CALIFORNIA POTBELLIED PIG ASSOCIATION, Inc.
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Sadie and Lucy
Sadie and Lucy
By Gina Horton

We brought the 5 little pigs and 1 dog (Sadie) down to Devore to live with the other animals on Sunday. Blending 9 pigs and 3 dogs together, along with a cat, a horse and 3 people can have some interesting consequences...

When we brought Lucy (piglet) home in August she and Sadie (dog) took one look at each other and an instant fight resulted. They hated each other and came to blows quickly every time they were introduced. Since Lucy (who usually started it!) was so much smaller than Sadie we decided to keep them in separate yards and never in the house together. They had learned to tolerate each other at a distance under supervision as the weeks went on.

Sadie tends to be high strung, so we decided that for everyone's safety we would keep her on a long tie-out when we weren't in the yard or when we were feeding. Gradually she was settling in nicely and learning to get along with everyone. Sunday morning we finished feeding and I came into the kitchen to wash up. As I looked out the window I couldn't believe my eyes! Lucy had Sadie's rope in her mouth and she was "walking the dog" back and forth along the fence line! Sadie followed obediently, apparently enjoying the attention of the pig she despised not so long ago! Back and forth they walked, probably 20 times! Clearly, everyone was getting along, so I ran outside to let Sadie off her rope and watched in further amusement as she and Lucy raced up and down another fence line chasing the neighbor's dog! Lucy is faster than the dogs now!

But the real shock came the next morning. Lucy sleeps inside with us but wakes up early most mornings. I usually let her out and go back to bed. That morning when I came out a little later to feed the beasties Sadie walked out of her house, and Lucy followed behind her! They were sharing Sadie's house! Our pigs and dogs never choose to sleep in the same house so this was a real surprise. Sadie now follows Lucy all over the yard. If one of the other pigs starts to push Lucy around, Sadie gets between them. Apparently she has decided that Lucy is HER pig. Actually Lucy thinks she is one of the dogs. She is with them more than the other pigs. This morning when we came back in from a ride around town on the golf cart the 3 dogs and Lucy greeted us at the gate. Lucy looked up at Sadie and took hold of her name tag for a moment, in an apparent gesture of affection.

But the absolute icing on the cake: Last night when Lucy came in for the night she laid down at my feet while I was typing at the computer. I noticed she was chewing on something (not unusual!), and chewing , and chewing... Finally I decided that this must be more than lip smacking and reached down to find out what she had. She dropped it, with complaint, and when I picked it up it felt rubbery. Almost... like... gum? I sniffed it: Juicy Fruit!!!! She had gone into our daughter's room and rooted through the pig sty (ha!) in the closet and come away with this prize! When I caught my pig chewing gum I realized that any illusion I had of control evaporated! Clearly the animals run this place, not me!

PS. This morning while I was sitting at the computer I heard a commotion outside. I went out to find the neighbor's 2 dogs, which run the street unsupervised daily, in our yard & our dogs lined up at the gate barking furiously. And there with our 3 dogs, was dog #4: Lucy! "Barking" at the intruders alongside her companions!