There are lots of days here when it seems like the patients are running the asylum. As soon as I think I have everything under control thats when ...well you know.....it gets crazy.
Pablo is often the ring leader when it comes to chaos. A pig wants what a pig wants. Today was definitely one of those days. Senior Pigcasso decided to break down his door. The new door I put up to keep him safely in his own quarters instead of chasing chickens and gobbling their food. The door worked well it's just the hinges that gave way. I guess it's back to home depot for industrial strength hinges. He knocked over everything in the feed house denting all the metal feed containers , opening packages and pulling down rakes followed by an all you can eat buffet . He doesn't look agile but where food is concerned he's a portly gymnast. His little rampage ended with him knocking on the back door, actually knocking isn't what he was doing, he was gouging the back door with his tusks. The dogs inside registered protest and I opened the door to find Pablo looking pleased with himself. I was slightly bewildered. I couldn't figure out how he got out. I just reinforced his house.
Pablo is supposed to be nice and warm inside his pen instead he was shivering, I let him in to warm up before I investigated his escape route.
He visits the house on occasion for supervised family time. In the summer when he's wandering around I will often call him in for a treat or to show off one on his tricks for guests. He usually is in a hurry to get back outside. There si a lot of pig business to attend to in the summer time.
Today he wasn't visiting he was moving in. Apparently he is sick of winter. We are all sick of the ice rink that now exists in the back yard. I guess he's longing for spring as much as I am. I can't wait to see the first green shoots. I can't wait to stop shuttling buckets of water from the house to the barn because everything is frozen. We could all use a trip to Florida.
Letting him in turned out to be a huge mistake. He remembers living in the house when he was little. He immediately went upstairs . I tried to stop him by offering his favorite yogurt, he growled and pushed past me. He's huge and he has big teeth. I ran up ahead of him as he lumbered up the stairs and shut all the doors. This did not stop him , smart little bugger remembers that the bathroom door opens when jiggled. I have tried every possible bribe to get him to come downstairs and return to the barn. He refuses, food doesn't work because he has already stuffed himself. I finally gave in I guess he wants to sleep over tonight.
Tuesday Morning- Pablo is currently winning every battle
Well cinnamon buns, yogurt and cheese will not even bring him down 1 stair. This is starting to become a big problem. He keeps blocking the door not letting me in. He growled the entire time I was showering and getting ready. I had to move all towels and take everything out of the cabinet for protection. The rug is already toast. I was sick of red anyway so he is sort of doing me a favor. Now I can get the heavenly aqua blue ones I almost buy at every trip to Target.
Pablo was moved to the barn because he tore up the entire bathroom floor while I was out shopping. In his defense the floor was ugly and old. He also had developed the habit of knocking over tables and chairs removing radiator covers and chasing the dogs. He thought of the entire house as his and got angry when we had any male visitors except children and my son David. He enjoys ripping blankets or anything thats cloth to shreds. In addition he hates my boyfriend and all men in any kind of uniform. He scared the wits out of a plumber by showing his teeth in a menacing gesture. He doesn't bite but it looks like he might. Obviously our roommate situation wasn't working.
Dave and I mostly Dave, built him a nice little condo in the barn. He has his own yard a heat mat and heat lamps ,air-conditioning . He has toys a tether ball a wading pool and space to root. None of these amenities seems of interest to him in the freezing winter. He ignores his toys and shows no interest in playing ball. I keep his door locked because the ice outside is dangerous for a big guy with little feet. He is constantly trying to get out of his pen to chase other farm animals. I let him out into the big yard each afternoon. He proceeds to try and break through every fence he can. I follow him with a squirt bottle to stop acts of vandalism. His condo has had many security revisions.
Wednesday afternoon - The Coup Continues!
As the day turned into evening , my sweet friend stopped by for a surprise visit , wine in hand. Our visit was cut short when she asked to use the bathroom. She isn't exactly an animal lover maybe cats but definitely not big hairy pigs. She shook her head in irritation and invited me over to her house. Yeah , well , I can't exactly leave a destructive sherman tank free to roam the house unattended. He knows cupboards contain food. Looks like all social engagements are off until Pablo is safely back in his own little abode.
At my wits end , after I tried everything I could think of , I had to resort to deportation by force. I was getting worried because at this point he hadn't eaten very little in 40 hours. I decided to give him a meal and then drag him out of the bathroom on a leash. He deplores leashes. I had to distract him with treats. Pigs don't see well and a hungry pig is very interested in treats. He was furious when he realized I had lassoed him. He immediately started thrashing and growling.
It is amazing how loud my normally quiet pig can be. His conversations are frequent but they consist of low grunts and cute little squeaks. Not today, In between 30 decimal screams he lunged and took swipes at me with his tusks. The ensuing tussle broke a table and scratched newly painted walls. He was no worse for the wear but I have a few bruises and walls to paint. He enjoyed the game of pull and scream . It took 45 minutes to get him down the stairs and another 30 to get him outside. He is really strong , at one point as I was being dragged back up the stairs, I thought well maybe the pig is going to be living inside until spring. He is litter trained after all.
Tomorrow I am building him a home in the basement with access to a side yard. I guess he just isn't happy in the barn. I don't want him to be sad. At least he will be closer and the dogs and I can visit him. He will lose access to the feed house which is a good idea all around. The chickens can breath sigh of relief and Gracie my sheep won't have to fend off unwanted advances. Since I put him back in the barn he refuses to acknowledge me. It kind of hurts my feelings. He won't event take treats unless I drop them. Normally he rolls over for a belly rub. tonight he snuggled in the straw ignoring me. Hopefully when he sees his new place he will forgive me for extricating him from the house. I am pretty sure he is outside planning his next move, a move that will take me by surprise. Pigs are smart like that.
Pablo is supposed to be nice and warm inside his pen instead he was shivering, I let him in to warm up before I investigated his escape route.
He visits the house on occasion for supervised family time. In the summer when he's wandering around I will often call him in for a treat or to show off one on his tricks for guests. He usually is in a hurry to get back outside. There si a lot of pig business to attend to in the summer time.
Today he wasn't visiting he was moving in. Apparently he is sick of winter. We are all sick of the ice rink that now exists in the back yard. I guess he's longing for spring as much as I am. I can't wait to see the first green shoots. I can't wait to stop shuttling buckets of water from the house to the barn because everything is frozen. We could all use a trip to Florida.
Letting him in turned out to be a huge mistake. He remembers living in the house when he was little. He immediately went upstairs . I tried to stop him by offering his favorite yogurt, he growled and pushed past me. He's huge and he has big teeth. I ran up ahead of him as he lumbered up the stairs and shut all the doors. This did not stop him , smart little bugger remembers that the bathroom door opens when jiggled. I have tried every possible bribe to get him to come downstairs and return to the barn. He refuses, food doesn't work because he has already stuffed himself. I finally gave in I guess he wants to sleep over tonight.
Tuesday Morning- Pablo is currently winning every battle
Well cinnamon buns, yogurt and cheese will not even bring him down 1 stair. This is starting to become a big problem. He keeps blocking the door not letting me in. He growled the entire time I was showering and getting ready. I had to move all towels and take everything out of the cabinet for protection. The rug is already toast. I was sick of red anyway so he is sort of doing me a favor. Now I can get the heavenly aqua blue ones I almost buy at every trip to Target.
Pablo was moved to the barn because he tore up the entire bathroom floor while I was out shopping. In his defense the floor was ugly and old. He also had developed the habit of knocking over tables and chairs removing radiator covers and chasing the dogs. He thought of the entire house as his and got angry when we had any male visitors except children and my son David. He enjoys ripping blankets or anything thats cloth to shreds. In addition he hates my boyfriend and all men in any kind of uniform. He scared the wits out of a plumber by showing his teeth in a menacing gesture. He doesn't bite but it looks like he might. Obviously our roommate situation wasn't working.Dave and I mostly Dave, built him a nice little condo in the barn. He has his own yard a heat mat and heat lamps ,air-conditioning . He has toys a tether ball a wading pool and space to root. None of these amenities seems of interest to him in the freezing winter. He ignores his toys and shows no interest in playing ball. I keep his door locked because the ice outside is dangerous for a big guy with little feet. He is constantly trying to get out of his pen to chase other farm animals. I let him out into the big yard each afternoon. He proceeds to try and break through every fence he can. I follow him with a squirt bottle to stop acts of vandalism. His condo has had many security revisions.
Wednesday afternoon - The Coup Continues!
As the day turned into evening , my sweet friend stopped by for a surprise visit , wine in hand. Our visit was cut short when she asked to use the bathroom. She isn't exactly an animal lover maybe cats but definitely not big hairy pigs. She shook her head in irritation and invited me over to her house. Yeah , well , I can't exactly leave a destructive sherman tank free to roam the house unattended. He knows cupboards contain food. Looks like all social engagements are off until Pablo is safely back in his own little abode.
At my wits end , after I tried everything I could think of , I had to resort to deportation by force. I was getting worried because at this point he hadn't eaten very little in 40 hours. I decided to give him a meal and then drag him out of the bathroom on a leash. He deplores leashes. I had to distract him with treats. Pigs don't see well and a hungry pig is very interested in treats. He was furious when he realized I had lassoed him. He immediately started thrashing and growling.
Tomorrow I am building him a home in the basement with access to a side yard. I guess he just isn't happy in the barn. I don't want him to be sad. At least he will be closer and the dogs and I can visit him. He will lose access to the feed house which is a good idea all around. The chickens can breath sigh of relief and Gracie my sheep won't have to fend off unwanted advances. Since I put him back in the barn he refuses to acknowledge me. It kind of hurts my feelings. He won't event take treats unless I drop them. Normally he rolls over for a belly rub. tonight he snuggled in the straw ignoring me. Hopefully when he sees his new place he will forgive me for extricating him from the house. I am pretty sure he is outside planning his next move, a move that will take me by surprise. Pigs are smart like that.
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