KUNEKUNE PIGS AT CAMP SKIPPING PIG

 "NO MATTER HOW INSIGNIFICANT WHAT YOU DO MAY SEEM, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO IT"...Gandhi

The joy of having Ahurei, the Kunekune, join us led to a new dimension when the offer of two females for breeding was presented by his breeder. Knowing and experiencing first hand the pitiful plight of unwanted potbellies, this was not a decision to be taken lightly. My personal belief is that the uncontrolled breeding of potbellies by a multitude of irresponsible, misrepresenting, in-it-for-the-money breeders, needs to be stopped. There are very few truly responsible potbellied pig breeders. As much as I love my potbellies, I believe there are too many producers who don't care about the quality or health of the pigs they produce, only the quantity, even if they're horribly inbred.They don't care if the pigs end up in a loving, qualified home or neglected, starving, freezing to death, or on a spit in someone's back yard. For these breeders it's all about the money. I've seen tiny terrified piglets sold at auction in wire bird cages, where they've beaten their faces bloody in panicked attempts to escape poking hands and the loud noise and commotion. This would NEVER happen with a caring breeder. I don't have the answer to the tragedy that has become the story of the potbellied pig, but I do believe I can help to prevent the same thing from happening with the Kunekune pigs by practicing what I preach and being  responsible. If I can't prevent the insanity, I can at least refuse to be a part of it. I feel that anyone who's producing pigs and selling them is not only responsible for every one that's sold, but is also responsible for any offspring those pigs and their future generations may create. Given that, any piglets I produce will not leave the premises unless they're spayed or neutered and all prospective homes will be researched. This may seem to contradict my goal to promote the Kunekunes and preserve the breed, but my first priority is to protect the pigs. This may also mean that someone that wants a pet pig won't be able to get one from me. If this method had been used for the potbellies, there wouldn't be a need for the many rescues that are now overwhelmed by unwanted pigs. The preservation and promotion will take care of itself if the breeding is done properly and responsible homes are found for the limited number of piglets produced. To me, breeding Kunekunes is all about sharing this delightful rare breed with like-minded pig lovers. It's not about producing as many as I can, as fast as I can. It's certainly not about getting more breeders "out there". That's not promoting the breed in a healthy way. It's all about responsible, loving homes for the few I do produce. My responsibility to the piglets I breed supercedes the wants and percieved needs of the prospective buyer. 

          A "RESPONSIBLE BREEDER" IS............

• One who breeds for quality, not quantity nor financial gain, and for the love and benefit of the breed and individuals within that breed
• One who researches prospective homes and doesn't simply sell to anyone with money in hand and a good story.
• One who spays and neuters all pigs before they're sold to eliminate uncontrolled breeding, needless suffering and further strain on maxed out sanctuaries, rescues and SPCAs
• One who supports the prospective buyer or new owner with honest, accurate information, training and dietary guidance, and advice for as long as necessary. 
• One who honestly portrays the pig as what it is, a pig, with certain needs, behaviors and instincts that must be understood and accepted by the prospective owner
• One who doesn't misrepresent the true size of the piglet when it reaches adulthood (as in "micro-minis" in potbellies...see Piggles' and Rosie's stories)
• One who is willing and able to take back an animal he/she has produced, at any time and for any reason. This means caring for the pig for it's lifetime or rehoming it to a qualified home, NOT taking it back just to run it through a sale, euthanize it, or ship it to a sanctuary (if an opening can even be found)
• One who is aware of  and appreciates the need for  population control and is willing to accept that not all will agree with this position, but that it is in the best interest of the animals being produced, and in the well being of the breed over the course of time 
• One who is personally experienced with the suffering and needs of rescued pigs, has personally taken them in and cared for them, and fully understands the consequences of what happens to the pigs when they're no longer wanted and the system fails. Without this experience, a breeder is living in an "ignorance is bliss" world. 
• One who provides a pedigree showing the bloodlines and relationships of the parents, grandparents and great grandparents where possible, to show that the piglets are not closely inbred (mother/son, father/daughter, sister/brother, etc.) Such inbreeding frequently causes genetic defects. Often breeders will cull (destroy) the "defective" piglets and keep only those that appear to be healthy or display the desired breed characteristics. Some breeders will raise the "not so perfect" piglets for meat, though they would still make wonderful pets for loving homes that otherwise might not be able to afford a "show quality" pig, but want to enjoy a pet pig. A responsible breeder will not closely inbreed or sell inbred piglets for breeding purposes, nor will he/she destroy a life just because it doesn't meet certain criteria. Some breeders may crossbreed and sell only the piglets that appear to be purebreds. Other piglets which don't display the desired characteristics are destroyed, though they'd make equally delightful pets. This isn't responsible breeding.

        I had a breeder tell me that she doesn't believe she has the "right" to control what other people do with the piglets she sells them. Perhaps not, but she fails to accept or recognize her responsibility to the piglets she produces and sells to people who want to breed them. Within a few short years I forsee another disaster just like the potbellied pig mess. This one will have Kunekune written all over it unless those potential breeders are willing to take a stand and do what's right for the pigs, not their pocketbook. When I approached this breeder about her experiences with rescued potbellies, described some of my own, and explained where I'm coming from, all she could offer was that she'd once "adopted a dog from a rescue"! Nice for the dog, but this is hardly the same as taking in abused, suffering pigs that have nowhere else to go, nursing them to health and having a waiting list to take in more. She either has absolutely no clue about the mess breeders with her views have caused or just doesn't care. Nor does she have a vision of what the future holds for the Kunekune breed and the untold suffering her methods will cause once the population is increased to the extent that the market is flooded with Kunekunes, just as it is now with the potbellies. Just who will care for the thousands of unwanted pigs that will be produced and discarded? I'm sure she won't. And it will all happen in just a few short years.

      On the opposite side of the breed or not to breed argument are those who are totally against any breeding for any reason. There are some who believe it far better for the delightful Kunekune breed to become extinct, as nearly happened, rather that have even one breeder producing piglets. Their extinction would be a tremendous loss and I cannot fathom why such an extreme view exists, unless perhaps that those people have never personally met a Kunekune. How could someone who purports to love animals hold such an extreme view? I placed an order with one large rescue/sanctuary for a few items that would be used in an educational manner to benefit rescued pigs. Of course, the money I spent on those items would in turn help to support that very rescue's considerable porcine population. When I mentioned to the representative of the rescue that I had plans to raise a limited number of Kunekunes, suddenly I was "no longer a member of the animal welfare community". The items were immediately "no longer available" and my payment was returned. Such closed mindedness does not help her cause any more than it helps the pigs she claims to care for. Interestingly, I continue to recieve requests for donations from this very same organization! Apparently my money IS good enough. Nothing is black and white...merely shades of gray. For those of us who truly care about animals, and pigs in particular, there needs to be a common ground where we can all work together responsibly for the benefit of the animals in our care. If breeders accept their responsibility and do what's right, there will never be a need for sanctuaries to house unwanted Kunekune pigs, which is what I believe is the main concern of the representative of the sanctuary who refused to sell the items to me. Already in Great Britain there are Kunekunes needing rescue. We in the US shouldn't allow that to happen here. Our goal should be to put all sanctuaries out of business by eliminating their need thru responsible breeding and good homes!

     Snippet, the fetching pig                Bradford in cap                Tuffy...tuff love...see his heart?