Pics of our menagerie, as requested!!

[shine]

I am hoping this link will work:

http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q318/bodhimom/

A bit more info about the piggies, since several people asked questions:  Ginger and Marianne live in a small barn on our property.  They are about 6 years old, but not from the same litter.  Marianne is about 150 lbs...typical for a potbelly.  Ginger is MUCH bigger...over 300 lbs.  We think she is not pure potbelly because we feed her the same amount but she got huge...looks like she is part Hippo!! LOL!!  Marianne is pretty testy, only I can pet her and even then she occasionally charges my legs.  Ginger is the World's Friendliest Pig...she will climb on your lap if you let her (OUCH!)...she LOVES to be fed from a spoon, will drink out of a cup, and play a toy piano with her snout.  Contrary to what most people hear, pigs are VERY clean.  They are also VERY smart - the 4th smartest species on the planet, actually (1. Humans 2. Apes 3. Dolphins 4. Pigs....dogs are 9th or 10th).  It's very easy to teach them tricks...*IF* they want to do them!! 

About the other animals:

Bodhi is 15 months old.  The picture is of him on his First Birthday.  He is a total Mama's Boy, and I worship the ground he drools on. HAHA!

Zildjian is our 7 yo Dalmatian.  She's not very bright and thinks the couch belongs to her...but she's very loving.

Dolly is my husband's "Other Woman".  They are ridiculously in love, and he spoils her rotten.  Dolly spends most of her time smiling, squeaking, and farting.

Stubby was abused before I rescued him and has some issues.  He trusts me and only me, and follows me everywhere.... I haven't peed alone in 6 years. LOL!

Ribbit is our resident Macho Man....absolut ely adorable, but wants everyone to think he is fierce.  We call him Rasta because no matter how much we brush him his fur wants to form dreadlocks.  He is the best lap dog in the world...you can flip him around like a rag doll.

Rio is our Alpha...the oldest (12) and smartest in the house.  She was my only dog for several years.  She seems to have forgiven me for getting all the others, but insists on keeping them in line!

Moose was a big, bad stray I rescued 2 years ago and has turned out to be the most wonderful cat imaginable.  We call him 'The Poose' and he pretty much runs the show.

Delilah is my quirky cat.  She loves to sit on your lap, but hates to be picked up.  She can't Meow...she just squeaks.  She thinks she is a dog....goes everywhere with them and gets trampled several times a day. 

**Believe it or not, there are still more critters that I need to post pictures of...but this is enough for one day....lololol ol.....

[Sillygoose]

God bless you and you're family. What a fine crew you have. Post more pics please!

[shine]

Thank You!  There is nothing I love more than showing off my precious critters.  I have no human kids....so I carry pics of all my furbabies in my wallet! LOL!  Not all people approve of my brood - my inlaws can be annoyingly vocal about it - but I love living this way.  All but Bodhi is a rescue animal.  Dolly was less than 2 hours from being gassed when I saved her.  Stubby had been dumped out of a car at a busy shopping center.  Zildjian was on her way to the shelter during the 101 Dalmatians craze when so many people adopted them and then returned them when they found out they could be highstrung...s o her chances were not great.  Ginger is actually a "hot" pig....her former owners abused her so their neighbor stole her and took her to a pig sanctuary where I adopted her and took her out of the area.  So regardless of what some people say, I feel wonderful about saving our critters and giving them a good home.  Each one has their own unique personality and brings so much joy to our lives!

[London_Pyr_Lover]

Oh my goodnes!  What a crew!!    And I love them ALL!  Can I come play at your house?? 

[Gracie Belle]

OH MY GOSH!!  You are living my dream life.  What an awesome bunch you have.  I think it's funny how Marianne is the sassy one of the two and I can't give you enough kudos for all that you've done to help those babies.  Good for you.  Oh and my friends and family think we are a little off as well for having so many pets.  Though we are the fist people they call when they are having problems or a question with a pet of their own.    So now I need to find a good home with a nice backyard so I can make a nice "pig friendly playground" side for our future rescue pig.  OOOH, I will name him/her Porkchop!  So stinking CUTE!!!! 

[Gevaudan_Jo]

all of your babies are gorgeous.
Hubby had a dalmatian, but she was aweful to be around (she hated me) so we had to get rid of her... she looks alot like yours...
I love ur piggies. i just want to kiss their dirty noses LOL

[People Whisperer]

What a great bunch!!!

I was suspecting but was not ready to handle the truth about similarities of pigs and Great Pyrenees. I knew that they like to dig and roll in the dirt but this
"It's very easy to teach them tricks...*IF* they want to do them!!" 
I am totally convinced   

[London_Pyr_Lover]

What a great bunch!!!

I was suspecting but was not ready to handle the truth about similarities of pigs and Great Pyrenees. I knew that they like to dig and roll in the dirt but this
"It's very easy to teach them tricks...*IF* they want to do them!!" 
I am totally convinced   

HAHA    I knew there was a reason I've nicknamed Naja "My Little Piggie!"    I just wasn't sure what brought it on!  hehehe

[angelsmama]

beautiful dogs

 i must say the pic of your dal made me a lil sad, i had a dal for 11 yrs. she died dec 27 of 05. she was black spotted , name was dotty. i love dalmatians  i eventually want another but since they are so high strung im waiting until my baby girl is a little older.

[DenverFurKiddos]

Oh!!!! I absolutely love your family!!!!  You are now officially my inspiration... .I can't wait until I can have my own little pack!!!  Now...just have to work on the hubby!!!!! 

[shine]

I purposely named the pigs Ginger and Marianne to frighten my husband...let him wonder if the rest of the Seven Castaways would show up someday! LOL! 

I have to get a firewire to transfer video from my Handycam to my computer...I have the greatest film of Ginger eating from a spoon and drinking from a cup.  It is soooooo cute!! 

The reason I was spoonfeeding her was to give her antibiotics for an abcessed hoof.  Took me 9 weeks to get it under control, which leads me to something anyone who is thinking of getting a pig should know:  When they have health problems it is a BIG deal, for several reasons. 
1.  Vets that can/will treat potbellied pigs are few.  There isn't one within 150 miles of us.

2. Pigs are hard to transport.  Their legs are too short to get into the car without a ramp...which they would fight you over if you had one.  They are not good passengers. 

3.  Pigs are also not good patients.  Their only defense mechanism is screaming...wh ich doesn't sound bad, until they do it.  The scream of a frightened pig has been recorded at higher decibels than a plane engine.  It's enough to bust your ear drums.

4.  Pigs can only be safely anesthetized with Isofluorine gas.  Injectables or pills (Valium, etc) can easily kill them.  So the only way to put them under is to get a gas mask over their face.....which they are NOT going to be cooperative about.

5.  Pigs can develop many conditions that can kill them quickly.  They are very susceptible to pneumonia.  They are prone to intestinal blockages...yo u have to constantly be aware of your pig's poop so you can keep things moving.  They get hoof abcesses.  They get mange.  Their tusks or teeth get abcessed.  Their eyelashes curl into their eyes.  They have glands on their legs that get filled up and must be squeezed like pimples. 

In a nutshell, they can be high maintenance.  Still want a pig?  I recommend finding a pig vet BEFORE you adopt one!

[Pyr Heaven]

Oh my gosh! You have got a FABULOUS clan there. They're all adorable. The pigs are too cute!(but after reading about all the health issues..I think I would need to take out a "pig vet bill" loan!) It's nice to see your fam! And you say there is MORE!? Did I read that correct? If so....please post about them!!!

[zchic]

Your babies are very cute, your house is full like mine (minus the pigs) LOL My brother has had 2 pigs. The first was SUPPOSED to be a potbelly, it turned out that moom was a pot belly and dad was a russian boar! He had a long face like a boar, and the long strip of hair that stood up on his back. He was VERY testy. He was a house pig (although I never understood that). His last pig was a potbelly, it had many health problems when he got it, he died last winter.

[shine]

Yes, there are MORE...LOL!  We have 3 more house cats and 3 barn cats that I didn't post pictures of!  Bump, Stashe and Mischa are in the house...Bump is a black stumpy Manx (no tail, hence his name) who is 12 years old but looks like a wide-eyed kitten.  Stashe is our resident Lover Boy....he adores everyone, hates conflict, and gives wonderful kisses (though rough, with his scratchy tongue!)...Mischa is short for Michelin, because we found her in an old tire in a garbage dumpster when she was 3 weeks old.  We had to bottle feed her and stimulate her to go to the bathroom, she was so small.  Now she is Miss Independent!

We have 3 barn cats....I have always been against outdoor cats but when you have a barn the rodents will quickly take over.  The barn cats have pretty much dictated where we live for the past 7 years....I won't be within a mile of a main road so they can roam safely.  We lock them in the barn each night along with the pigs...they are well trained, and show up every evening for dinner...they follow me to the barn like I am the Pied Piper!! LOL! Archie is the King of the Farm.  We were told he was feral when we got him....but he is one of the least feral cats I have ever seen.  He greets all visitors with love and has been known to climb in the UPS man's truck (they've brought him back several times!)...he occasionally kills something for sport but spends most days snoozing on the chaise lounges on the deck.  Midge is very timid...most strangers never see her...and has the tiniest adorable little meow.  Betty is the serious hunter...we never see her between dawn and dusk, she is always off stalking something...an d likes to leave her kills in her food dish to show off. UGH! LOL! 

We also have wild "pets"...about 15 deer that are out in our yard munching every day...our friendly barn swallows (we had one that would jump on my head!)....a ground hog that lives in our front field and likes to chase the cats...and a bear that enjoys our berry vines.  When I lived in Ann Arbor I had raccoons and possums that I fed on our deck (no rabies problem there)...I could actually feed the raccoons apple slices out of my hand.  I think I am Dr. Doolittle..... hahaha.....