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Vent/Rant - Mini Pigs

jenjen047jenjen047 member
First Comment First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper
edited March 2015 in Not Engaged Yet
This is a random vent but it's been irking me all weekend and I needed to get it out. Yesterday I saw on fb that a friend has decided she needs to rehome her 9 month old pig because she's not home enough and doesn't have a yard and it's not fair to the animal. Totally agree, but shouldn't that have been considered before purchasing?? I'm not sure if she has moved in the last year so maybe the yard thing wasn't an issue when she got the pig, but I know for a fact she has the same job she did last year,
so not having time sounds like BS to me.
I had another friend get a pig two years ago and give him up a year later because he grew larger than expected. I have heard these micro/mini/teacup pigs are a scam and I know this friend had heard that too, but I guess she didn't look into it more before purchasing. I feel like these mini pigs are the new "trendy" pet. It breaks my heart to see this happen. Do your research on the size/costs/lifespan/needs of an animal and be realistic about what you can/want to supply in terms of time/money/space BEFORE you bring him/her home.

Ok, end rant.

Has anyone else seen this? Am I being overly judgey?

TL/DR - I'm tired of seeing friends adopt pets and then re home a year or two later because they don't have the time or space for the animal.

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Re: Vent/Rant - Mini Pigs

  • phiraphira member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Not with mini pigs in particular, but my best friend who's a veterinarian absolutely cannot STAND when people adopt pets they can't afford to care for, or they can't provide a decent life for. You need to factor in all of the animal's needs first, and make sure you can afford vet fees, any licensing and tagging, etc. etc. etc.

    You're not being overly judgmental at all.
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  • BF's dad keeps talking about getting a mini-pig. I've directed him to quite a few articles that explain that pretty much unless the poor piggies are starved they wont stay small and cute. They get big. I don't think he'll actually get one but I side-eye him every time he brings it up.


  • No experience with pigs - H and I did meet pig-parents coming home from vacation and chatted with them about their pigs and how it all worked.  It was actually very interesting about all the customizations they had to make in their home to accommodate their pigs and all the care that they did, I have no idea how it came up in conversation.  I know if I ever got a pig, I would look for that couple to help mentor me!

    As far as people getting animals without doing research - you've hit my biggest vent for the past month!!  BIL's GF ended up buying a puppy.  She lives with her parents, her parents who would not let her keep her rabbit when she moved back in.  So she went out to a pet store (**way to support puppy mills! <sarcasm>**) and bought a puppy without asking her parents if she could have a puppy.  After 3 weeks - her parents said 'No, puppy has to go'.  BIL took it... well BIL lives in H's house; BIL never asked, H is not happy but H won't stand up for himself and tell BIL 'I don't want a puppy in my house'.  BIL/H's parents watch the puppy during the day because BIL is not home enough and his GF can't be bothered with running around to pick up her daughter and taking care of a puppy.  She did NO research on breeds and got a puppy that never sleeps, so BIL is always tired.  That poor puppy is not getting proper training, it will NEVER be potty trained the way they are doing things.  The whole situation is a mess!!  This stupid puppy has caused numerous "discussions" between H and I; I also know that BIL and GF have gotten into quite a few fights over it.  As soon as I started looking at her and her life decisions, as long as I think of it as 'she has the mentality of a 12 year old' - it all works itself out in my brain.



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  • OP, I don't really get why anyone would want a pig but I'm not a pet person at all. That's why our only pets are well, we don't have any. We do have tons of squirrels, lizards, and a few snakes outside. That's as close to pets as we get. But irresponsible pet ownership is crazy. Could you imagine if we had human breeders? Like The Giver style.

    @dignity100 uh yes I might kill BIL if he brought a puppy into my house without asking. Please don't cause I don't want you to go to jail but holy hell
    I guess, to tell you the truth, I've never had much of a desire to grow facial hair. I think I've managed to play quarterback just fine without a mustache. - Peyton
  • @bethsmiles - ugh hopefully he doesn't get one (at least wirlthout researching more.....much more). my understanding is they are called mini pigs because they are smaller than the 400 lb variety found on farms.

    @Dignity100 - sounds like you met some prepared and responsible pig parents on vacation. more power to them! I'm sure pigs can be great pets if you have the time and environment for them! As for BILs GF......she sounds awful. And so frustrating that it's impacting you and H.

    @Blue & White - I haven't read the giver since 4th grade and don't remember the details, just that it was creepy AF. but human breeders sounds like it would be terrible.
  • @Blue & @jenjen047 - Thankfully BIL lives in H's house and we live in my house (not sure when we'll consolidate or what we'll do with our houses yet).  H and I finally came to an understanding if he's not going to take action and tell his bro that he would prefer not having the dog in the house or take any action against it, it's not really fair for him to complain much because it just gets us both upset.  I get that in this scenario, BIL felt trapped to take the dog and was trying to look after his GF, but I really think they should have re-homed the puppy.  Oh well, not my battle.


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  • BF's dad keeps talking about getting a mini-pig. I've directed him to quite a few articles that explain that pretty much unless the poor piggies are starved they wont stay small and cute. They get big. I don't think he'll actually get one but I side-eye him every time he brings it up.

    I just learned this recently when I was talking to my friend about wanting a mini pig. She explained the whole thing how they aren't really meant to be mini pigs so I did some research and was so sad that people still get these animals as pets knowing this! I will absolutely not consider it anymore because as cute as a tiny little pig is I will not STARVE my pets! That's disgusting.

    OP I don't think your're being overly judgey. Some people just do not think about what it really takes to care for a pet. FI has always wanted a dog. I'm highly allergic and they trigger my asthma. Even if that wasn't an issue I still don't think I would want one because they are a LOT of work. I don't want to have to get up all the time to let the dog out, I want to be able to stay out all day or night and not worry about the poor dog at home that needs to get out and exercise and go to the bathroom. I don't have the energy or patience it takes to care for a dog. I'll stick with my cat. I don't think FI seriously considers how much work it is to have a dog.
     




  • jenjen047 said:

    @bethsmiles - ugh hopefully he doesn't get one (at least wirlthout researching more.....much more). my understanding is they are called mini pigs because they are smaller than the 400 lb variety found on farms.

    Oh I don't think he really will. He's actually a very responsible pet owner.


  • Pigs actually do make pretty cute pets! My friend growing up had a house pig. It did tricks and everything!

    That being said, almost nothing pisses me off more than people who adopt animals (particularly puppies) without having the time, motivation, or money to give them a decent life. Getting a puppy just for the sake of having one around is not how it's supposed to work. My sister gave up a dog to a shelter after raising it for the first year of its life because it become "too much work". I was SO MAD at her, and I told her so. No matter how many "reasons" she had, I told her off.

  • bethsmilesbethsmiles member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited March 2015
    AlPacina said:

    Pigs actually do make pretty cute pets! My friend growing up had a house pig. It did tricks and everything!

    That being said, almost nothing pisses me off more than people who adopt animals (particularly puppies) without having the time, motivation, or money to give them a decent life. Getting a puppy just for the sake of having one around is not how it's supposed to work. My sister gave up a dog to a shelter after raising it for the first year of its life because it become "too much work". I was SO MAD at her, and I told her so. No matter how many "reasons" she had, I told her off.



    I'd at least prefer someone do the leg work of finding their pet a good home instead of dropping it off at a shelter. That makes me so sad. At least when it's given to a new family, hopefully, it's one that will love it and give it the attention it deserves.


    ETA: Also, I do think it's better to find a new, better home for a pet a person realizes they can't give the time and attention they need to than for them to keep the pet and have the pet continue to be neglected. Obviously, the ideal is that people do their research beforehand but clearly that doesn't always happen.



  • @bethsmiles - I think what made me angriest was that she didn't even put in the time to find a no-kill shelter. Luckily her dog was adopted almost immediately. I would have flipped the fuck out if he hadn't been.

  • AlPacina said:

    @bethsmiles - I think what made me angriest was that she didn't even put in the time to find a no-kill shelter. Luckily her dog was adopted almost immediately. I would have flipped the fuck out if he hadn't been.

    Seriously? Dropping your pet off at shelter and not even bothering to find a no-kill shelter, is a dick move. I would seriously have re-consider my opinion on a person's character who thought it was okay to do that.


  • @alpacina - thank god it was adopted quickly....

    @bethsmiles - agreed that its best to give away a pet you cant/wont take care of
  • I'll probably get flamed for this but with my new job being crazier than expected my ex and I have discussed him taking my pup (well our dog but she lives with me). He absolutely adores and loves her and for me a lot of the time I've been coming home exhausted and can barely move let alone take her for a walk. I most definitely am making the effort, with the exception of yesterday. I got home and went to bed and slept for 2 hours before I woke up. I try walking and running her but it's exhausting when I'm tired from work. My ex is considering that if he can find an apartment/house that allows dogs he will take her. Until then I'm not giving her up though and even then I think I may still wait just to see if I can adjust more. We'll see. I'd rather not give her up because I feel I'd be failing her if I did but at the same time I know she would be going to a loving home and I'd still be able to see her.
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  • @chemfanatic25 - Have you looked into doggy day care and/or dog walkers? A lot of day care places give discounts if you buy sessions in bulk.
  • jenjen047 said:

    @chemfanatic25 - Have you looked into doggy day care and/or dog walkers? A lot of day care places give discounts if you buy sessions in bulk.

    I actually have not. That might be an idea. I'll have to look it up. I am making a little bit more now so I could put it towards that.
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  • Ditto @Jenjen047. When my golden retriever was 9 months old she was super active (obvs), but one day of doggy day care would exhaust her. She would sleep through the night and sleep most of the next day. If you can even afford it once or twice a week it will make life (the dog's and yours) much easier. 


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