Rigg the Pig

Today me and Whitevanwoman have been puppy sitting for Biscuit and her puppies. Biscuit is another girlfriend who is a 5 year old Border Terrier. I first got to know her when she was just a puppy herself and Whitevanwoman used to look after four goats who lived with Biscuit and her owner, Greta. They were all very old goats then and now only one is still left, who is called Amy – she is a New Zealand Pygmy goat aged 14, and is quite stubborn and quite particular about what she likes and dislikes. 

This is a photo of Amy from 2005 (she had plastic bottles taped onto her horns to stop her hurting the other goats by head butting them!) – she has always been a bit wild, note the wicked look in her eye, it stopped me from investigating the contents of her feed bucket…

and here are some photos of the other goats from when Whitevanwoman used to look after them. From left to right, here is Adam (the only male in the goat village), old Sarah in her favourite pose, and Daisy (not the brightest spark but a lovely nature) – they have all now gone to goat heaven.

Here’s some pictures of me and Biscuit enjoying the sunshine in the garden today

Biscuit has got four lovely boy puppies who are now about 5 weeks old. Unfortunately I couldn’t play with them today because they aren’t old enough yet and they have to go to the vet and have their jabs before they can play with other dogs (we dogs have to have jabs every year to stop us getting horrid dog diseases like Parvo). I had to stay in the van whilst Whitevanwoman spent hours inside Biscuit’s kennel playing with the puppies and I was a little bit jealous because I could smell the puppies on Whitevanwoman’s clothes.

Here are some photos of Biscuit’s puppies…

I think Whitevanwoman is going a bit soft in her old age cos if I chewed her boots like that, I’d be in big trouble, but she didn’t seem to mind the puppies doing it.

Me and Biscuit took Whitevanwoman for a lovely walk down to Pendragon where I had a great run around, in and out of all the tunnels and holes in the walls of the ruined castle. Here I am outside the castle…

Whitevanwoman and Biscuit were inside the castle ruins (Biscuit had to stay on the lead cos sometimes she runs off and doesn’t come back but I was allowed to be off the lead and have an explore). It was a lovely spring day and the castle looked lovely in the sunshine with little purple aubretia flowers growing out of the stones (people like things like that – dogs don’t find it particularly interesting).

Here’s a photo of the castle…

Whitevanwoman told me that the castle is very old and that it’s called Pendragon Castle because there is a story that King Arthur’s father, who was called Uther Pendragon, used to live there. It’s at the bottom of a valley – here’s a photo of the view from Biscuit’s kennel with the castle ruins through the trees and the fells in the background. It looks lovely today but it can be very cold and windy and snowy in the winter and sometimes Greta and Biscuit can’t get out of the house when it is very snowy.

In the afternoon I had to go back into the van for a few hours (but it was a good opportunity to snatch 40 winks and refresh my energy levels) before we went down to the goat field to give Amy her supper and put her away in her stable for the night. Amy hasn’t changed much since the last time Whitevanwoman saw her – still a bit neurotic and silly but she’s not a bad old thing really. I just wish she would realise that she doesn’t need to be scared of me cos I wouldn’t hurt her.

After we’d put Amy away we went for another walk, up the fell, just as the sun was beginning to go down. Here’s a photo of me by a lime kiln – Whitevanwoman explained to me that in the olden days they used to burn limestone (there’s a lot of that in the fells round here) and put the lime ash on the fields to make them good for growing things – a bit like people putting horse poo on their roses. Biscuit isn’t in this photo because she was off rabbiting.

It was lovely to see Biscuit and Greta again, as we all became such good friends when Whitevanwoman used to look after the goats for Greta whilst she had a poorly leg but we haven’t seen much of them recently. Whitevanwoman said that she is going to be puppysitting again next week but I think the puppies will still be too young for me to play with

And just before I sign off after this long and fun day I just want to say

Happy Boneday to my mate Ryan – 14 years old

That’s well old! Miles older than me. I hope he’s not too old now to play footie with me. I’ll fetch you a dog biscuit as a birthday pressie when I next see you.

Did you get a bone for your Boneday? I didn’t get one from Whitevanwoman but I did get a nice new red leather collar with pawprint studs on it. Well smart. See you soon

Yawn! I’m struggling to stay awake this evening, as I’m really tired from having spent this afternoon running around and playing with Molly and Poppy, my girlfriends who live at kennel number 25 (next to girlfriend Trudy). The three of us took Whitevanwoman and Jules (Molly and Poppy’s owner) down to the river and we had a lovely swim – well, I did but Poppy didn’t even get her feet wet (but she is old, nearly as old as Lanky was) and Molly just stood in the water and watched Jules and Whitevanwoman throw sticks for me into the river.

I still find it a bit confusing about what happens to the sticks in the river (Whitevanwoman says she’s not throwing tennis balls in the river anymore because she isn’t made of money) – I swim around where they landed for ages but can’t find them and Whitevanwoman stands on the river bank pointing downstream shouting “There it is”, but by the time I’ve swum over to where she’s pointing, there’s no sign of the stick. Sometimes I do get them if I’m really quick and keep my eye on them and then I race back through the river, water splashing everywhere, to Whitevanwoman on the river bank, drop the stick at her feet, have a shake and then stand poised for action, with one foot lifted up, ready for a quick get away next time round.

So I’m not too disappointed any more about not going to see mum Lucy and brother Ben as I had a lovely time today. After we came back from the river me and Molly and Poppy played outside for ages and I brought my pink ring out to show it to Jules and she kept throwing it for me which was great. Molly tried to get it off me but I held on for grim death as it’s mine and I’m not sharing it with anyone. I could have just snatched it off her as she is just a little thing and no where near as strong as me but I was very good and I let her have a try getting it off me but she gave up after I pulled her across Whitevanwoman’s back garden.

Then I helped Whitevanwoman fetch loads of logs and sticks for the fire into the back yard and wood shed. She cheated and used a wheelbarrow rather than carrying them one by one in her mouth so she got loads more done than me but I was trying to be helpful, just in case she wouldn’t let me lie in front of the fire to dry off.

I’m heading off for bed now seeing as it’s looking particularly comfy and neither of the cats are sleeping on it (that makes a pleasant change – they have no respect for my personal space). Yawn! I must be getting old – once upon a time I could have played like that all day and still been ready for a good walk before bedtime.

I’m going to be 6 tomorrow. Whitevanwoman says that I will be nearly middle-aged when I’m 6 (but I won’t be as middle-aged as her, ha ha!). She says that middle-aged dogs are more sensible than young dogs and aren’t hooligans but I don’t think I’m hooligan (although Whitevanwoman calls me a hairy hooligan) – I’m just enthusiastic. About everything. I’m enthusiastic about eating, about saying hello to people, about saying hello to other dogs, about tennis balls and footballs, about guarding our kennel, about digging for rats, about going out in the white van, about life in general. I don’t see the point of doing things half-heartedly. I believe that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

Whitevanwoman has told me that she has got a birthday surprise for me but she won’t tell me what the surprise is, and that I have got to wait till tomorrow. I’ve had a good sniff round Whitevanwoman’s kennel but I can’t smell any new bones for me to chew or any new tennis balls so I have no idea what she is planning. I’m really excited as I’m sure it will be something I can get really enthusiastic about.

I’ve already had an early birthday pressie from Whitevanwoman – she got a new pink fluffy ring for the steering wheel of the white van and she gave me the old one. I was dead chuffed, even though it isn’t very pink anymore, cos my last pink ring got lost on the field ages ago. A pink ring is excellent for throwing (like a frisbee) and is much stronger than most dog toys and I’ve been carrying it round our kennel and yard for the past couple of days.

Here’s some photos of me in my bed with my pink ring – I keep it close to me at all times in case Whitevanwoman gets a sudden urge to throw it for me…

(Note : I keep a firm paw on it in case those dratted cats try to run off with it whilst I’m asleep)

a few hours later…

I’m a little bit disappointed cos Whitevanwoman has just told me that my birthday surprise is going to have to be postponed for a while

She said that the birthday surprise was that tomorrow she had been planning to go and visit my doggy mum, Lucy, and my brother, Ben, who live with their owner, Chris, next to the beach. I don’t remember them very well as I was really little (9 weeks old) when Whitevanwoman came to see me and I went home with her. When me and my brothers and sisters (there are 7 of us altogether) had our first birthday, Chris held a puppy party for us at the village hall near her house and I met up with my mum and all my brothers and sisters again.

Here’s a photo of mum Lucy (in the middle) and me with all my brothers and sisters at our birthday party for our first birthday…

And here’s a photo of me and my my mum Lucy (the yellow/brown one) with owner Chris – Chris thought that Lucy was a Stafford Bull Terrier cross Whippet but Whitevanwoman thinks that Lucy has got some Labrador blood because of her colour. And she says that there’s no Whippet in me, not with my girth. Not sure what that means, but I think it means I’m too well-built to have any Whippet in me.

I’ve found out what are the 10 most popular names for male dogs and for female dogs and what they mean – apparently according to some research, dogs with these names share these personality characteristics and so I thought I would share them with you all :

The Meaning Behind the Top 10 Male Dog Names

1. MAX – Dogs named Max are generally happy dogs. They like to be petted and groomed and are considered fun-loving. They are very trustworthy companions. Some dogs named Max can be fiercely independent and work to keep their aggression under control. Origin: Latin. The meaning is: A Salmon Basin or large spring.

2. BUDDY – The majority of dogs named Buddy are mixed breed dogs owned or named by men. They are often rescued or strays brought into homes and hearts across the world. They are generally loyal and adore their owners. Origin: American English. The meaning is: Messenger Man.

3. JAKE – Dogs named Jake are often fun-loving and happy dogs. They like to play and better yet – loved to sleep. They have that “boy next door” appeal. Origin: Hebrew. The meaning is: Supplanter; to fill the place of another.

4. ROCKY – Most dogs named Rocky have big personalities. They are often playful and strong. They can be either big or small dogs but have a strong personalities and may be dominant. Origin: English. The meaning is: A Rocky Reef.

5. BAILEY – This is a great dog name. Dogs named Bailey are often loyal and good-natured. Most “Baileys” are very trainable. They are smart dogs, eager to please and respond well to obedience training if given the opportunity. Origin: English. The meaning is: Bailiff; Trusted Guardian.

6. BUSTER – Buster is a fairly diverse name and associated with many different types of personalities. It is often given to little dogs with big personalities. They are rarely dressed in dog clothes and if they are – it is only a masculine bandana. Dogs named Buster can also have a sneaky quality and may be quick to steal food or do something else that you don’t know about. Origin: American English. The meaning is: Joy.

7. CODY – Cody is a great name and is often associated with dogs that are gentle and mild-mannered. They are eager to please and want to be loved. Most Cody’s are very huggable. Origin: English. Meaning: Reassuring.

8. CHARLIE – Charlie is a great dog name and is used on just about every breed, shape and size. Most “Charlie’s” are warm-hearted loyal dogs with friendly personalities. They generally like to play and enjoy either fetching or chewing. Origin: German. The meaning is: Man; strong and masculine.

9. BEAR – Dogs named “Bear” are often adorable long haired fluffy dogs that come in a variety of sizes and colors. It is a common name for Shar peis. They are generally loyal dogs but can have aggressive tendencies. Behavior training is generally a good idea. Origin: American English. The meaning is: Bear; bulky with lots of hair.

10. JACK – Dogs named “Jack” are often fairly carefree. They are often mixed breed dogs, however, they can also be purebred. They generally love life and can truly be man’s best friend. Dogs named Jack are often described as “quiet”. Origin: English. The meaning is: God is Forgiving or God’s gracious gift.

The Meaning Behind the Top 10 Female Dog Names

1. MOLLY – Molly is a great dog name. Molly’s come in a variety of sizes and shapes and are generally gentle and sweet natured. If you look into most dogs named Molly’s faces – they actually have “pretty faces”. Molly’s are generally very trusting. Origin: Hebrew. The meaning is: Virgin Mother of Christ.

2. MAGGIE – Most dogs named Maggie are happy and mild-mannered. They prefer to be with their owners than on their own. They love to be loved and give TONS of love back in return. A lot of dogs named Maggie like to communicate with you either with whines and barks or with their eyes. Origin: Greek. The meaning is: From Margaret; a Pearl.

3. DAISY – Dogs named Daisy are often sweet dogs with loving personalities. They are often low-key dogs with quiet tendencies. They like to play at times but prefer to sleep. Origin: Latin. The meaning is: Days Eye, Flower name – with yellow center and white pedals.

4. LUCY – Lucy is a name often given to spoiled dogs. Lucy’s are loved and given lots of attention and time. Most Lucy’s are smart dogs and good problem solvers. They are alert and not much gets by them without them knowing about it. Many dogs named Lucy are described as “beautiful”. Origin: Latin. The meaning is: Light and learning.

5. SADIE – Dogs named Sadie are often kind and sweet dogs. Sadie’s are often intuitive and have penetrating eyes. When they look at you – you feel as though they know what you are thinking. People that meet dogs named Sadie often say “What a Sweet Dog”. Origin: Hebrew. The meaning is: Princess.

6. GINGER – Ginger is a common name given to dogs that are ginger in color – a red/brown color. Golden retrievers, Irish setters and Brittany spaniels are a couple common breeds named Ginger. Most Gingers are sweet although some can borderline on selfish. They sometime prefer to be in single dog households. They often have a “girl next door” appearance to strangers. Origin: Latin. The meaning is: Spring like; Flourishing or pungent spice.

7. CHLOE – Dogs named Chloe are often larger breed dogs with very loving and loyal personalities. They aim to please and can be quite “care-free”. Origin: Greek. The meaning is: Greek Shoot or fresh young blossom.

8. BAILEY – Bailey is a unisex name that is often used on both male and female dogs. Female dogs named Bailey are generally sweet and kind. They like quiet times and just to be with their owners. They often have a “sweet tooth” and will have a tendency to beg if given the opportunity. Origin: English. The meaning is: Bailiff.

9. SOPHIE – Sincere and sweet are two words often used to describe Sophie’s. They can be creative and like to play. They are people dogs and prefer your company over the company of other dogs. Origin: Greek. The meaning is: Wisdom.

10. ZOE – Dogs named Zoe are often strong leaders. They can be quiet and thoughtful. They seem to read your mind at times. They prefer your company over anything else. Origin: Greek. The meaning is: Life.

My own name is quite unusual – the word Rigg comes from the old Viking word for “ridge”. Whitevanwoman called me Rigg because we were living at a place called Newton Rigg when I came to live with her. She has always named her dogs after where they came from or where she was living – Penny was because Whitevanwoman was living near a place called Penrith, and Lanky was because he came from Lancashire (like Whitevanwoman).

Over the years, I’ve ended up being called various different things by Whitevanwoman; “Rigg the pig” was a result of my determined (and often successful) raids in the kitchen during the night. Once this name became common usage, various other names have been used regularly – “Rigglet Piglet” (often shortened to Piglet) and “Riggledy Piggledy” (often used by young children as they seem to like this one).

When Leah (Whitevanwoman’s niece) was a little girl and used to come to stay with us, she gave all Whitevanwoman’s animals new names – “Lanky Spanky”, “Wenny Penny” (cos Penny’s real name is Wenndale Penny) and “Siddles Tiddles”. I don’t think SidPuss was over impressed with that. Before I came to live with Whitevanwoman, she also had a cat called Milly-Billy but he got killed on the road before I was born so I never knew him. The reason he was called Milly-Billy was that when Whitevanwoman got him, she thought he was a girl cat and it was the Millenium Year (2000) so she called him Milly. Then when he went to the vets to have the operation to stop him having babies, he went in as Milly and came out as Billy so from then on he was known by Leah as Milly-Billy. Miss Tibby Tabby was called Tibby cos it sounds very similar to the name of the place where we live now.

Whitevanwoman has said that perhaps later this year, in the autumn, we might get a new puppy and she has already chosen a name for it. It’s going to be called Lune because that’s the name of the river near where we live. Although I love puppies, I’m quite glad that I’m just going to have Whitevanwoman to myself this summer, as I’ve always had to share her with Penny and Lanky until Penny went to live with Farmer Richard and Lanky went to dog heaven. It’s so nice to be the only dog in the house – although the downside is that there is no-one else to take the blame and sometimes it would be nice to have another dog to play with.

Whitevanwoman has said that me and her are going to have some adventures this summer – just the 2 of us – and so I’m quite excited about that. I don’t know what kind of adventures we are going to have but she has mentioned about going away to do a very long walk and sleeping out in the hills. That sounds pretty good to me.

My friend Pippa (you can see some photos and videos of her on my facebook group “I’m mates with Rigg the pig”) has got a new friend living with her called Mil. Mil is a big black dog who is a flatcoat/golden retriever cross aged 7 months and it seems that she is a dog after my own heart in terms of eating.

This is what Dave has written on his Facebook page today :
David woke up to find the living room devastated – with my briefcase raided and some dog chews eaten. Arrrgh. Time to buy a cage for Mil.”

Yesterday he wrote on Facebook :
David is trying to stop Mil chewing everything in sight, and trying to give her some obedience training.”

I think she is definitely going to be a new girlfriend – I like her style. It reminds me of myself a few years ago. What dog owners don’t realise that having an intelligent dog means that they have to accept that sometimes that intelligence can get us canine mensa types into trouble. And it’s not really our fault. I mean, if a dog owner leaves dog treats lying around, of course we are going to eat them. And we need to check out things like briefcases in case there are dog treats inside them, especially if there have been dog treats inside them in the past. We canine athletes need to make sure that we keep our bodies in peak condition, and even though we know we will get fed every night, there is something inside us that simply won’t allow us not to eat things just in case we don’t get our dinner.

Poor old Mil is going to have to stay in a cage at night time now. I know how she feels – Whitevanwoman put a lock on the door so that I can’t push it open during the night and do a kitchen raid any more, and she NEVER leaves me in the house on my own any more, not since I managed to get into the fridge… Usually I go everywhere with her in the white van but if she isn’t going in the white van, I have to stay either in the white van outside the house or in the back yard (on the chain that Dave put up to stop me from jumping over the yard gates and escaping).

However, sometimes I do get the chance to have a good scavenge… like at Christmas when I raided the bin in Our Mum’s kitchen. Whitevanwoman forgot that I’ve got door handles sussed so a shut door isn’t usually a problem.

Here’s some photos of Mil – she looks a bit like me, but I think her coat is more curly

And just so that PipSqueak doesn’t feel left out, here’s a photo of me and her a few years ago, not long after we met…

The last time I saw her was last summer when we went for a walk up on Orton Scar and we had a good run round together. Hopefully we’ll see her soon and meet naughty Mil.

2 hours later…

I’ve just met Mil

She is lovely, not all that big but I think she will end up being about the same size as me. I think Whitevanwoman took a fancy to her too. I’m a little bit jealous because Mil is going to start learning how to be a Search Dog but I can help her and show her some tips and tricks, like how to make Bodies squeal with delight (by leaping all over them), how to cool Bodies down in summer (by leaping all over them after having had a swim) and how to find a Body’s buttie box (makes Bodies shout and scream).

For those readers who don’t know what a Body is, it’s a person who goes and hides so that Search Dogs can practice finding them. Bodies are great people because as well as having buttie boxes, they also have tennis balls and other toys, and they play with the Search Dog when they are found. Search dog handlers call it training but personally I just think it’s common sense and a great game – I always go running up to people now and check their pockets to see if there are any tennis balls (or buttie boxes) hidden in them and people seem to enjoy playing with me.

Whitevanwoman is a traitor to the hungry dog cause – she gave Dave (Mil’s owner) Lanky’s old cage so that Mil can’t raid the house at night. She told Dave about the bedroom door chain and he thought it was a good idea so poor Mil’s night time food hunts are going to be curtailed from now on. Shame, I could have taught her a trick or two.

It’s been snowing again today and it was all white and snowy a little while ago and we got all excited because we thought we could get the sledge out but it’s stopped snowing now and all the snow has gone already. Never mind, Whitevanwoman said it might snow some more tonight so I’ll keep my paws crossed.