Friday, October 10, 2008

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.

5 comments:

Jean said...

I am saddened by the many people who take on pigs and fail to provide them with the appropriate physical and psychological care - the right quanitity and quality of food and the mental stimulation they so much need which can be met through exploring their world and lots of interaction with their companions, both human and piggy. Even some good nurturing people who love their dogs and cats sometimes just don't get this.

Give Rose a scritch (and an extra apple) from me - she is such a wonderful piggy!

Vancouverrite said...

I think humans are the worst animals. What makes humans think that the whole world, including all the animals are at their disposal?
Keep up the AWESOME work!!!

Janice Gillett said...

Rose did get an extra apple this morning and a few extra carrots too.

I think everyone needs to read the Noble Eightfold path..
The need to be right has the same effect as a brick wall.

Thank you for commenting Vancoverrite and i agree, we do treat everything in this world like it is disposable commodity.

veganelder said...

What a great question: "Why is it that humans separate certain species to be our friends when there are so many more to be friends with?"

I just recently discovered your writing and am working my way through your old posts...I promise not to put too many comments up on the way but could not avoid saluting you for the above question. Absolutely true, true, true. We human animals limit ourselves so foolishly and needlessly...

Janice Gillett said...

Smarter people then me spend billions of dollars in a quest to find new life in galaxies far far away.. Heaven forbid we ever find them as look how we treat anything different from us down here .