When Pigs Fly

I don't care what anybody says, pigs are fast. We thought it would be a good idea and fun to raise a couple of pigs this year. Our oldest daughter Madelyn will be old enough next year to show pigs at the Falmouth Youth Show. So, we thought we'd get her used to pigs and the chore routine this year. I guess I should admit that I was looking forward to raising them too. I think pigs are funny and, lets face it, they taste good too. A couple of weeks ago, I put up a fence and built a little shed in the fence for the pigs. Step 1 - done. We finally got things settled down enough around here and we found somebody that was selling feeder pigs, just a couple of miles from our house. Wednesday night, Maddie, Maggie, and myself, along with some neighbor friends went and picked up 2 little pigs (around 30 lbs). Step 2 - done. Well, we got them home, put them in the pen, the dog jumped in the pen, got the pigs excited and they all went right through the "Electric" fence. I'm thinking I omitted Step 1.5 - check the fence. I'd checked the fencer, it had a good charge, but obviously the fence didn't. So, now there's 2 loose little pigs with a dog, a couple kids and a few adults chasing them. This is where the pigs are fast part comes in. Those little things can really scoot. I'm no track star, but I was sprinting and those little buggers were pulling away from me. Me and one of the kids finally caught one after fully laying out in mid run. I think my dog actually helped with the other one, I think he kind of cornered it on the far side of our property and my buddy got a hold of it. Once we got them back in the pen and in the shed, I screwed a piece of plywood across the shed opening so they couldn't get out until I fixed the fence. Well, last night, we had some people over and Maddie and Maggie wanted to show their kids the pigs, of coarse. I was busy grilling and then we ate and after supper the kids went back outside. About 15 minutes later, the kids come in and tell us the pigs are gone. With no holes dug under the shed and the 4 ft. piece of plywood still firmly screwed to the shed, I'm pretty sure there's only one way a 12 inch high pig could get out, but we're still waiting on a confession from the kids. Anyway, I may be growing the next wild pig to beat out HogZilla!