smarty pig

pigs are smart.  we’ve all heard it, right?  pigs are as smart as a three year old.  pigs are as smart as a dog.  well, these comparisons, at least to me, mean very little.  I mean, I’ve met three year olds dumber than a box of wet hammers, and my dog belongs in mensa.

that being said, pigs are smart, and they prove it to me all the time.  as a grown-ass human adult, I consider myself to be on the smarter side of a three year old, but on multiple occasions, these pigs have proven to outwit me—sometimes purely for good humor.  when they don't wanna do something, they won't, and when they do, you can't stop 'em.

a few days before a pig goes to slaughter we park the trailer inside their paddock to allow the pigs to adjust to the new addition.  if we were to just pull in the trailer day of, it would be very difficult to convince any of the pigs to enter it.  but today, as we prepared to load chef francois’ pig spots, she demonstrated such an awareness, that it made me step back—let out a small “woah”—and rethink this whole pigs are smart story.

spots knew.  spots knew the trailer was for her, and the look on her face made it clear she knew what waited on the other end.  she barked off other pigs who tried to come near it.  she sat proudly—not scared—but ready.  this photo wasn’t a one-off opportunity either, where I just happened to snap a great shot.  spots sat down in front of that trailer and didn’t budge for about ten minutes.  in fact, i went home for the day, and left her right where she sat.

she knew.