Pigs Are Affectionate

win231

win231

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I walk around a large lake nearby almost daily. Many people walk their dogs there. Yesterday, a woman & her son were walking a baby pig. She was pink & really cute, wearing a matching pink diamond-studded collar. It was not a pot-belly pig; it was a regular pig like you would see on a farm.
When I started petting her, she flattened herself down on the pavement with all 4 legs spread out. Her owner told me that's how she shows that she likes her back scratched.
I'm a city guy & rarely see a pig, so it was a big deal. :)
 

How delightful. I love petting, stroking or scratching all sorts of animals and birds. I approach with caution though because if I disrespect a boundary I may regret it. I am particularly cautious of parrots and cockatoos.
 
I had my own sow on the farm as a young man, and it had a number of litters too. It loved being scratched behind its ears, though I agree, you should be careful before approaching animals that don't know you, (even then there can be injuries, as a cousin of mine was bitten badly on the leg as a young woman, by a nasty pig or boar, her father owned).
My sow had quite a nice life, as I found some rough ground, covered in brambles etc., and put a good fence around its shelter from rain or sun, and she turned over nearly all the ground seeking worms. My Godfather kept pigs all his life in his garden too, as a way of getting away from stress in a high powered engineering job, and to get away from the missus, (much as he loved her!). :) .
 

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For the last few years we've been helping to raise pigs. We've had several breeds starting with British Saddleback which were nice pigs, but tended to be very fat. Then we tried oxford Sandy and Black which had an terrible nature - didn't like them at all.
Recently we've kept Black Berkshires. The boars are much friendlier than the sows, so we prefer them. They have a good nature, but when they're hungry, you don't want to get in the way of a 200 lb pig!
 
When I was a little kid living in the country on a farm, the pigs in their pen were my favorites! I would get in their pen and visit with them everyday if I could.
I was told it could be a dangerous place to be, but I never felt threatened by any of them .. they were sweet as could be.
 
Bonnie said:
When I was a little kid living in the country on a farm, the pigs in their pen were my favorites! I would get in their pen and visit with them everyday if I could.
I was told it could be a dangerous place to be, but I never felt threatened by any of them .. they were sweet as could be.
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Ah well, that's where they lull you into a false sense of security!!!!!!!!
You should probably bear in mind any farm animal can seek to spoil your day, even a chicken, (or a cock chicken anyway, can peck and use their talons).
However, my father used to tell a brilliant story about a sow owned by my mother before they were married, that came with them to their farm to live. The sow had a new litter, and my father and the man who worked for him tried to approach the sow, (sorry cant remember her name right now), only to be both chased out of the pen. Whereupon my mother was called, and because it knew her, and had been spoilt and fussed by her alot, it just rolled over as quiet as you like! Two big men sent packing, along comes my mother, all five feet two inches of her, and everything as peaceful as it could be. :).
 
I was always amused to see an Okinawan man walking his hog along the highway every morning as I drove into work. That hog must have weighed close to 900 lbs. and all the man used was a very light leash. It was clear to me that they were "buddies."

Personally, I don't trust hogs at all.
 
Capt Lightning said:
For the last few years we've been helping to raise pigs. We've had several breeds starting with British Saddleback which were nice pigs, but tended to be very fat. Then we tried oxford Sandy and Black which had an terrible nature - didn't like them at all.
Recently we've kept Black Berkshires. The boars are much friendlier than the sows, so we prefer them. They have a good nature, but when they're hungry, you don't want to get in the way of a 200 lb pig!
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Hey, you get between me and the refrigerator and you deserve what happens! Now quit talking about me. LOL.
 
I took care of Leroy, a tenant's PBP, some years ago, when the tenant went out of town. The gal who was supposed to look after him never showed up. It was an act of providence that I did.

He stayed in his cage, napping, until the morning, when I'd show up. I'd let him out, and he'd head straight to the back patio, sliding door, waiting to be let out. He then roamed around the yard, having great piggy fun. I'd hang out for an hour, let him in, and feed him. We then watched TV for a bit, then back in his cage he'd go. I did this routine twice a day, for three days. Lucky for me, lucky for Leroy.

His owner eventually gave him away to a PBP sanctuary. I never understood people who could do that to a devoted pet. Oh well.......
 
When I lived in a small village in Wiltshire, UK, a very nice family there had to young saddleback pigs, or one may have been another breed, I cant remember for sure. The lady of the house had kept a few well trained dogs, (and in fact still had some dogs), and she had managed to train the pigs to sit just a though they were dogs, and they went in the house sometimes, just like the dogs did. I'd never seen anything quite like it, but then again if this very lovely, but formidable lady had told me to "sit" I guess I'd have complied too! šŸ·.
 
My cousin took up pig farming a few years back. When I visited, I didn't believe her when she said that she could call them by name and they would run right to her. Well, I'll be darned! It was absolutely true. But, I have to admit that I was a bit alarmed to have 400 pound critters racing up to us! They just wanted a good petting and a treat, so there was no real threat!
 
Em in Ohio said:
My cousin took up pig farming a few years back. When I visited, I didn't believe her when she said that she could call them by name and they would run right to her. Well, I'll be darned! It was absolutely true. But, I have to admit that I was a bit alarmed to have 400 pound critters racing up to us! They just wanted a good petting and a treat, so there was no real threat!
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What was their reward for being such intelligent creatures? Pig farming? Yeah, it's nice to give it such an innocent name. Let's all grow pigs and then just have them around, as friends, forever, right?
 
I wouldn't normally give names to anything I was going to eat. The difference is with pedigree livestock where they do have names. The initial letter of their names depends on the year of their birth.
The mind boggles at the thought of a 400lb pig. We normally send them to slaughter at 85 - 90 kg (190 - 200 lbs) - this gives a good fat / lean meat ratio.
 
Many, many years ago as a little kid when I lived on my parent's farm with over a thousand pigs. I made a small hole in the backyard fence to let the piglets into the "race track" I built for them ... loved to watch them race around cavorting like little lambs and dogs do ... so playful.

Then had a "pet" pig on the farm ... she was so gentle. Pictured ... me and my beloved pig LOL.

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There used to be the sweetest video of a little black mini pig settling himself in for the night under the covers of his owners bed.

He was quietly and happily grunting away as he tucked his little nose under the one end of the duvet, and then tunneled his way deep under the duvet.

It's too bad they grow to be so big, because they just look so adorable when they're at the mini stage.
 
Hogs are filthy critters. Hog farms must have mud wallows-pigs/hogs cannot tolerate direct sunlight for a lengthy period.
Mud coats their skin making a good sun blocker.
Mud and hog poo-not a pleasant smell.

Hogs kept in small pens become dangerous, will attack humans, if they get into the pen. (Perhaps it's the confined space
that makes them ornery.)
My memories of hogs is not cute little piggies, but 400 pound dangerous animals.šŸ·šŸ‘Ž
 

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