Finding Pumpkin & Patience: Ossabaw Island Hogs

Dec. 2003 it has taken many hours research and inquiry but I think that I have finally found the type of pig that we should have here at the farm. They are called Ossabaw Island Hogs and they are quite rare. They live on an island off the coast of Georgia and there are fewer that 200 on the mainland USA. I like this breed because they do not get too big, are supposed to be quite smart and they have an interesting background history. I have spoken with a place in Virginia that raises them and I believe that we will be able to obtain some. They have a pregnant female so we should hear from them when she delivers. I am so excited!Update 2016: It has been so interesting going through these old tidbits my mother and father posted 13 years ago! I was only in my early teen years at the time and missed out on some of these farm developments because admittedly- I didn't "get it" yet. I always appreciated the animals I had the pleasure of growing up with and around- but the significance of our overall mission hadn't hit me all the way just yet. It's safe to say that all these years later, I fully understand why my parents went through such incredible self sacrifices to bring these lives to our home- and why they've spent so much of their own time and money raising awareness of conservation & preservation to our community.After this post was written, my parents drove to Virginia and picked up two beautiful Ossabaw Island Hogs: Pumpkin and Patience. It was a long drive to, and an even longer drive (with considerably more stress/pressure!) home- but like almost every other hardship we face on the farm- it was well worth it.These pigs are considered "small" at ~300lbs! Can you imagine? They are so sweet, and incredibly smart. I can't tell you how many times we had to rearrange the way their food bin was stored in their house because they kept outsmarting us! We gave up on a grassy knoll in their yard because they were far more interested in rooting everything up, and creating little mud beds for themselves. We made sure they always had a basketball or some kind of toy to play with - as they showed us early on, they liked to entertain themselves with the same kinds of stuff us humans do. There is nothing cuter than approaching their pen to hear snorts of joy - you could tell they were hoping we had some pine nuts or some other treats for them.Of course I must take a moment to acknowledge another hard loss. A few years ago our precious Patience passed away after a very happy and long life. This particular loss was a tough one because she was Pumpkins sister and very best friend. Losing one of a pair is never a good thing- especially with very smart animals like these Ossabaw Island Hogs. That being said, Pumpkin remains to this day to be a strong and independent sweetheart. While we are confident he misses her just as much as we do, we are relieved to see that he has carried on without her. He remains a happy and loving animal just as he always was. I'm sure he is making Patience just as proud of him as we are.Thanks for reading!