[Gpdd] CARE Catching Tabitha and Samantha

[Penny Charlesworth]

Hi Lynn,

Reading that you sometimes have trouble catching your girls reminded me about rounding up my herd after they have been outside for a run on a summer's day.

My boys go out in arks, from which they are easy to catch but the girls go out into a 12 x 12 garden enclosure, rather like an aviary. I never have any trouble picking them all up to come indoors again but if a friend or a family member is here they like to help with the round up. Not everyone feels secure carrying one of my precious piggies up a flight of steps and back into the house.

The enclosure contains many short lengths of pipe for the piggies to run through and these make for an easy way for someone to carry a piggy indoors. Whilst the piggies are trying to escape from the volunteer, some eventually run and hide in a pipe, making it easy for the person to pick up the pipe, with a hand blocking each end, and carry the piggy safely indoors. The pipe can be placed on the floor of the indoor pen and the piggy can walk out.

I was wondering if, rather than having to corner your girls before you grab them, stressing them out each time, it might be easier for you to pick up a pipeful of pig. The pipe could then be put into your temporary box, the piggy could walk out and you could repeat the procedure with the other piggy. Obviously you would need a box longer than the piece of pipe! Then you could clean your cage.

On the subject of the Coroplast, I was watching the tv news yesterday and was astounded at the amount of the stuff that was being thrown away after your election in New Hampshire. Piles of it! Enough to make a cage for every pig in the country. When we have elections in England, we just have paper notices stuck on bits of plywood or in people's windows but then we never have the chance to vote for something as important as a President, or even a Prime Minister.

The Piggyfriends send their love to Tabitha and Samantha and say that it is about time you girls started getting on with each other and stop worrying your slave.

Penny.