Pigs + Society6 free shipping until Nov 17th

| kirsti

There is a free worldwide shipping offer on my prints on Society6 until Nov.17th 2013, through this link.

Pigs4_sm

4-H pigs at the PNE

And, totally unrelated to prints, did you know there is a pig sanctuary in Mission, B.C. for unwanted ‘mini’ potbelly pigs.

I remember when there was the potbelly pig craze. And they were being touted as wonderful (small) house pets. And then people realised they weren’t so small, and actually required a lot of work, and unwanted pigs started showing up in shelters.

One day, when I was a kid growing up in a rural part of the Fraser Valley, an escapee potbelly pig wandered up our street and onto our driveway. It was huge. At least 200 lbs or more. Its belly dragged on the ground, folds of skin mostly obscured its eyes, its toenails were extremely long and curved upward, and were no longer being naturally worn down because the pig was walking on its deformed ankles, due to its body weight. The skin in its folds was red, angry and foul smelling. It was extremely friendly, and only too happy to follow us into the backyard while my parents located its owner (my brother and I desperately wanted to keep it). This was no house pet, and it certainly was not a mini pig.

And now the craze is ‘micro’ pigs. They are super cute. The piglets are adorable, and videos of them frolicking in the ocean, and walking into potato chip bags are all over YouTube. Pigs in general are super smart, and have tons of personality (I know, having raised the bacon kind for years). But it makes me sad to think of the percentage that are discarded, just like other more common pets like cats and dogs. As I’ve read on one breeder’s website, they cannot guarantee how small they will actually stay, and although they are wonderful pets and can come into the house, they should have outdoor living quarters where they can run, and root and do pig things.

As we move into gift buying season, think of sponsoring an unwanted animal through a shelter in a giftees name; or if pet ownership is in your future, volunteering at a shelter to find out exactly what is involved, or adopting an adult animal that needs a second chance.