His name is Perry the Pig, and he means the world to me.
Perry was surrendered by his previous owner to a shelter. He was 5 years old (senior for guinea pigs), housed in the smallest cage sold as a ‘guinea pig cage’ (which barely has room to move) with no proper hide, had lice, had overgrown toe nails that permanently curled sideways, yet he would walk up to any person that came near in hopes of pets and veggies. Unfortunately, due to his age, the shelter deemed him unadoptable and he was not going to be given the chance to find a new home. Luckily (for him AND me), I worked at that shelter.
I instantly fell for Perry’s charms, and was considering adopting him before I heard he was not going to be made available. So, once I got wind of his fate, I went to my boss to see if the vet could look him over and let me take him home. I had just lost my dog to a long fight with cancer, and while I normally don’t spontaneously bring animals home, he became the comfort I needed. Now Perry has had an extra year and a half (and counting!), during which he has helped me struggle through the loss of my two childhood cats (both nearly 20 years old) and the loss of an over 4 year relationship.
Perry now enjoys a cage that is over five times the size of his old one, gets regular pedicures, and daily veggies and snuggles. Small domestics are often misunderstood. I want people to understand that their lives mean just as much as other pets. People say Perry was lucky to find me, but really I was lucky to find him. ❤
I lost Perry in the Fall of 2019 after he had 3 more years of life than the shelter was going to let him have. He was at least 8 years old. I miss him more than anything, and he will always hold so much of my heart.
His love inspired me to make sure other guinea pigs got the home they deserved. So once the time was right, I adopted these boys into my home.
First came Butterball, more commonly called Butters for short.
At just 1.5 years old had been surrendered, adopted, and then returned to the shelter where he remained for months. When I saw his picture on the website something clicked. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to adopt again only a month after I’d lost my perfect boy. But when I met him I knew something was there, and he’s been with me now for nearly 6 months!
Then came Bean (named for being a Tiny Bean and a very loud Squeak Bean).
The smallest little dude at just 11 weeks old. Just about the size of a large Syrian hamster. A pet store had too many guinea pigs and brought a bunch of babies to the shelter. Once again showing the importance of adopting not shopping! His tiny little spirit captivated me and home we came. He’s now over 6 months old, and is a spunky little agent of total chaos. His hobbies include zoomies and annoying his big brother as much as possible.
They will never be Perry, and I will always miss my perfect little pig. But I am so grateful for him showing me the joys of guinea pigs. His legacy lives on through Butters and Bean, and I will continue to adopt small domestics in need. ❤️
