The Great Sugar Camp Pig Caper

Once upon a time Lizzie, Jesse, and his father, Tony, got 3 little pigs from their farmer friends. The pigs were nice enough. Farmer Jesse drove the little pigs home in his truck and had a great plan for getting the little piggies into an area surrounded by electric fence, where they would spend their days eating grass, food and leftover veggies.

Pigs in the back of the truck with the crate.

Farmer Lizzie happens to be really good at wrangling lambs so when it came time to unload, she thought she’d try her luck at pigs. Farmer Tony offered support. She climbed in the back of the truck and grabbed the first pig and although it struggled, was able to put it in a dog crate. The other two were a bit nervous from the truck ride and huddled in the corner. Tony and Jesse lifted the crate out of the truck and into the paddock and set the pig loose.

He seemed ok at first and Jesse went to turn on the fence. The pig got nervous and ran straight towards the fence! It got caught in it and squealed and squealed. One of the other little pigs heard and jumped over the tailgate of the truck bed and onto the ground, running after his pig friend. He got close to his pig buddy, Tony lifted the fence and the pig went in. Twas a close call. Lizzie grabbed the third pig in the bed of the truck so it wouldn’t run after his buddies.

Jesse turned the fence on but in that moment they freaked out again! And ran into the electrified fence! Chaos ensued! Jesse and Tony were running around trying to keep them in and turn off the fence and get them unstuck. They got shocked and eventually both of them got loose ran out of the paddock and into the field! Pigs on the loose! Jesse and Tony took off after them. Lizzie locked the other pig up in the back of the truck, grabbed the crate and a bucket of feed, and ran towards the commotion! Fortunately the paddock for our ram, Pokey was right outside the gate they ran out of. Jesse turned off the fence and Tony managed to run one of the pigs into it where it got caught and they grabbed it and put it in the crate.

They left him there in the shade because the other one was still running through tall grass towards the woods. They all took off running, Lizzie and Tony in shorts! They eventually made it to the woods chasing the pig slowly in circles on one side of the barbed wire fence to the other. As it happened, the cows also happened to be in this little section of woods. They saw the commotion and walked over to moo and help block the pig from going up hill.

The pig slowed down in some tall grass and Jesse motioned for Lizzie “the wrangler” Wright to approach slowly and to crouch down. She felt like a huntress stalking a tiny boar. The animal lay there unsuspecting. All was still and she crept like a leopard towards her pray. At the perfect moment she pounced! Grabbing the piglet but alas! It slipped through her hands and continued to wander.

We can’t let this pig get off our property, they said. No feral pigs. There were 3 more close encounters with the pig. Each time he slipped through their fingers. Finally, very hot and getting fatigued, they realized they needed a new plan. Tony suggested getting some of the fence netting and setting it up so we could herd him into it, he would get tangled and we could grab him. They could tell the pig was tiring too. He found a little cool spot to wallow in the dirt and lay in. Tony and Lizzie sat down and kept an eye on him while Jesse took care of the other two pigs and went to get fence netting.

In that peaceful moment, watching the little piglet in the woods, Tony, ever the playful father-in-law, was giddy with joy at the entire situation! Looking up from her scratched legs and the poison ivy that surrounded them (that she had pretty much been rolling in trying to catch the pig) she found his attitude to be the very best and knew this would be a good story for her kiddos one day.

Jesse returned shortly after with the fence netting. They set it up and within minutes had the pig tangled and in the crate. Jesse and Tony spent the afternoon setting up a stall in the barn for the pigs and got them in there (somehow!) complete with good ole rotten squash and cucumber, a meal they readily ate and promptly layed in the mud for a nap. And thus concludes the Great Sugar Camp Pig Caper. For now.