June 13, 2016

Unexpected Visitors

Saturday morning as I was getting ready to go out for chores I heard Dan calling me to come quickly. I ran to the back door to discover we had a pot belly pig in the yard!


There were two of them. They were not willing to be caught, but they were willing to follow Dan into the front pasture for food.




We had no clue where they came from, so Dan called the county animal control to come get them.


Hopefully the person who lost them will think to look for them there.

Unexpected Visitors © June 2016 by

31 comments:

deb harvey said...

what makes you think they were lost and not dumped, like kittens?

Leigh said...

That occurred to us as well.

Several months ago one of our neighbors came over and told us he'd seen one of our pigs out. Puzzled, I quickly ran to check on them, but both Waldo and Polly were where they were supposed to be. Our neighbor came back later and told me he'd found where they lived, and that the people were looking for a new home for them, were we interested? I gave an emphatic no.

When these unexpected visitors showed up, Dan went to ask this neighbor who owned those other pigs, but the neighbor wasn't answering his door. So Dan called animal control. Those other pigs knew how to get out of their own yard, but if someone did dump them, we never heard their vehicle. So it's hard to say for sure.

Dawn said...

I would have thought they were abandoned by some-one

Leigh said...

It's possible, although we know from experience that pigs are escape artists. In the above reply to Deborah Harvey, I mention someone else's pigs getting out and being mistaken for ours. But considering those folks didn't want theirs and they probably knew about us from our neighbor, they could have dropped them off. The only reason we can't assume that for sure is that we never heard a vehicle.

Theresa said...

Hopefully their rightful owners will come forth and if not, they will be adopted by someone who does want them.

PioneerPreppy said...

cute little buggers though.

kymber said...

i have to agree with PP above (something i hate doing - bahahahah!)...but they are so cute, i think i would have kept them!

sending love. your friend,
kymber

Farmer Barb said...

They will keep coming back like feral cats since they got food there. Good luck!

Ed said...

Having raised pigs for years, they are indeed escape artists. I have always thought they were more intelligent than dogs by the way they were able to figure things out. We went through many locking gate designs before we were able to find one that worked, a chain and caribeaner. For some reason, pig feet are not able to work a caribeaner.

Leigh said...

I definitely agree. Folks do love pot bellies, so I think there's a good chance of that.

Leigh said...

Cute, but I still like the AGHs better. :) So even if we were still set up for pigs I wouldn't want them.

Leigh said...

That's assuming the owners retrieve them from the pound and fix their fence! Having had a number of escaped animals ourselves, I'll give anybody the benefit of the doubt the first time around. After that, I'd chalk it up to neglect, and those pigs would make a nice addition to the stores in our freezer. I read that pot belly pork makes very fine eating.

Leigh said...

I'm taking notes, Ed! So far our pig escapees have gone under gates and fences (or through chicken gates and doors), although Waldo once managed to bust through a join in the fencing. We've learned that standard welded wire is not the best fencing for any livestock, so I've been attaching cattle panels to weakened sections of the fence. Sometimes, however, it takes a new escape to find the next breech in the fence.

Renee Nefe said...

It sure seems that these pigs made themselves at home in your pasture and enjoyed your food. I hope they find their way to a good home.
Our Police department posted a picture of a found dog this morning...a neighbor to the dog says this dog is an escape artist who regularly gets out and always goes back home. I'm wondering why the family has neglected to escape proof or make the dog want to stay at home. Of course I live in the land of dog owners who drag their dogs to the hot festival of burning hot pavement and no shade.

Michelle said...

I hope they find their rightful home, or a new one!

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

What a shame, those pigs had to of been running loose for a while. Glad to hear you were able to feed them, and hopefully animal control will pick them up and make sure they get to their home or get them a new one.

Ed said...

In our gestation barn, we had metal tube gates made of welded tubes about 3 inches in diameter. The darn pigs crushed the pipes in short order into flat ribbons of metal and then flexed them often enough to break them. After learning of the power of their jaws, we went to a heavier gauge steel pipe fence and that worked well other than the locking which we eventually figured out. The other alternative for large areas was electric fence but even that had its problems. The pigs knew it was there and knew it would hurt running through it but would do so anyway to get them back to where they had just been. When we switched them around, it took two or three days of putting them back in the pen they belonged before they stopped running through the fence. Once they were satisfied with their new home, a simple two strand electric fence was enough to keep them contained.

Kirsty said...

How odd, I hope they find their old home or a nice new one.

Debbie - Mountain Mama said...

They're so cute!! If I take them will they scare away my bear...and eat my slugs? :)

Anonymous said...

LOL - we have been "gifted" with tons of critters - gimpy horse, llama, sheep, goats, chickens - the list goes on and on, BUT - never any pigs?!? We have an auction about 1/2 mile away - we are the closest farm to it and I guess our's smells inviting - hee hee - anything that gets loose, ends up here. It's ok - the whole county knows us now, so they know where to look. (Secret: I think our animals let it slip that we take very good care of them - so they all want to come see- LOL). Must be something special about you and yours! Congrats!

Leigh said...

I'm guessing you had the standard size breeds. I think our small Guinea Hogs could have done the same thing if they were bigger!

Leigh said...

It's work to take proper care of animals. I think some folks don't get it that fencing and leashes are to protect the animal, not just confine them. There's a trailer park down the road and since it's outside of city limits, people let their dogs roam freely. We've had to dissuade more than one dog from wanting to chase our livestock, and we will protect our livestock. We've seen a few dead pets in the road from being hit by vehicles.

Leigh said...

Michelle, me too!

Leigh said...

People do like pigs, so I'm thinking someone who will love them properly will adopt them.

Leigh said...

Kirsty, our place seems to be a critter magnet! They all end up here. Fencing has helped curb that somewhat, so once we get a gate across the driveway we're thinking that will put an end to that.

Leigh said...

I have no idea if bears are scared of pigs, but I'm guessing pigs like pork as well as anybody. For slug control, you need ducks!

Leigh said...

I would love to be gifted with a llama! You're probably right that they sense the well-being of your critters, as opposed to the auction yard, which I'm sure is reeking with fear.

Kev Alviti said...

Randomness makes life so interesting!

1st Man said...

It's the unexpected moments that make us smile. I'm glad they found their way to you because you made sure they got taken care of by someone. Better than roaming around to an uncertain fate. Keep us posted on their ultimate resolution, if you find out of course.

Leigh said...

And life in the country becomes random no matter what the routine. :)

Leigh said...

I don't know if they'll update us or not, but we sure do hope for a good home for them.