Dog Play, Pig Play

The sun rose yesterday morning with the promise of another

Spring-like day.

Blue sky, bright light, birds singing in the tree tops...

the only thing snapping me quickly back into reality was the crunch of frozen snow beneath

my cleated muck boots.

I wasn't the only one out enjoying the early morning light.

Ginger and MaryAnn had also ventured out...

tired of spending countless hours in their stall.

You see, pigs have little feet that make them look like their walking on stilettos.

They walk on their tippy toes, with part of their hoof supporting the back of their foot,

like a high heel.

Hooves like this are not optimal for ice and snow-walking...

and so they spend most of their time indoors once the good earth has

disappeared underneath the white stuff.

With thousands of hours of observation behind me,

I have come to the conclusion that our pigs are perhaps the most intelligent of all our animals.

They are certainly the most social!

 They will spend as much time as possible interacting with their human and animal visitors.

And when there is any sort of activity happening on the farm, they are there

watching...taking mental notes and formulating ideas and opinions.

Don't ask me how I know.... I just know!

Yesterday they stood there transfixed watching as Sam and Annie did their typical dog-play.

You know the game.... each one growling and gnashing teeth at the other

as if they would tear each other apart.

But of course it is all canine play-acting.

These two adore each other.

Their play, though, is hard play, serious play, energy-expending, endless, all-out play!

And as they wrestled and tussled, the pigs just watched...

and watched...

When the play ended and the dogs left the pig yard,

I noticed that the pigs began a sort of dance...

each slowing chasing after the other's hind feet....

making circle after circle, grunts and squeals.

(you'll have to take my word for it....I got no pictures at that moment.)

To me, it seemed they were imitating the dogs.

But, unlike dogs who always push the limits,

these two took it a little too far,

until one perceived she had been maligned....

and we had a quick pig spat

(a rare occurrence that happens only between these two and never directed towards any other being).

And as quick as it began, it ended.

The message had been received and understood.

Ginger and MaryAnn, though a little snarky with each other at times,

have never shown an aggressive nature towards any of their visitors.

They are kind and gentle... the sweetest girls ever!

But you know how sisters can be....