Sadly I found Taffy in her forever sleep when I came to serve piggy dinner yesterday. Her arthritis had deteriorated very quickly in the last few days, but she was still wheeking with her distinctive big hoarse wheek for her dinner and playing tug-of-war with her syringe as usual on the evening before. Yet another Tribe founder piggy that has left this year! She was estimated to be around a year old when she was rehomed, so that makes her a very respectable over 6 years old - much more than I ever expected her to live considering her background.
Taffy ended up in then Sokel (now Becklen) rescue in Gretna in the wake of a big RSPCA rodent rescue from horrible conditions in Gateshead in June 2009. Taffy was one of nearly 50 pregnant sows, and she had what we estimate from her deplorable state the last of four rather than three back-to-back pregnancies; her last rescue born litter was four babies.
Taffy arrived here with the only daughter from that litter as soon as little Telyn was old enough for the adoption, but I had her reserved three months before that soon after her arrival in rescue, so it was quite a long wait.
Taffy was very thin with the bone of her spine bare a finger's width under her saggy skin. She was also very freaky when it came to human interaction, so it took loads of patience and persistence to bring her round.
But she prospered and became the heart of the Tribe. Taffy was one of those rare personalities who commanded seemingly effortlessly the respect and love of any piggy she met and - as a very competent second in command behind Nia - she was the peacekeeper in her new family group.
Nevertheless, not everything was always to her taste!
(PS: you can spot the developing cataract as the bluish/purple areas in the eye. A normal eye is bright red in flashlight)
It took well over a year before she'd come up to me to the mesh for a bit of extra grass, but it was a very special moment when she finally did! (with Telyn)
Taffy ended up in then Sokel (now Becklen) rescue in Gretna in the wake of a big RSPCA rodent rescue from horrible conditions in Gateshead in June 2009. Taffy was one of nearly 50 pregnant sows, and she had what we estimate from her deplorable state the last of four rather than three back-to-back pregnancies; her last rescue born litter was four babies.
Taffy arrived here with the only daughter from that litter as soon as little Telyn was old enough for the adoption, but I had her reserved three months before that soon after her arrival in rescue, so it was quite a long wait.
Taffy was very thin with the bone of her spine bare a finger's width under her saggy skin. She was also very freaky when it came to human interaction, so it took loads of patience and persistence to bring her round.
But she prospered and became the heart of the Tribe. Taffy was one of those rare personalities who commanded seemingly effortlessly the respect and love of any piggy she met and - as a very competent second in command behind Nia - she was the peacekeeper in her new family group.
Nevertheless, not everything was always to her taste!
(PS: you can spot the developing cataract as the bluish/purple areas in the eye. A normal eye is bright red in flashlight)
It took well over a year before she'd come up to me to the mesh for a bit of extra grass, but it was a very special moment when she finally did! (with Telyn)
Popcorn free beautiful Taffy x
