It was an adventure, wild and fun and different, but after an hour, we got the pigs penned up in their pen and they were rolling happily in mud and much. Red earned a spur or two today. It was worrisome, there was a good chance the pigs might get off into the hills or run into traffic, but I find these things usually work out, one way or the other. I see this as a great omen for my new lens. As always I was impressed by the former girlfriend, she is cool and brave under pressure. We both love this crazy stuff, we feel as if we have access to real life.
We thought we might lose the pigs if they got up into the hills, it would have been almost impossible to catch or find them, but they stayed down by the side of the road until Red could get behind them. In the hills, they would have almost certainly become feral.
I would not have imagined Maria was such a skillful pig herder, an unusual skill for an artist. For that matter, I wasn’t sure what to expect with a border collie either – pigs can be nasty and turn carnivorous – we finally corralled them here, traffic was halted on the highway, a neighbor came up on one side, Red in front, Maria on the end, the farmer arriving with a bucket. Then it was a matter of moving them down the road. Maria and Red have unusual skills.
The pigs were running back and forth across the busy road, so I called Red out and told him to “walk up.” The pigs seemed surprised to see him, and curious. I was concerned they might charge and this one came out to look at Red, but Red stood his ground and backed her up with the others. Then Maria came out, and a neighbor and we all began walking them up the busy highway. Red kept them moving, and kept them together. The pigs went a mile down the road, up into the hills and then back down again. A great baptism for the new lens. Great experience for Red, I would trust this dog with my life.
I love where I live. I was sitting at my computer, working on a book when I saw three huge pigs scampering across the lawn. I though I was hallucinating, the antibiotics maybe. A neighbor pulled over in her truck and tried to keep the pigs off of the road and I came running out with Red. Traffic was backing up on the highway, we called the police. Red is some dog, he went right into his herding moves, pushing the pigs back up to the farm up the road where we thought they must have come from. The pigs didn’t really wish to be herded, they went nose to nose with Red but then started moving and we crossed the road. Maria came out and the farmer came running down the road with a slop bucket.
The pigs were huge and moved slowly, eating grass, garbage. I was worried they might come after Red – pigs can be tough and get crazy – but he handled them perfectly, staying back but pressuring them. He is an amazing animal.
It took about a half an hour, but we got them back into their pen, one by one. Can’t really say enough about Red he went right to work, didn’t even pause, and everything ended happily. This doesn’t happen in the other places I have lived. I told my neighbor I was just trying out my new lens — my prayers were answered. I have lots of other photos, I’ll put more up and later, an album on Facebook.
