[Gpdd] HEALTH: Treatment of Little Dora in the Church nursery

[Julie Juwles Johnson]

Dear Erin

Firstly........ welcome to this wonderful group called the GPDD!   And welcome to your two masters.   You obviously love them very much.

Re your situation - I wouldn't wait or even try to reason.    I'm afraid I'd go in like a bull in a china shop and give them the facts straight up, and if nothing is done immediately - e.g. they give you little Dora to take home and care for, then I'd be ringing your RSPCA equivalent straight away.

Piggies are social animals - whilst the males can't live together because of that wretched thing called testosterone, they like to have company of other piggies.

I own 9  male piggies.    Once they reached the age of around 7 months the hormones kicked in and I had to separate every one of them.    That meant having 9 separate cages, and buying 6 more cages because I didn't have enough!    Every night they are put to bed in their separate cages.   In the mornings, I place an old towel on the lino floor in their very large piggy room, take each wire top off the cages, put that on to the floor, and then pop each piggy beneath their own wire tops.    They are placed in rows of 4, so it's like a nursery out there.    They get the chance to interact, to rumble at each other, talk about the weather, etc., but they are all safely secure behind their own cages so they can't hurt each other.    And they're having a change of environment and interaction which is so important for them.    I can tell that my babies are happy boys.      (I'd do anything for my darlings.)

Little Dora should not be so thin or kept in such a small area - she needs hay, pellets/grain, grass, veges, vitamin C, fresh water daily, clean cage daily, and a "mate" for company.    I cannot believe a Church is acting so cruelly and harshly to one of God's precious creatures.

Erin, please go into battle for little Dora....... she desperately needs you!   Blow your top at them.... sounds like they need reminding they are a Christian group and should be acting accordingly and lovingly and setting a good example for the little kiddies in the nursery.   I wouldn't hesitate Erin.

In fact, there's a new pet shop opened up where I live, I'm keeping my eye on how they treat the piggies they are selling.    I reminded them to separate boys from girls (oh, we just haven't got round to that yet! was the response), made them clean the cage, told them that piggies need a box or some type of cover they can retreat into because these little piggies were terrified in the open with nowhere to hide, and offered to make up a fact sheet on the care of guinea pigs which they can give to their customers.   I'm afraid where pigs are concerned I don't worry about politeness or the thought I might hurt the person's feelings.   Piggies are the top priority.

Please keep us informed of what happens - I'll be saying my prayers from way downunder for your success in rescuing little Dora.

Kind regards
Julie and her precious furry boys - Wheeky, Sooty, Snowdrop, Joey, Kimba, Treacle, Hugo, Honey & Hamish
{remembering my darlings - Donald (RIP 2009), Brandy (RIP 2007), Archie (RIP 2007), Dougall (RIP 2007)l, Teddy (RIP 2006) & Muppet (RIP 2002), forever in my heart and soul - desperately & despairingly missed)