The not-so-new Newbies

One year ago tonight, in the snowy cold, I went to the Animal Rescue League of Boston in Dedham to check out a few guinea pigs they had recently posted on Petfinder.com.  Willow had lost her cage mate in mid-December and was desperate for more company.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to take on more pigs.  Willow was acting so old and cranky.  Losing Pippin had been hard.  Did I want to lock myself into another round of pig ownership?  But I found myself passively searching for a pair of sows the last week or so in December.

The shelter had several pigs come in on December 30th.  Two mamas and their nine offspring.  The babies were only seven weeks old and beyond adorable and total squeaking machines.  What a ruckus!  I found the two moms, named Midnight and Sweetie, together in a separate cage further back in the crowded room.

Pinni - shavings all over from trying to not get caught!  Look how tiny she was!

I managed to grab Midnight, and as soon as I had her in my arms, she settled and started sniffing around.  I loved that she was curious even though I was a complete stranger.  I knew she needed to come home with me right there and then.  Sweetie was fast! and harder to catch.  And freaked.  She trembled when I held her, but her fur was so soft and I loved her mohawk hairdo and multi-colored fur and blue eyes.

Bertie - she was *convinced* we were going to eat her.

Both Midnight and Sweetie were about seven months old so they were a bit bigger and calmer than the babies.  I figured they'd be more likely to get along with Willow.  They'd save me from baby-proofing the cage, too.  The shelter was thrilled I was interested in the slightly older moms -- the babies were sure to be adopted out quickly, but adult-looking pigs are always more difficult to place.  So Midnight and Sweetie came home with me.

The names had to go.  Sweetie was sweet, but both names were boring.  It took us several days before the names that they should be called came to us:  Pinniped and Bertie.  The Newbies.
 

Hard to believe they used to be the same size as Willow.

Happy Anniversary, Bertie and Pinniped!  You've been a lot of fun (and such trouble!) in the past year.  I'm so glad I brought you home with me.