[Gpdd] MISC- piggie & other animals

[Penny Charlesworth]

Peter Gurney always believed that it was the little dogs with terrier in
their ancestry that caused the problems. It is only their natural instinct
to hunt and chase small creatures. All dogs are different and we all need
to be vigilant when one is near our precious piggies. My Rodentologists
have had piggies brought to them that have been attacked by intruder dogs
when in their owner's gardens so one must always be wary of letting them
outside unattended.

I have always had dogs. My choice were boxers, to whom guarding comes
naturally and they all did just that. When my piggies were outside,
although I was always in the garden with them, my dogs, without any
training, all took up guarding positions beside the pens ready to repel any
squirrel or bird that came near them. One of my boys, Perry, rushed to
alert me to the presence of a snake on the lawn. A rare occurrence in
England.

My last dog, my much lamented Sophie, took this to extremes, treating the
piggies as though they were the puppies she never had. At bathtimes she
would try to lick them dry and watched tenderly over any sick ones, sitting
up all night with me. She loved to watch them through the wires of the pens
but never jumped inside, although there would have been plenty of room for
her. After syringe feeding a poorly piggy, I put the wrapped up piggy into
her basket with her so that she could keep him/her warm whilst I fed the
next one.

I could trust her 100%. She was my best friend, workmate and protector,
even chasing away a strange man who jumped out at me from behind a tree
when we were walking in the woods. She was a dog in a million and is
irreplaceable, which is why I will not have another dog.

I imagine that the guarding instinct is present in Mastiffs and I know that
Janna will be so very careful with her little ones.

I don't know about cats. I am not a cat person but I have to say that,
personally speaking, one can be part of a multiple pet household where
everyone lives in harmony. I have always had birds and fancy mice and my
dogs treated all these creatures with equanimity. The fish were never part
of the equation!

Just my experience of dogs with piggies.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.