I Want Attention, and I Want It NOW!

Porkchop has been feeling a little left out lately. I haven't had too much time to really enjoy him, and he's been pouting about it. I got home really late, last Wednesday night, and my husband said that Porkchop had been walking around, looking up at my chair, looking out the door, and wandering around the other rooms in the house, apparently looking for his "Mama." He said that when Porkchop would walk by my chair and look up, he'd do this weird little grunt and sigh, and then continue on his search to find me. When I finally arrived home, close to 11:30 pm, Porkchop was literally screaming. I came in, put all my stuff down, and walked to the kitchen to get a drink; the whole time, Porkchop was walking behind me, squealing and screaming his fat, chubby head off. I spoke to him, petted him, and even gave him a bite to eat, but he was still squealing incessantly. I finally decided I was going to get my phone and get a recording of it. And, of course, as soon as I picked it up and started recording, he quit. But — he started back up!! I got a good 30 seconds or more of him pitching a fit, and as I was sitting down on the couch to pet "His Chubbiness" and get him to calm down, he actually calmed down! Apparently, that was all he wanted: some good, old fashioned, belly-rubbing attention from his Mama. That poor, abused pig...

My husband picked out a good watermelon for us, last weekend, and I've been sharing it with the dogs, cat and Porkchop. One of the things we used to talk about my grandmother (Big Mama), doing, was painstakingly sitting at the table for what seemed like hours on end, picking the seeds out of a watermelon and cutting it up into pieces for whomever might come along and want some. We would always say, "Who does that," and the answer was "somebody that really loves you." Well, I find myself doing that for Porkchop, on a nightly basis! There I sit, with a plate full of watermelon, picking out the seeds and feeding the pig, dogs and cat. Sometimes I don't even get enough watermelon for myself, it seems, to account for me going through all of that effort in cutting up a piece! But, that's love — and Porkchop gets plenty of it!

Porkchop is entirely too big to pick up and hold, now (which I really hate, cause I love to cuddle!). So, to feel completely satisfied, I have to lie down on the floor and call him to lie down next to me, so that I can hug him and pet that big ole belly. There's nothing like some PBP love! He's just so sweet (when he wants to be), and makes the cutest little sounds. But he can be a butthead sometimes, too — don't let him fool you. When he doesn't get his way, or he wants attention and you won't give it to him, you had better watch out! He is definitely "pig-headed!" Speaking of being pig-headed — that is an accurate term; but "sweating like a pig" isn't — and now, every time I think or say it, I think about how that isn't true (Ha-Ha). Useless facts you learn every day....

We've come to the conclusion that we need to build two ramps so that Porkchop can get in and out of the front and back door. The main reason is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to jump down the big step from the front; and, the second, being the gallons upon gallons he can leave on the "pee" pads. It would be so much more convenient if he could just go out the doggie door (we'll have to get a bigger one, of course!) and do his business. We'll also have to put up a fence perimeter so he can't venture too far out, and so that nothing can get to him, when he's outside. I think we'll both benefit from that — he likes to go outside, but not for long, and this way he won't be waiting for us (or vice-versa).

Eventually, I'm going to put his newest harness on him — assuming that it even fits — and try to teach him to walk (and behave) on a leash. I'd love to take him places and let people see him, but he's too independent to do that right now. If I can only find the time, though!