Pigs: Scooter

It's the heat of the day and the pigs are resting lazily in the relative cool of their shelters. However, a certain runty, black and white piglet we like to call "Scooter" has already performed his favorite trick: escaping from (and returning to) the pig enclosure. Scooter is proving to be a handful.

A few weeks ago when Mr. Farmer went to collect the two breeder piglets he had bartered for and purchase a couple more for resale, he ended up with one more than expected. Scooter weighs less than 10 pounds and is learning to walk on a harness designed for a small dog. He is also learning to harass his litter mates by slipping out through a gap in the fence, having a little snack on the accidentally spilled food out there, then returning smugly to the safety of the enclosure. The little guy actually looks like he is proud of himself!

Scooter is so small and so quick that it is almost impossible to photograph him. Like most pigs, however, he is very social and does not like to be alone. So, on the few occasions when we have taken him around to show him off, we usually take our partner's new puppy, Ivory, along for company. They are becoming fast friends, and when they rest together I can snap a quick picture.

Ivory and Scooter in the Van

We spent the better part of a week closing up all the places in the fence where little Scooter can slip out. We will continue to board him until our buyer's new pen is constructed and he moves on to his new home. It is somewhat of a relief that we are selling him. We have had a lot of fun with him, and it would be a little difficult for me to have to be involved in his ultimate destiny. After all, runts don't get to breed- that just wouldn't make sense. So, until he's ready to move on, we are going to have many more adventures with him. I'm sure of that.