Meet Princess (and tell me she’s not adorable) – Photo: L. Weikel
Meet Princess
Meet Princess. Please don’t ask me how I know her name. Surely you know enough not to ask me that question, right? I just know.
Every single day I walk by her field and shelter/hut. Every day, if she catches sight of me or hears my voice, she comes running across the field, squealing a greeting and seemingly providing a running commentary as she travels the entire length of the field. Her enthusiasm is simply adorable.
I realize there’s a decent chance that she’s as friendly and conversational with everyone who walks by her field as she is with me. And while it would make me sad to learn that she lumps all us humans together, somehow I doubt that’s the case. I think she recognizes the high pitch of my voice and she remembers that I bring her tasty puppy treats.
Indeed, that reminds me. I need to write myself a sticky note to post at eye level on our kitchen door reminding me to take a couple carrots on our next walk. While it’s obvious she enjoys the puppy treats, I have a feeling she’d also enjoy something more substantial.
“Did you say treats?” – Photo: L. Weikel
Future Experiments
One of these days – or maybe over the course of a few days – I’m going to ask Karl to walk past the field the same we do every day, but well ahead of me. I’m not sure how good her eyesight is, so I’m not sure if she sees me or if she simply hears my high sing-song-y voice and responds to that. And the reason I think she might react differently to Karl is because he never speaks to her. He stands on the road and just watches – so they basically never interact (nor has she ever heard him speak to her).
So the first test is whether Karl can sneak by her field without making a sound and snagging her attention. Will she see him? Will she smell him and come running? Does she respond to just any human walking past her field?
If she doesn’t see him or seem to realize he’s walking by, will she come to him if he calls her?
Given that she could even be responding to the presence of the puppies, the conclusions we draw from such experiments might be skewed if he has one of the puppies with him. But first things first. We can eventually rule out ‘the pup factor,’ if need be.
I also think we should try to observe her responses to other people walking by her field (i.e., not just Karl). But that may be harder to coordinate.
Whoa! Up close and personal! – Photo: L. Weikel
Friend or Nothing Special?
Let’s face it. Princess may simply be the most affable pig around. Who knows? Perhaps she considers us all to be her subjects (remember: she is Princess!) and assumes that everyone walking by is simply paying her tribute (or should be).
I can vouch for the fact that she’s a remarkable creature. It’s true: I want to think that she recognizes me. She melts my heart when she ever so gently nibbles the dog treats from my hand and grunts in satisfaction.
Brutus and Princess sussing each other out – Photo: L. Weikel
(T+62)
Pigs do have poor eyesight, they rely on their sense of smell primarily! Try apples, squash or even cooked broccoli as treats rather than carrots (high sugar)
Pigs are extremely intelligent and have powerful sniffers. They are basically pets like dogs,
Very loving and loyal. I would say you have a great friend!!! They make great house pets and are very clean as long as you keep them clean…let me know how your experiment goes!!!