Hubert gets saved (for real, this time)

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

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

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's dilemma

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

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

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

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 at a garden wedding.

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

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.

Vietnamese Pot-Belly Pig

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.