Come From Away

I called the vet and told them that I wanted to have my potbelly pig fixed… She asked me what was wrong with him.
He was the first pet pig that the vet’s office had seen, but as it turns out our vet is a pig specialist. He was great and quite intrigued by our little guy. He told us that his testicles were 4 times the size of normal “farm” pigs of his age. This probably explains his behaviour before being fixed. He spent most of his day chasing our poor old, arthritic, little dog. Japhy was not overly fond of Portobello’s amorous advances and told him so in no uncertain terms. This did nothing to stop Portobello…. “The heart wants what the heart wants,” I heard him say.

We dropped him at the vet at around 9:00 AM on Monday and picked him up an hour later. He spent most of the day sleeping and feeling depressed (who could blame him). He bounced back be the end of the day and was fine yesterday and today.

He’s a healthy 18 pounds. As well as getting shopped, he also received a shot to kill any parasites he may have. Dr. Lister explained that he has a pig specific mange which is caused by a mite and has been making him extremely itchy. They should all be dead now and he seems to be feeling a bit better. He’s not rubbing on all the furniture anymore.

His favourite hiding spot is under the rocking chair, but he ventures out to sleep in front of the fire. If we put him up on the couch, he will spend his evening snuggling with us. He even climbs into my lap for a scratch.

We told the kids that when they got home from school today that Mr. Portobello would be flying in from Winnipeg for a visit. We received a variety of reactions. Big “D” laughed and said that no one could possibly have that name. B & L were curious and a little concerned. Little “D” was excited and asked a few questions. He learned from these questions that Mr. Portobello was black and hairy, but he still thought that he was going to be a person. When I called K to say that I had him and that he was fine, I could hear “D” in the background asking if he could speak to Mr Portobello

The kids beat me home as there was a huge line up at the WestJet counter. I walked up and told the lady that I was here to get my pig. She responded with an expected “pardon me.” I then told her that I had a package to pick up and that I was told that I could pick it up at the WestJet counter.

He was very nervous and when he arrived. I put my hand into the “cat” carrier to try and tell him that everything was fine. It was the type of action you would do with a puppy… He snapped for my hand which was removed from the cage much more quickly than it entered.

He grinds his teeth when upset and this happened on every bump that the car hit on the way home. The kids were very surprised when I arrived. “B” asked how long he was staying for

He is now puttering around the house sniffing around things. The cats don’t care about him. The old men dogs are fine with him. They’d rather sleep on the couch than anything else. Molly is afraid of everything, so she is currently locked in her cage as she was getting a bit nippy.

No silly post about holidays and pictures of trees…

“B” was routing around in the closet and found my very old cowboy boots. I have no idea why I’ve kept these for so long, but I finally live in a place where these are tolerated and even considered fashionable in some circles.

I have not made my way to the store in them yet, but I have tried them on. They are sooo comfortable. It won’t be long before I am wearing them everywhere again.

Happy New Year!