Pigs Who Need US!!

What a brutal couple of weeks its been here with all this rain! We have moved 60 yards of gravel to create a solid base in some of the wetter areas and still have 20 yards left to go. And with this when you raise the ground in one area you create water problems in another, as the water travels to the next paddock. Drainage is needed big time and i pray we get our grant request from the Vancouver Foundation to help us with this.

The gravel is a sand mix which is giving some solid footing however it is also where i am feeding some of the pigs. My concern is the sand they will get on there noses , i don't want any obstructions caused by sand being swallowed. I have got to get the bark mulch down.

The SPCA contacted me regarding a neglect case. A little pig with out adequate shelter has been seen huddled up next to the house under eaves trying to get out of the weather. She dug her self a barrow trying to create a nest for herself and if she hadn't arrived here that hole would of been nothing more then a wallow by now. Suzy is here and is in an emotional mix of depression right now and is resting warm and comfortable for the first time in a long time. She is refusing food left in her bowl but the sprinkled do-nut was met with enthusiasm as was the hand fed sliced apples last night. One of her rear legs may require medical care as she is favoring it and cries from her house had me race outside but it is her trying to right herself from laying on her side. She needs a bigger shelter and one i can throw wall to wall carpet under her hay so her hooves have something to grab onto to make it easier to get up. I do this for the senior pigs too as hind ends weaken from old age.

Two more pigs need new homes and both here in the lower mainland. One little girl after being attacked by dogs was brought into be euthanized. But good people at the clinic nurses her back to health and her rescuer reaches out to me now to find her a good home. This Delta Piggy sporting her Princess garb at the clinic here.

Then there is Lenny who has gone from a house pig to a farm not far from here who simply needs more then his new family can give him. He gets up to potty, eats and then goes back to bed. He is a big boy that needs someone special too work him out of his depression and spend some time with him and show him a new world.

Well off to do a pumpkin run, wish me luck!!

The Cost Is Mine And There's.

I knew something had happened at the pond when i came home from work Thursday and my fish weren't in there spot for dinner. Friday morning the pond looked empty but i needed to do water and dishes for the pigs and i went to work here.

Before i go out a facebook message tells me of a pig being advertised for free and i send out a message to Jean on the Island.

I scrubbed all there dishes, the water tubs and a few pools i left out to use as a water catch and a wash basin for the trays and dishes. I did the horses big live stock tank too and was pleased by late afternoon all my kids had fresh waters.

The sun was out and because i had all day to do this i enjoyed the day here while spending time with all the pigs. Instead of rushing by to get the job done i stopped to love on my babies. And Roscoe and i spent a glorious few hours going for our walk around the acreage. Out back he found some lush grass and i found a huge rock to sit on and watched him graze as his long tail wagged continuously.

I came in the house about 3 and was wet and tired and had a quick shower , made something to eat and had a rest before it was time to feed them all. A few hours later i came in here to sit down for a few minutes i looked out the window and to my horror there was a blue heron standing in my pond fishing.

Saturday is join up for volunteers and by 9:30 it was obvious it was just me and my sister. Nancy would do stalls and would work half her time out there for the horses and join me in the pigs pen work after. By 1:00 we were out of steam and the pasture still needs more clean up and the largest piggy pen is left as well as Roscoe's.

Sunday i was expecting visitors as well as someone new who wrote me about helping. I haven't been off the property since last Tuesday except to go to work and needed to restock the pigs supplies. The animals here are no different from your cats or dogs who need to go out early . The only difference here is there are 45 animals here - 41 of them outside who are expecting breakfast at the crack of dawn. My work out there starts right away which is why i book all visits in the morning.

A surprise from Chris who has five hours left on his community hours i got him started on the big piggy pen and i worked in the yard and on Roscoe's. And as i did i also i fretted over the pond and how i would have to net it now. Once my visitors left i would race to get the net in town at the pond supply store. I would add livestock wire first to save the remaining fish while i left here as Chris would only be here until noon.

By 11:00 and none of my visitors here yet , i made the decision to go to town now and get the net so Chris would still be here to let my visitors know i would be back and his presence would keep the herons away. If my visitors arrived on time once the tour was done i could race back to town to get produce for the pigs for our week ahead.

I got back at almost noon and Chris offered one more hour to help and so i raced against the clock to get this project completed as i expected to have to stop to greet my guests. I had to cut down all the bull rushes and remove them from the pond. Remove all the boulders holding the wire down , remove and roll up the wire and prepare to drape the net without it laying in the water.

Chris left and i worked as fast and hard as i could as there was a huge mess in my yard now that needed to be cleaned up and at 1:45 is when my morning visitors arrived here.

I am tired now and so are the pigs that are out and yet the peanut butter and jam sandwiches are distributed. Carpets for the inside kids put away and apples were much appreciated. I can't barely walk now as i have been on my feet for three days working here and i am out of steam physically and emotionally. I try to be gracious and friendly but i was so tired and no way could i now get to town to buy a weeks worth of produce needed for the pigs.

I had two hours to rest before feeding dinner and i haven't eaten all day .. and when i do feed the pigs i am exhausted. And Soda only added to my day by bumping me out of the way at the gate when i went into feed. She is in heat and food is the furthest thing she desires. I chased her around for about two hours in between feeding everyone and no way is she going back in. She is in a pen with 11 others and its pretty hard to get a pig in without letting the entire herd out for a free for all at 9 o'clock

And during the day i am fighting the emotions in the store and here while i work and tell the pigs stories to my visitors i want to cry my heart out for my fish who i didn't protect here. I am watching the birds who arrive to the pond for a drink or a splash trying to get to it. And if i find a bird caught up in this net i will loose it.

Once back in the house i sat here and Jean has contacted a family we placed a pig earlier this year and they have agreed to love this one off of facebook too.

Its Monday and i need a day off but i have inside work that needs to get looked at... and its 9 so i better return some calls here and then get out and feed the kids.

Bits And Pieces

Where do i start , its been a while!!!

Lets see i contacted B.C.Corrections to see if i could get a crew here to move the rest of the gravel. They arrived last Friday and all new faces except for one and every one of them reached out to shake my hand , how nice of them all. They worked so hard and got it all moved. Some of the guys trimmed some low branches and dragged them off into the bush for me and they even blew off this long driveway.

I will need another load of gravel or two and then i will bring in the bark mulch. And yes i will see if i can get the guys back here for that too.

Pam and Dave report in on there new charges and judging from the behavior of Bossy Boots and new boy Rocco making kissy face at the fence we think he is not neutered. And on top of Bossy pushing her way around and heading up the ramp in any attempt to get to him almost clinches it. A few pictures it is hard to tell by looking at him but yes it appears he may still have one nut in there. ( judging the classic look of 'elephant skin' in between his legs on one side)

I never even thought to look at Rocco when we were loading as there previous keepers wrote he was neutered. Easy to assume when in the time he as been with them he showed no interest that way in his mate i guess. Perhaps these precious pigs had a mutual understanding of her pain.. and he closed himself off from those urges.

Angel is pretty crippled up and we agree its time to call the vet in now as they have had enough time to settle in there. The vet there admits his knowledge is limited but he is a good man and listens to Pam's concerns and acts on them with the utmost safety and care. Rocco has two incisions from someones previous attempt,(poor baby) but this vet skillfully neuters Pam and Dave's boy. A script is left for Angel and we hope this brings her comfort , time will tell.

I just got off the phone from someone whose family is loosing the acreage and they have a pig. His name is Lenny and at about 4 years old is in her words not living a good life there anyhow. The family who had Lenny originally had contacted me a little less then two years ago. I begged them to keep him as i was in the middle of listing my acreage at that time. I never heard back from them after my email to them and the next time i heard about Lenny was when this lady called me for some help in his care. Poor Lenny needs a forever home now.. one that will love him and give him what he needs. I will go down there tomorrow and get a picture of him to share and i will try and find a good home for him. sigh...

And a call like that removes the flow of writing for me as there is someone I am worried about now.

Happy Thanks Giving everyone!!

Rain and Kisses

Do you remember the sad picture of a piggy needing a home a few months ago? Oh so fat and laying in a garden box .. look at the love she is getting now from my dear freind Pam and Dave.



I drink my first cup off coffee here at my desk which over looks the pond. I look for her every morning but my big gold fish has not returned to the surface to eat for weeks now and her friends have regained there trust in my movement again.

It appears a year has almost gone by since i moved here and we are still not ready for our second winter. There is a large pile of gravel that needs to be moved and frankly I'm going to need a ton more. And then on top of that must lay hog fuel which is the less expensive form of bark mulch. All the sheds need bedding added and for sure one roof needs to be replaced or at the very least tarped. Panda needs to be neutered in the following months as he has lost some of that fat and there is the worry of Penny ..Penny can't poop at all as i have been aiding her months now.

We go in spurts here from fabulous help to none at all and in the middle of that stretch is not enough. I wonder if those who arrive on those fab days think this is the way it is here all the time, for those who wonder no its not.

I did pick up part time work and the job is mine as long as i can get the numbers up. Part time could lead into more hours but right now it is only covering half of what i need to pay the mortgage , tel , hydro and cable. If anyone needs some auto glass work or residential windows replaced our mobile crew covers a lot of ground so please email me. The security if these few hours is also security for the pigs here.

Short post .. the rainy season has returned and its not raining now so i am heading to town to fill up my truck and stock up for the week.

Cathy???

You left a message on my answering machine but didn't leave a number to call you back.

Help Delivered

Over a month ago someone brought to my attention two pigs being given away on Craig List and I immediately contacted the keeper of these pigs requesting him to remove the ad and give me control over placing there pigs. Thankfully he removed the ad and agreed to work with us.

Face book was something I hear about and had many invites to join but i put it off as it would only add to the amount of things i had to do in a day. But if not for Face book i would of missed out on meeting some great people and one pig and then two more pigs might of missed out on finding a great home.

Some rescuers have a small fleet of volunteers able to rotate attendance and every facet of the rescue is covered from book keeping to fund raising. I am not so fortunate but the pigs friends around me are worth there weight in gold.

Alexandra works for a cement company and she went to her boss to ask for help for us. Friday night a dump truck with trailer dropped off two loads of gravel for the pigs paddocks.

Pam and Dave drove from Sorrento to help me for the week-end and they arrived Friday as well. We fed the pigs and talked until 1:30 in the morning and then woke up on Saturday and began moving the gravel.

Melissa, Dylan and Sue who each sponsor a pig drove out from downtown Vancouver with bags full of treats for the pigs and then the girls scrubbed piggy dishes and filled all the tubs with fresh water. Dylan helped out with the gravel.

Mike arrived to use up some of his hours he needed to get in and he started to move gravel into Roscoe's area as well.

I had started picking and raking piggy poops and then Lee and Laurie arrived to help me. They unloaded a car full of apples and treats first , broke down my cardboard and then refilled there car with our recycling. Then they took off and called out they would be back and they did and with lunch for everyone.

Can it get any better then this???????????

Meanwhile Jean on the island is working on a grant proposal for the pigs and a random visit by two friends who just happen to also sponsor 4 pigs arrived with a van full of produce!

Its a PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!! and so much is getting done!!! I wish i had of taken pictures and thankfully Melissa took a few and shared.

When work was done for general animal care then all of us jumped in and were moving gravel. Everyone body stayed as long as they could and it was just short of a full day. By 5;30 Pam and I were tripping over our feet and no way could i tip one more wheel barrow. Down to the Mill Pub for dinner and another night that ended late as we talked about pigs as we all could forever.

Sunday morning we drove about 40 minutes east of here but on the way home for Dave and Pam we stopped and picked up those Craig List pigs and off they went heading into paradise.

Last night Jean and I worked on the grant with emails and long distance telephone calls and completed it this morning.

Pam and Dave have reported in a few times updating me on the pigs progress in there new home and not without a few medical challenges. They are loved deeply already and have gone from scant bedding to heat lamps, blankets and deep nest of fresh hay. Both pigs are eating well and have felt the sun on there faces today and love in there new surroundings.

An extraordinary week-end and to all of you who made all of this possible from all corners of B.C. to another thank you so very very much.

Pond Wars

When I first came to look at this place i saw the pond and noticed the few gold fish still alive in it. I worried as the past seller must of left them behind and was the current renter feeding them ? This was too be the beginning of my emotional attachment as even when i returned for a second look in desperation to find a place i had bought fish flakes to ride along with my Realtor.

When i bought i knew i had several more responsibilities in the way of fish and bought only the best fish food and learned about winter and summer feeding.

A few weeks ago i also learned about this weird creepy bugs attached to some of my bulrushes were empty shells of the pond bugs who emerged as beautiful dragon flies. A magic pond ..

And my seven large fish, turned into 14 large fish and and so on. Last week i stopped counting at 39 babies swimming around. This brought a new dilemma of how big my pond was, and how many fish it could adequately support. And as a rescuer this only means i will eventually need to find good homes for some of these fish. Everything I do is reflected from my work with animals as clearly as the fish in the water. And my mind filters threw the process of adoption such as who hangs out with each other, is there pond sufficient and is it protected from predators?

My little pond is very close to the house and surrounded by all these pigs. I smugly thought we were safe here.

Several years ago gathering up and sorting donations for an upcoming garage sale, I pulled out two decoy ducks. Ducks which will lure other ducks in , who will see there mates and join them at what must be a good food source only to be blasted out of the sky. These ducks would be retired to my Moms garden until last week-end.

Mom arrived on Thursday to spend the night and brought the ducks with her and we released them into the pond. We smiled in delight watching the ducks sail away threw the grass in my little pond.

Monday morning i was sitting at my desk and happened to see the flash of large white wings at my pond. Flying out there in bare feet i scared the large crane and it jolted my biggest gold fish out of his mouth. Screaming "you killed my big one" i cupped the big fish in my hands. She MOVED so i put her back in the pond and thanked God for her life and hoped she would survive her ordeal.

My heart pounding i sprang into action to get a make shift scare crow out there and searched the Internet for ideas on how to protect my fish. I was sick about it, and with them all in hiding the days before me would tell me how many that big bird swallowed before i saw her. The whole ordeal knocked the wind out of me and i mourned as i would for any of my friends in trouble or killed all day. I never left this window and and that bird came back as i saw her shadow overhead and saw her pattern change in flight when she saw my scarecrow first and then me running back out there. At 6:30 that same day a heron flew in and i just happened to look up from the tv and scared her away.

Why now!!!!!!!!!!! Why after all these months are these birds flying in here!!!!!!!! THE DARN DECOY DUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMDAWG """"DECOY"""". These big birds flying over head did see these plastic bills and seeking out good fishing saw two in my pond doing just that. Sick that i did this to my fish i got them the hell out of there.

Yesterday I spent all morning putting chicken wire around the edge of the pond. As both these big birds landed and then walked in. I also flew into town to the pond supply place to buy what ever i needed but they were closed. I ended up going to a few Loonie Stores to buy some whirly things i had seen before. Hoping the movement of these things would keep these birds at bay.


My big fish was laying at the bottom of the pond this morning and i can see torn scales on her from where that big bird's beak had a grip on her. An hour later she is swimming again and i should be working on my grant right now. But i do love them all and my fish are as dear to me as any of the animals here and i pray she makes it.

Sheep Wag Tails too

The only thing different is how we treat them...

Jack Of Hearts

Hearts On Noses goes to various events trying to raise awareness of there work and ultimately funds to support it. I have always worked full time and am currently looking again after moving and now must as my insurance has run out. When I attend these events it takes a huge sacrifice and adds to the work load to pull it off. There is is only so many hours in two days off and when the first day off is catching up on routine piggy paddock clean up the second day is left for buying what ever is required for the work week ahead. Not any different from any body else except my extended family who must be cared for consists of 45 large animals. It will take truck loads of groceries , truck loads of hay and of course i will also have to put it all away.

Now in between I will fit in my own groceries, if there is room in the truck or return to town again for me after. Like any one else i will do a little clean up as things go in the fridge , things will be tossed and this goes for my feed room too. Most will take a garbage bag out, I will fill up my pick up truck after i tear down the cardboard boxes and gather up all the empty feed bags, tie it down or tarp as required by the tipping station.

Some say " well i do some of that after work at night". I feed 45 animals when i get home from work at night. There also will always be someone here who needs special care, special food and several who will need meds or supplements. The amount of time can suck up 2 1/2 hours every night.

I am also running the charity here which consumes the same amount of time as any small business would with paperwork, accounting , filing and customer service for people and pigs in need.

Now where am i going with all of this well when i do an event and it sucks up all the time i need to do everything else it has to be done after work at night. So for a week or so after work I am picking up hay and then putting it away and apologizing to every animal here who is weeing, whinnying, meowing and whining for there dinner. Everything will be set back and it will be a peanut butter sandwich for dinner for a few nights for me.

One of those nights after such a week-end event i left work and headed to the grocery store and planned on the way home to feed first and then put groceries away.

I pulled in the driveway and when i got out of my truck I heard a pig oofing very excitably to my left. This was the voice of a little pig not one of my big pigs who live in that direction so my first thought was "who got out"? All the pigs are safe in paddocks when i am not home.

Out from behind the house emerged one very excited little piglet and one I did not know. Gone are the days of emotions like panic as when your doing rescue your life is full of constant surprises. So when it registered this was a new pig i hoped when i went to grab a bag of apples to entice him with that he had arrived here alone.

This baby boy pig was not neutered and in a state of excitement having landed in a place full of girly pigs , some who weren't spayed due to age or health reasons. He was literally "foaming at the mouth" and racing from one paddock to another! He didn't want my apple offering, it was girls he wanted!!!

His capture on the two acres would require some help and thankfully back then i had a good volunteer who brought her husband along for the fun. We got this little pig corralled in a corner while he made advances at one of the girls . Tacked up a sheet of plywood to keep him there and then went and got a crate. Once in the crate with no empty pens i went to the barn and prepared water, food and a hay nest for the little tyke. The horse's would have to eat outside for a few weeks until i could get him neutered, accommodations, a house and a pen.

Once we got him settled in and some space between him and his desires , Jack Of Hearts was welcomed home. 2 hours have gone by and i still have to put groceries away and i have another mouth to feed.

I never found out who dropped him off here or what his story was but he is one of the Noses now.

And events i still try to fit in, but catch up is brutal.

Tea Cup Pig

Four years ago a family wrote me after they had visited friends who were raising pigs for slaughter. They left after there visit with the runt of the litter fearing he would get trampled to death by the other pigs in his pen. They brought him home to there suburban home and fixed him a cozy place in the kids play house and then looked for a home for him and emailed me.

And what luck for this little pig as i actually had a great family who wanted to adopt a pot belly pig and were keen on a farm pig too. They visited the Sanctuary a few times and with pre-adotpion approved I did the home check too. I made several recommendations on the pen and care and little baby Roscoe would surely move there. In fact the night before his arrival i supplied the hay , the water dishes and a baby portable pen to be used.. He was just a baby and still only Tea Cup size ;o))

Contracts signed with a promise from the family to have him neutered before 3 months old as these pigs grow up fast and he was too teeny at this time. Two months later i began my phone calls at about every two weeks urging them to get him done. My last call just prior to Christmas was met with a strong promise from the family that i wouldn't need to worry, that baby Roscoe would be taken care of.

A few months later i was on the road and realized i was driving right by where Roscoe lived. A hot sunny day i pulled over and jumped out of the truck and me with no treats grabbed hand fulls of lush grass and walked up towards his enclosure on this 5 acre property.

The family was outside and the women seeing my arm full of grass asked me "do pigs like grass"? This was a HUGE red flag for me as that comment alone told me many things about how this pig was living. Gads them not knowing if he liked grass meant they never gave him hay at least to sleep on because then they would know he would eat it all and this also told me he never got out of the pen. Because if he was out on this rich grass he would be eating mouth fulls of the stuff and they would see that.

And as i walked by the man i asked him if he had Roscoe neutered and his reply was a 'nope" and i felt the anger welling up in me.

Roscoe now 4 1/2 months old was laying in knee deep mud in the same small pen big enough for a pot bellied pig not an animal 3x times that size.No hay for bedding and his water trough was bone dry. He welcomed the grass i brought him and now i was really mad.

Not pulling any punches i exclaimed this pig was not living like a companion animal , " you didn't even know if he liked grass??? " and no water , this pen is too small for him and don't you ever let him out???? I was met with "well we were thinking bout getting rid of him" .. and my reply " I'll be taking care of that!!"

I got to tell you when Roscoe and I go for walks around the acreage he follows me like any good dog would. Stopping to nibble now and then and then brushing his big self next to me as if he needs to confirm I am here for him and this brings him comfort as he expresses his love . He will dash off to explore on any given day but return to me 15 minutes later to confirm i am indeed here, like a child would do with his Mom. He welcomes me each time with throaty hello's and we catch up on news from when he last left my side.

His is huge and this picture shows you just how big he is in front of my friend Karen's truck. In person however the only thing big about Roscoe to me is his inquisitive nature and the security he needs from me when his big self gently brushes my side.


Will add pix later as Blogger is giving me some grief here ..