of farm pigs .

Its not just about the pigs

Driving home from work my mind was filled with thoughts about how this is more then just a place for pigs to go. Yes it is all about them , caring for them, loving them, but there is more to pigs then meets the eye. They have taught me so much about them that it must be true for all living creatures. My First pig Willy was a very good teacher. And yet it is a story about Barney that comes to mind.

There are 15 different piggy yards here and when i am home all the gates are opened so pigs can be free to explore the acreage. When i am not they are safe behind fences , from roaming wildlife. The morning i want to share is one where I had just watched another pig go into Barneys yard. ( i don't call them pig pens) . I glanced over just in time to see Barney herd that pig out, and then Barney put his snout to the gate and flipped it closed.

I kind of giggled and out loud I asked Barney " so what are going to to do now Barney, stay in there all day?" Barney then responded to my question by going up to his gate and putting the tip of his nose under the bottom of it. Very slowly did he move back wards taking tiny steps at a slow and steady pace so his nose did not come off the bottom of the gate. When he got it so far he then flipped it with his snout and opened it and came out.

Closing the gate could of been a fluke, but his responding the way he did after my question by opening it was no way by chance. He heard me and comprehended what i said to him, and his actions then answered my question.

When you meet a pig , know this!!! They understand everything your saying to them.