You see them in the pet stores every where now in the same place they sell pet pig food. Sold too dog people for there canine friends to chew on and yes they are real pigs ears. Last week an added chew box was filled with snouts , little pink baby pig noses looking up at me by the hundreds in a box. Pigs are slaughtered at 5-6 monthes so yes baby ears and baby noses. The public bought the pigs ears and accepted them so now they are testing the waters with snouts.
Have you ever looked at a pig picture and noticed the v notch cut outs in the ears? Pig farmers who claim they are a good bunch and treat the pigs well before they ship to slaughter.. The notches represent litters and vaccines and this is how they do it.
I bring this up because Scotch, one of our pot bellies has notches in his ears. He also had an ear tag, normally placed there when shipped across the state line after being in quarantine and suffering threw all there medical tests. He has a hole threw his ear now as we had the tag removed when he was neutered. Scotch is one of Jeans foster kids and he and i spent some time together under the crab apple tree today.
Scotch is everything magic and i told him he was a special pig as he has a deepness within him that comes from wisdom. One that when your eyes meet with his they touch your heart. He leans into you and genuinely loves you and he sings while you stroke his bristles much like a Mom pig does to her babies when feeding. Gentle oofs emerge in rhythm and i watch him give one of his sons a gesture you normally see a cat do, he leans over and rubs the little pig with his head in love.
After our time together, the bondng filled both of our hearts. I watched him a few minutes later spin and buck in happiness and this my friends is how all pigs should live and all it takes is love.
2 comments:
Yes: every time I see big bags of pigs' ears in pet-food aisles, I just want to curl up under a rock forever. I also can't imagine the people who have to do that job, getting those ears ready.....
Try not to think about it Janice. It's awful but I suppose no worse than bacon. Though for some reason it just seems worse.
Getting ready for the debate in October: I made sure that photos of sow stalls are on the posters advertising the event! Interesting that Agriculture promotes them but never wants the public to see them, isn't it?
Janice, that is beyond disgusting that they are now selling snouts. I hope I never have the misfortune of seeing them for sale, because it just might drive me insane.
The ear notching and tagging are another horrific thing. How can anyone accept that mutilation is ok? Two of our farm pigs arrived with tags and notches. After about 2 weeks, they allowed Bob to remove them. They stood very still, as if they knew he was removing the last vestiges of their old, horrible lives. He nailed them to the wall in the barn as a reminder to visitors of the cruelty pigs endure all the time. He wrote, "Your torment ends here," above it.
I know the precise feeling you describe when interacting with Scotch. There is just a depth to pigs, that is not there with any other animal I have met. I think Sue said it best: Pigs are magic!
Sherry
Post a Comment