vietnamesepotbellypig

Hubert gets saved (for real, this time)

2011-03-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hubert has been rescued. He has been brought to Popcorn Park Zoo in New Jersey where he underwent surgery to repair 2 broken nails and have his hooves trimmed. He will remain at Popcorn Park for the remainder of his quarantine (he can't leave Jersey) and Susan said it looks like she might already have someone interested in him. She said he was a VERY nice, and a VERY good pig! :) (Latest email from my daughter, Adrienne)

Hubert gets saved

2011-03-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am married to a woman who would do anything for her mother; after all, this was the woman who pre-chewed her food for her as a young child (they couldn't afford the better cuts). Hubert, although cared for by my mother-in-law for the last year because she felt compelled to do so, would soon fall into disfavor for some inexplicable reason--or, I fell into disfavor and she took it out on him. In any event, my wife tried for a while to find Hubert a home. Being unsuccessful at it, she resorted to calling the Animal Control Department at North Bergen, NJ. I'm not sure of the details but she got the ACD to come for Hubert. She told me at the time that Hubert would be taken to a farm. It sounded suspicious so I said that I would follow the vehicle to wherever they were taking Hubert and assure myself that he would be taken care of and not used for target practice. It was a lie, they were coming to euthanize poor Hubert.

I sent off a volley of email to all eight of the Jimenez kids and one of them, my daughter Adrienne got involved immediately. She, along with her significant other, Sean Martinez, began to try to find Hubert a home. They soon communicated with Susan of PigPlacementNetwork.com who said that Hubert could be cared for while they found him a home. There were bureaucratic problems concerning Hubert's overgrown hooves and his weight problem. The vet seemed to think that Hubert's interests would best be served by putting him down. To shorten a very long story involving a cast of dozens of people, Susan did not give up and got the Animal Control Agent and the vet to turn Hubert over to her care. He's going there this Monday where a wound incurred in transport would be cared for and Hubert would be rehabilitated (put on a diet) in preparation for any possible adoption. Susan's organization has found homes for a thousand pigs so far.

Hubert was never my pig but I felt sorry for the way he got obese and fat folds over his eyes kept him blind. Even in his condition, he was always the assertive pig but never mean although to most humans he appeared mean--he wasn't, he was just being an assertive pig. I can't tell you the immense relief I felt when this woman from Pig Placement Network, this angel for the swines, came through for Hubert. The donations from our family are pouring into her charity as we speak. It costs 100 dollars a month to care for a pig like Hubert and we will do all we can to support him in his adventure at Ross Mill Farms.

Finally, I'd like to thank Adrienne Jimenez and Sean Martinez for coming to Hubert's aid. The Animal Control Agent, Jeffrey, whom I berated with outlandish insults and who took it all on the chin knowing I was irate out of frustration in having failed Hubert, is also thanked for not letting the bureaucracy get in the way. I also thank Dr. Carlos Triana for letting me bring Hubert his favorite food while he was in the vet's care.

Hubert the Introvert

2010-01-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

Hubert has degraded to a pig. Poor Hubert, lifts his body from the bedding and poops right there. When he urinates, he moves over a few feet. We have no explanation for this behavior other than the fact that he is morbidly obese, can't see because his face squints out his eyes, and drags his pot belly on the ground. The latter may account for why he hates to walk beyond his bedding--he hates the cold of the basement floor.

We have taken steps to put him up for adoption where he might enjoy and socialize with other farm-like animals. However, we think it best to slim him down some so that he can become more "placeable."

My advice to those who may want a Vietnamese pot belly pig is this: be careful where you buy from. We bought Hubert from a breeder in Texas who gave us a breed that grew to be 3-4 times the size of an average Vietnamese PBP. Secondly, if you can't get any guarantees on size, get one only if you live in a more temperate climate like the Southern U.S. If he's going to live indoors in the winter, you'll regret it.

Hubert, stop faking hunger!

2009-05-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Hubet used to get up in the middle of the night and ask my son to give him something to eat. My son, a pushover for animals, obliged but cursed the day of Hubet's transport to Jersey. But here's the clincher: last week, my son went with his girlfriend's family to P.R. on her graduation party--in that time, Hubet hasn't bothered anyone for midnight snacks.

What this tells me is that, if Hubet thinks he can get away with something, he will. If you present him with a dilemma like his customary afternoon snack never came and he cant' get at you to nudge your foot to get you going to do his bidding, he will fall back on a standard behavior like napping or taking a stroll but only if he has been well-fed. If he's really hungry, I don't think anything will deter him from his carb addiction.

Ever since learning of a pig's most "human" embryology, I have always elevated them amongst the other animals. Recently, though, I've been convinced that certain behavior is innate and nothing you do short of some Cesar Milan modification (yo, my man, don't take any grief from those University Brits who have no appreciation for the work you do), can change things. When Hubet is given food that he thinks he "found" by himself, he will, if you try to pick up any of his found food, snarl at you in such a manner that you instinctively withdraw your hand. When things like that happen, I repeatedly pound his forehead with the soft of my fist. This leviathan can hardly acknowledge it and must surely be thinking, "what the heck, I did see it first, grunt, grunt."

Hubet has gotten more respectful. Last year, he would have just plowed in to Grandpa Melnyk's tomatoes; this year, he travels a memorized route (I think he's at least partially blind). Some other animal, though, got his teeth on some peppers and Grandpa Melnyk built some barrier that the "Man against Wild" man would have built if he had been given an entire minute. Oh, you should see the ghetto in Old Man Melnyk's anti-Hubet fences: wire, old stakes, cardboard, scrap sheet metal. All personal filial people note, I really don't care if you step in front of train to save his life, I will tell the world the truth regardless of consequence--that's what writers and scientists do.

Hubert's dilemma

2009-04-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hubert better watch his butt. Paranoia might set in and people who don't know better will start thinking that pigs and swine flu pandemics simply don't go together. In actuality, you are more likely to get swine flu from another person than you are from a pig but mob mentality is so hard to control.

Hubert has been demanding food at night. We don't know what to do about this behavior. Any pig-whisperers out there?

A Pig by any other name

2009-04-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Hubert is not a dog or cat. Anyone who dares to endow a Vietnamese Pot-bellied pig with canine/feline characteristics is in for a rude and crude awakening. Hubert cares about food and mud baths. There is nothing else this animal would entertain with his very smart brain. (This is why Russians choose to train bears and the French choose poodles. No one opts for a pig.) A pig bullied his way into a part on Charlotte's Web and I think one lead part but if you have one for a pet, he will disappoint you. He will amaze you on his many ways of manipulating you into giving him food but he will not do what you ask of him if it kills him. OK, they are too smart to piss you off that much but if there is a way to get past you, he will go for it. They can afford to do it. They are built like the proverbial Sherman Tank. Luckily, he is almost always on the defensive. Offensively, he only feigns an attack with dogs or human strangers.

I ask God every day to help me tolerate this beast and his modus operandi. I know fully well that it is not his fault that my son purchased him thinking he would remain a petite pig--what an oxymoron that turned out to be.

Hubert detects La Primavera

2009-03-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

Hubert ventured outside yesterday on a day which may have made him think of Spring. He went to his old pooping grounds and then went back inside. I was at his side the whole time. I mentioned before that I thought he was blind. The Jury's still out. There are signs that point to blindness and signs that point to just poor eyesight. If he's blind, he sure has the map of his surroundings etched in brain. He goes from point A to B with no tripping or bumping into things but if he senses an obstacle in his way, he gets real close to it before stopping. That might show that he's nearsighted but who knows, it might just be from his very deeply-set eyes or from the reddish eye gook (sorry) that accumulates and which he delights in eating (double sorry).

I've gotten him used to a peanut butter treat at midday. I mix it with raisins and feed small globs to him with a spoon. I love plastering it on his palate. He gets back at me by wiping his snout on my pants when it's dirty. He's got some freakin nerve, this character.

Hubert hates the cold

2009-02-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hubert or Hubet as my Jersey City Mother-in-law calls him (Are all JC inhabitants descended from Bostonians?), is acting like a duck out of water when it comes to the cold. He has refused to poop outside in the back yard. Instead, he has opted to use my work area. He dutifully uses the newspapers that I lay out for him and always goes within 30 minutes of being fed.

At one point, early in the Fall, I took out his rug "bed" to clean it. When I replaced it, he refused to use it and moved out of the little cozy cubicle that we had in the basement. This meant that we would have to find a way to keep his blubber warm. We have a heater going but kind-hearted family members (all of us) have taken to keeping him covered being as he is incapable of covering himself--much as he tries. He loves his Jets polyester blanket placed so as to cover him from head to toe leaving only his snout exposed (God forbid he should miss detecting the presence of a meal). Often, we'll see him arranging his bedding. It almost looks like he was creating a mud hole for himself out of ripped apart bedding (he tries to move the fabric while stepping on it; after all, he doesn't have any problem when he tries to rearrange mud ;).

He still loves to have his belly stroked/scratched and immediately lays down in order to accommodate me. He still doesn't grunt much except for extreme displeasure. Now, I can hug him without it sounding like he was having his throat slashed. My oldest son is in the habit of creating impromptu family surveys and others have taken to creating these. Ben created one: "If you can transform a family pet into a human that you could chill with, whom would it be? The hands down favorite was Hubet possibly because he seems so lonely chilling by himself all the time even though, apart from food and belly scratches, I don't think he has much need for human companionship. Proximity is something else; if we locked him out, I think he would break down the door just to get inside the basement.

Feeding him by hand would be fearful to the uninitiated because he's often so voracious; but like a dog, he knows to be totally gentle with the hand that feeds him.

Hubert goes into chill mode

2008-11-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

My son started college away from home and, it seems, Hubert hasn't been the same since. He just mopes all day long and lays on his bed and just goes out to poop. He is also a lot less vocal these days even when he's hungry which isn't often. His food often goes uneaten (never his fresh fruit or peanut butter, however). We'd be worried but he really hasn't lost any significant weight. Of course, just laying around how much weight can he lose. He used to like being stroked with a brush; often lying down immediately so as to give access to his belly but that's a thing of the past.

We suspect that he may be sight impaired because he gets awfully close to objects before sidestepping them. He seems to be using his sense of smell to guide him. When walking along a paved narrow walkway, he will swing his head from side to side as if he's smelling either side of the walkway.

I want the old cantankerous Hubert back.

Hubert starts his Summer

2008-06-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hubert has an excellent sense of timing, as do dogs. At 3PM, Hubert comes out into the yard and waits for me. I have discovered that if you stick to a schedule, you will not hear a peep out of Hubert. VPB pigs are great at figuring things out. When his food sources were random, Hubert did nothing but complain about his next meal.
When we settled into a schedule, Hubert had the patience of Job. Not only that but he seems to require less food! We've cut back on his calories and he's slimming down--well, at least his belly is not as rotund as it used to be.

If you miss his accustomed feeding times, Hubert will be very vocal but if you go up to him, pet him, and tell him some story, he'll shut up and follow you 'cause he knows you mean well. I love Hubert. A few days ago, I found out that he's illegal in our town. His owner, my son, has vowed to move into another, more progressive town in order to keep Hubert from ending up in a petting zoo.

Just a note about his "crankiness." If you chill with Hubert, you will find that he occasionally grunts and tries to "bite you." In the hundreds of times he has done this, he has never bitten me. What I think is happening is that he is frustrated over not being understood, so he feigns belligerence. That's right, he acts like a cranky bastard until you do what he expects from you.

In these situations, I merely scream out in Spanish, "Maricon, hijo de puta," and slap him lightly on the face (I mean LIGHTLY--like you might do if you had to fake it in a Hollywood movie). Hubert will quiet down and wait for you to try and "understand" him. Many of these "attacks" have come when Eddie (our Jack Russell) is around and he wants to let you know that Eddie upsets him. He never has this reaction with Abbey (our pit Bull/Terrier mix). That's because Abbey always shies away from him.

Hubbie and "the dogs"

2008-05-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Hubert hates Eddie. Eddie didn't really do anything to him or at least not anything that we witnessed; but, just to smell Eddie is enough for Hubert to start grunting up a storm. I actually ran an experiment where I petted Hubert with my left hand and then the second I switched overt to my right hand (that had previously petted Eddie), he showed his displeasure. WE NEED a PIG WISPERER. I actually felt Hubert's teeth on my hand.

I'm going to determine if it's Eddie or dogs in general that Hubert dislikes. I'm going to pet Abbie before Hubert and see how he reacts.

Another anecdote with regard to dogs and Hubert is when my daughter, Adrienne, the Veterinary Assistant, came by to visit after work. With her, Hubert was much more of a a "cantankerous bastard," as a friend of the family had pegged Hubert. We surmised that Adrienne, dealing with dogs all day, had--to Hubert--smelled like a dozen dogs caught in the rain.

I've never been as understanding with other animals as I've been with Hubert. I ask myself how I would feel if my only tools for conveying information to a caretaker were a snout, a mouth, and some grunts. I allow Hubert to feign biting me because that's a built in "word" for him to convey displeasure. Hubert, to his credit, always lets me "fight back." He never escalates the fight except perhaps to keep grunting for he must have the last word especially on issues that are important to him (food & chillin).

A quick note on his sense of smell. The other day I poked my head through the basement door. I looked to see if Hubert was around. He wasn't eating so he must have been in his room about 25 feet away from where I stood at the door. It was just a momentary look and I was on my way. As I ascended the stairs to my room, Hubert came out grunting for me.

Hubert shows hi s displeasure

2008-03-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

"Dad, will you come and look at Hubert. He's acting a little strange," said my Son, Andre, this morning. I went out on the porch to look out towards the yard. "Do you think he's all right?," continued my son.

Hubert had been laying across a flower bed for about 15 minutes according to my son. It was unusual only because it was a very chilly day with a nasty wind chill added on. Hubert preferred his warmth. I said to myself that he might have had a fever; knowing that animals under God's care usually know how to take care of themselves.

I told my son I had no idea what was wrong but I wasn't too concerned because my son managed to call him into the basement

Well, a few hours passed and I saw Hubert chilling with my daughter on top of the hill at the far end of our yard. I went out there to do what I usual do with Hubert (walk him, scratch him, and bring him back for some fruit treats). On our way back, Hubert had seen me take down a rug that he had used for most of the winter and which was cleaned and laid out in the Sun for drying. At the point where the rug had hit the ground, Hubert started sniffing and refused to come with me into the basement.

I took the rug back into the basement where I was going to lay it out in his room. My son stopped me and with paint roller in his hand and said that I wasn't going to be able to set up the rug because he had moved a whole bunch of stuff into Hubert's room temporarily. Aha! Poor Hubert had been expressing his displeasure over what Andre had done to his sleeping quarters. The poor thing had no room to even turn around.

In the chilly air, poor Hubert was telling us that he didn't like what we had done. When he smelled his old rug, he was telling me that he wanted his life put back the way it was.

When an animal acts strangely, when he refuses to do things he's always done, you should stand back, look at the situation and figure it out. They act differently for a reason. Find out why and maybe God will look down upon you a little less harshly for having taken an animal away from nature and into human society. IMHO.

Winterizing the Pig

2008-03-05T11:37:00.001-08:00

Hubert, I discovered, doesn't like snow--he thinks he's going to sink into it. He also doesn't like slippery surfaces like ice-covered sidewalks--he hates it when he slides. It's related to his dislike of hills or slopes. Hubert is a pig who enjoys his low center of gravity and anything that threatens that joy soon becomes an object of scorn.

During a particularly nasty climate in NJ, Hubert had the hardest time leaving the basement to venture out to the yard to poop. I finally had to entice him with dried apricots onto the patio. He normally avails himself of the lawn but, being that it was snow-covered, he would not go there. Still, no pooping. Then I saw him trying to dig into the hard patio surface. I reasoned that he was looking for evidence of earth. Apparently, that's there main criteria for suitable defecation surface. I got some of his old poop from the compost heap, added some dirt and threw it on the patio. Hubert then lifted up his tail because, for him, or was right with world. Prior to this episode, Hubert had used his own carpet to defecate. Why? Well, it was because the carpet had not been kept very clean of mud and the smell of dirt had triggered Hubert's release of poop.

Concerning brushing, VPB pigs definitely need it to get rid of large skin flakes that stick to their hair with a tenacious static electricity. This year, we're looking into the possibility of buying skin conditioner by the gallon. Speaking of hair, Hubert is growing the most splendid "Mohawk" atop his head. His hair has grown to a length of 3 inches over most of his body.

Hubert's Frosty Winter

2007-12-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

I thought Hubert would not venture out on the cold being that he's from Vietnam and is not equipped for the cold but that turned out not to be his main concern.

When faced with snow, Hubert apparently tests the first inch or so and decides that it may be some kind of swamp or quicksand and will not put his full weight on it. I know this because, after shoveling the snow down to the ground, Hubert determined that it was safe and went out to do his business. But, interestingly, not until I left him alone near the door to the outside to contemplate the situation. While I remained at that door, Hubert kept trying to tell me that he would prefer for me to come into the basement and give him some goodies there. I was not about to give in to him and proceeded to walk away into the yard to play ball with the dogs. Sure enough, he was soon in the yard grunting about why he couldn't have stayed in Texas where it was warm all year long. [he was born in Texas].

I also noticed on a previous day, where the ground was covered with just a dusting of snow, that Hubert needs to recognize (smell) the ground. Only after he digged around with his snout did he poop and pee.

Hubert is also terrified of icy conditions. If he detects that he may slide, he does not continue along the same path but finds an alternate route around. Aren't we all like that? Afraid of the road less-traveled.

Hubert is very good at pooping and peeing in areas that are removed from his bedding and his food dish. Yesterday, he had to "go" but Grandma, who usually lets him out in the morning, was not around to open the outside door. Hubert went into my son's (his owner's) room in the basement and pooped there. [My son's room had been left open by Grandpa who needed to make sure that my son, vacationing in Columbia, had not left any heaters on.] I should have suspected something when, later that day, when I took him for his walk, his volume of poop was greatly diminished. My son had told me that these pigs hold their poop for days if they have to in order not to do their business near their living quarters. Ha, Hubert had determined that the operative words were "out of sight" of your living quarters.
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Hubert chilling in the Fall.

2007-11-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

This is Hubert taking his daily walk with me. His tail it not up in the air which means he's not fertilizing the bush. I don't know if it's intentional but Hubert has a preference for plants. It's almost as if he knows that if he does for them (the plants) they'll do for him (berries, leaves).

As you can see, he's kind of exotic looking--very Asian eyes.

He's become very tolerant of Abby, one of our two dogs, but he still gets upset if Abby tries to come into his "room" where he sleeps.
The weather is getting colder. It's now nearly December but the cold days that we've had do not seem to bother Hubert. He still ventures into the yard and will chill underneath his favorite table if the Sun is shining. I think his black coat keeps him somewhat warm. We'll see what the Winter holds for his majesty.

Hubert at a garden wedding.

2007-10-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is Hubert at my son's garden wedding in July of this 2007. He cleared away the mulch and began to make himself a mud bath. He was the hit of the wedding and was very well behaved but then, people were feeding him food all day.

Hubert gets a taste of his own medicine

2007-09-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

There we were; a bunch of us gathered in our backyard. Our neighbor had some relatives over and one of them wanted to see Hubert. He didn't need much prompting because wherever there is a crowd, there is Hubert smack dab in the middle of things.

I took out some soy nuts so that the relative could see Hubert munch on something. But Eddie, our Jack Russell Terrier, asked for some for himself. Now, Eddie does not particularly like nuts but being a JRT he wanted some of the action. I threw some near him and Hubert went over to get them. Well, you'd think someone was trying to abscond with Eddie's meat chunks. He growled at poor Hubert and faked biting him. Hubert was flaggergasted and walked away. I gave him more soy nuts.

BTW,I figured out why Hubert always seems to be in the middle of things. It's just that he isn't very nimble and must plant himself like a log if he is to be at all social.

Green Pig

2007-07-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

Hubert is a jealous pig. I've noted that if he and I are alone, he grunts little. If I start talking with someone else in the family, Hubert will start to "complain" by grunting loudly. I seems he requires the undivided attention or loyalty of his most immediate "family" member [perhaps the one who feeds him]. I like to think that he is just "joining in" the conversation.

Hubert has a love for company. Yesterday, I invited some neighborhood girls to pet Hubert. They enjoyed him as they would have enjoyed a puppy. Today, Hubert remembered the petting and took off for the front of the house where we had first encountered the girls (he never goes there unless I lead him there). After a bit of waiting where no one showed up, Hubert returned to the back of the house but not before trying to taste the mortar that I had just used to repair some cracks. Luckily for me, he listens to me when I call out, "HUBERT." Interestingly, Hubert always listens to me when I speak to him; but if I should physically try to move him, he complains loudly before finally acquiescing.

If I have time, I'll try to record his many grunts to see if I can garner any meaning.

I promised to talk about Hubert's excrement (aren't blogs great?). As I told you earlier, Hubert plops down some real doozies. But they are great for seeding grass. I mix the poop with water, soil, and seeds. I then spread it around bald spots. If I keep it watered, seeds sprout in 3 days.

By the way, pig manure stops smelling within seconds of landing on the ground. Within minutes, it can be scooped up without any of it sticking to the tools (I use a hoe and shovel). I maintain a compost heap of sorts. When the turds come in, I cut them up with a straight hoe so that they decompose more efficiently. I'll mix them with soil which I water and turn over every two days or so.

This blog is about Hubert, the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, but I'd like to tell you that I found the flies interesting. I've noted two different species, the common house fly and a red, elongated fly. If the red flies are on the turd, the house flies stay away and vice-versa. The flies stay on the turd only for a few minutes. When the turd dries out the flies take off but they will return if you re-wet the manure.

As concerns Hubert's lovability factor, let me tell you about my 15 year-old daughter. She had acted like she didn't like Hubert because of the way he treated our Pit Bull mix terrier, Abbey. My daughter and I argued good-naturedly about Hubert and she, at times, had me convinced that she didn't care that much for Hubert. Today, however, I caught her hugging Hubert as he lay on the ground; it almost seemed as if she were apologizing to him for "being mean to him." No one who knows him can hate him.

However, the following caveat applies: If you are doing any yard work, Hubert must, if it's not a hot sunny day, be in the thick of things. He will come over to you when you are working and ask if you are foraging. Because foraging in the yard is the only activity he understands; what else would you be doing there? He will come over and sniff around and stay there until he figures out that there is nothing to be gained by lingering. If he determines that you offer nothing to eat, he will head for the nearest shade.

These pigs do not sweat and must be near a heat sink at all times. The purpose of the mud bath is to cool their bellies down. He is so consistent with his shade requirements that I think he might explode if left in the Sun.

Yesterday I discovered that Hubert would rather drink from a leaking hose then drink from his stainless steel bowl that is filled with the same water. Go figure!

Hubert GentleGuy

2007-06-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Grandpa has been barricading his tomatoes against Hubert but the truth is he is turning our yard into a third world country shanty town and, all for naught, because Hubert only goes into the yard when I let him in and he is quite the obedient pig. All I have to do is call out his name and he steers away from the tomatoes. Of course, if there is a tomato leaf sticking out, he's quick to grab a bite. He also likes dandelions but only those hand-picked by my neighbor Juan. Today, I discovered that he likes crabgrass. There are several other plants around the yard that he nibbles at. Junk food includes: pizza crusts, maple syrup, soy nuts, peanuts.

For some reason, although he has a sweet tooth, he will not eat watermelon, sweet peppers, and mangoes. My theory is that avoidance of brightly-colored food enables him to stay away from poisonous mushrooms such as may be found in the jungles of his native Vietnam.

Speaking of jungles, Hubert hates the Sun. He will seek shade wherever he can find it. He loves to plop down on a cold concrete floor and, in the yard, he'll dig up a swath of grass only to plop his belly on the humid earth. I think perhaps his intestines tend to overheat with all the digesting biomass there.

When it comes to defecation, Hubert has a human characteristic in that he prefers to do it hidden from view. Oh sure, he'll output some dastardly torpedoes but when he's alone, he'll seek to do it behind some object. It's almost as if he feels vulnerable when he's alone and seeks protection. When he's with me, he'll drop one wherever he happens to be (I'm not taking offense at this).

We are starting to develop a routine. When he hears that I'm in the yard he'll come out and ask if I have any food for him--I almost always do. We then take a walk around our yard. Sometimes he leads; sometimes I do. At one or two places in our walk he'll nudge my leg and roll over on his side. It's belly scratching time. His belly is soft and I gently scratch him there; but when it comes to his hide, it's rhinoceros-like and for this I use an old saw that I gently drag across his backside. On the way back from the yard, I tell him to go inside (he lives in the basement with my two twin boys--one of whom is Hubert's owner) and he and I part company until next time.

Next time, I'll discuss pig manure.

Hubert the smarty pants

2007-06-01T18:47:00.001-07:00

I think I've come up with the final solution to outwit Hubert and his need to scavenge the back yard. I built a stair case of two steps that the dogs can climb but that Hubert will, hopefully, not attempt.

We've decided that Hubert has a very real need to navigate our back yard and that Grandma's flower beds and Grandpa's vegetables must be kept away from Hubert's palate.

Today, I discovered that Hubert is super smart and knows and respects me more so--I'm ashamed to admit--than any of my eight kids. Where did I go wrong? Not enough peanuts and Maple syrup?

I decided to follow Hubert on his excursions and teach him what he's allowed to chow down on and what he' not. Much to my amazement and delight, Hubert loves my neighbor's berry tree. He loves it when I shove a ripe berry into his mouth. I do not ever feel his teeth when I do this; just his little tongue and lip. My neighbor passed away last year but he never ate his berries and I know he would look at Hubert and say, as he did with our Jack Russell terrier, "stupid, ugly ______(fill in animal species; dog, pig)" and then reach out and caress the pet.

Don't get me wrong. Hubert will always try to get away with things. It's his nature to be independent and adventurous. But, if you build barriers, he will respect them if only because there's so much he can do with his snout (his only means of altering his environment.)

At the entrance to my yard, I built stairs that my dogs could climb but that Hubert would view as Mr. Everest (two steps). I'll keep you posted on the efficacy of this technique.

Hubert Porkroll gets a pen.

2007-05-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

We had to do it. Hubert took a fancy to our entire yard as his toilet. So, I built him a pen and enticed him into going in it with some nuts (I found out that VPBP's do not like to munch on food hidden within blades of grass preferring to eat what's underneath the root ball. They will, however, find the smallest morsel on flat ground).

Now, Hubert has his private toilet which he likes, and I'm trying to convince Grandpa that pig manure might just be as good as horse or cow for his tomatoes. He says he's afraid and if you saw Hubert you would understand why. Darn pig looks like a demon when he stares at you and only looks pigglely when you lay on the ground and view him from the bottom up. His other end is a tale in itself. How a 3 inch turd can effortlessly make its way thought such a tiny hole is beyond me. I only wish I could embarrass my own hole into opening up for those moments when I get off my vegetarian diet.

Hubert's manners are developing well. He now knows through a series of fancy maneuvers on my part that biting my foot to tell me he's hungry is not appreciated and now lifts up my sneaker and puts it in his mouth without chowing down on it (remember what Hanibal the Cannibal said about pigs and how they could crunch bone with their teeth? I believe it just to look at his massive masseters that endear him to us by making him look chubby and friendly--which he is.

Vietnamese Pot-Belly Pig

2007-05-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hubert is loved by the entire family. I have come to admire his sense of smell. I could throw Hubert some assorted nuts and even if hidden from sight Hubert can find every last morsel. He'll sometimes be seen to return to a site that once held a morsel. He is the ultra intelligent pet. It is amazing how he tries to communicate what he needs by first, getting your attention (he nudges you or gently bites your shoe) and,then, sniffing the ground or going to his bowl and giving it a nudge.

He's a little rambunctious as when he waits for you to be in a compromising position (kneeling, squatting) and then pushes you as if to say, "let's see how strong you are down here where I roam!"

He's very obedient. You just say his name in a warning voice and he walks away from where he was and doesn't return.

I love Hubert. Now, if I can only inform my Jack Russell and my mixed Terrier that I love them too, perhaps they would accept Hubert into their lives too.