'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
No thoughts of the Piggy were filling their heads.
And Mom in her 'kerchief and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold but did not care about that.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
I figured the Piggy was free and into the trash.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the luster of mid-day to the objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus with eyes full of tears.

He unchained the Piggy, once so lively and quick,
Last year's Christmas present, now sad, thin, and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the Piggy's name,
And the Piggy ran to him, despite all his pain.

"Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!
On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
This Piggy needs a home where he'll be loved by all!"

I knew in an instant there'd be no gifts this year,
For Santa had made one thing perfectly clear.
The gift of a Piggy is not just for the season,
We had gotten the Piggy for all the wrong reasons.

In our haste to think of a gift for the kids,
There was one very important thing that we missed.
A Piggy should be family and cared for the same,
You don't give a gift then put it out on a chain.

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't given a gift, you were given a life!"

~ Author Unkown

I am so frustrated!!!

Saw an ad on Kijiji today for more piglets that will be ready next month. The guy/gal sounded sincere, and probably was, but was SO off base with the info he/she was providing about pot bellied pigs. He/she was saying that they stay small (which is rarely the case. Mine are all 110+ pounds), that they don't need regular hoof trimming (not true), that neutered males do not grow tusks (all 4 of my neutered males have impressive tusks and I have stitches in my leg from trying to break up a pig food argument to prove it!!!), that any farm vet will handle your pig and it's needs (I speak from experience that this is NOT true...we have spent MANY hours travelling with Tucker because the vets around here were not familiar enough with pot bellied pigs to deal with them if/when they become ill (their words...not mine)), that they can be fed hog grower (which is true, I suppose...it won't kill them, but hog grower is made to grow pigs fast for slaughter, not to keep them healthy for a lifetime) and the best yet was when he/she said that they are no more destructive to your yard than most puppies. Puppies outgrow digging, pigs never will. I challenge a puppy to have the strength or perserverance that a pig and it's snout have! (Please view pictures several posts below to see the damage mine have done in a matter of hours...and keep in mind that they do this DAILY! It's not "bad"...it's what pigs were created to do and you will NEVER stop it.)

I feel like getting the truth about pot bellied pigs out there is a never ending battle when things like this happen. This breeder did offer a surrender option where if the purchaser was not able to care for the pig he/she would take it back, and I applaud them for this, but what about the people who read that false information and decide to get a pig from someone else? I wish these people would take the time to look into what is happening to these pigs when (usually) sincere but very misinformed people bring them home. All they have to do is stop trying to make them sound like something they are not, so people are able to make an informed decision BEFORE bringing one home. The lies being told about them in order to make a few dollars is so sad. I wish breeders would take the time to look into what is happening to these pigs. Supply and demand is a terrible thing. Baby pot bellied pigs are in high demand...so they are being mass produced for profit. Unfortunately, adult pigs are not and shelters are full to over flowing with them once people realize that the babies grow to be large and very dificult to handle.

This make my heart hurt so bad

http://flaglerlive.com/14476/pig-sanctuary-euthanized

What is unbelievable to me is that they spent the money to kill these pigs instead of using it to help this poor woman who was devoting her life to trying to help them. I do believe there were problems here, just put yourself in her position and look at the magnitued of what she was doing! But she was doing the best she could and needed HELP!!! Where was the help? People just don't realize how HUGE the problem is with unwanted, abused and abandoned pigs. PEOPLE are causing the problem and the pigs pay the horrible price every time. Those of us who care about these pigs are left trying to pick up the pieces on small budgets and little time, and getting told we are not doing enough or doing it right.
I am so sorry Lory. May they rest in peace now.

...and the Saga continues

I am a little scared to even post this. If nothing else, it will let me know how often my dad checks in on my page. I haven't told him yet that I have rescued yet another pig. He doesn't understand just how much these little guys and their horrible plight in life means to me. I'll put off the lecture as long as I possible can. (Take a few deep breaths before you call Dad, please! I know what I am doing!!! :o))

We are the 3rd home in less than a week for this little one. She's a 4 month old white pig. One blue eye, one brown eye. Very cool. Quite a contrast to my 4 black ones. She was purchased from a breeder in Camrose, and now the landlord doesn't allow pets in the house. Shouldn't that have been checked first??? Probably more likely that the owner realized that pigs are not dogs. They require a lot more time and patience, and are NOT suited for the trailer court he was living in. With this, I am assuming that this guy was her first home...who knows? She could have been passed through many homes before she made it there. The people who bought her next bought her for someone else, but the someone else didn't want/or couldn't have her...I didn't quite understand the situation. She was about to be shipped to the NTW yesterday, to "a place" the man said "where she won't last". So why ship her there??? I do have to say, the man did agree to give her to me even though he was wanting to make his money back on her. I applaud him for stopping to think about what was best for the pig. It seemed like it was a VERY impulsive decision on someone's part, and after a little thought it was obviously the wrong one. She was posted TWICE on Kijiji (2 different owners) last week as "URGENT!!! Pot bellied pig MUST go ASAP!!!" When will people realize that these guys are NOT toys? They have needs and feeings that get SO overlooked. This poor little girl is only 4 months old. She SHOULD have just left her mom a month ago, yet she's already gone through at least 3 homes. This has to stop.

She seems to be in OK shape, although she has a good case of mange and has various blisters on her nose pad and ears. She was also being fed horse feed (go figure???) I have isolated her, dewormed her and started her on proper PBP food. I expect she will be fine in a week.

I don't have any pictures on the computer yet, but I will post some as soon as I do. She's pretty sweet. It's easy to see at this stage in their lives how they can be marketed as sweet, easy to handle pets who will always stay small. It would be cool if that were true, but it's not. When the guy who dropped her off saw my boys, he was horrified that PBP got that big. He was (as is normal with someone trying to sell a pig) told that they stay very small. She was marketed in this way right from the breeder. When I contacted the breeder to let her know what was happening, she offered no help or any interest in taking the pig back. To me, this is just not responsible. The attitude that "what ever happens once they leave my house is not my business" is what is contributing greatly to the problem of unwanted and abandoned pigs.

Please Read...the truth of the "fad" just breaks my heart.

I didn't write this either, but every word is true. This has to stop!!!

http://www.9sites.org/tour/sanctuary/potbelliedpig.htm