Feral hogs are widely despised in Texas. Many Lone Star State hunters, ranchers, and land managers curse the swine, and kill them with extreme prejudice. None of this is news.
But not every pig makes a nuisance of itself, as is the case with this helpful porker down near Bonney, TX.
According to the article from the Texas Farm Bureau, “Squeaky” the pig has become quite the cattle-herder.
“We were penning cattle and she started putting the cows together,” Mike says of the talented pig. “When a cow would break, she’d whip out there and bring it back in.”
Mike found the quarter-ton-of-fun as a piglet in a pasture lying next to her dead mother. He decided to take her in, something that had never crossed his mind before with other orphaned piglets. The half-pint showed no objection, not one squeal.
Named by his grandson, Squeaky has been Mike’s helper at the China Grove Ranch ever since. The patch of land is owned by baseball great Nolan Ryan. The Hall of Famer has even fallen victim to the porker’s pranks, watching her run off with his boots on occasion.
“She’s not really like a wild hog, more like a pet. She goes everywhere we go,” Mike says. “If we had a bull get out, we’d turn the pig out. She can do it easier than we can on horseback.”
Squeaky is more intimidating than a cow dog and even has her own bark. That’s one thing she’s sure to have picked up from her two canine co-workers.
Hmm… maybe a new, money-making option for all those hog trappers in Texas. Start training cow pigs!
Well, that is certainly a rarity. A cow herding pig? Nice. What a great, and unique story. I know it brought a smile to my face.