I am heartbroken to say that tonight, pretty unexpectedly, we lost our precious Hadley. She was seemingly fine all day, out and about and eating hay and drinking, but when I got ready to go to bed around midnight, she was lethargic and felt cool to the touch and it was clear from my other pigs that have passed away that she was not likely to get through the night. My son was still awake so I got him and we sat with her, patting her and telling her it was all okay. I elected to give my other kids the option to be there, so they both came down to sit with her too. The four of us sat and patted her for an hour or so until she passed away. It was a peaceful way to go and I'm glad she was surrounded by loved ones. I have no idea what happened, except that she was 6 years and 8 months and hence an old lady piggie... I guess it could have been anything age-related.
What can I say about Hadley... she was the boss pig to Sundae and Leela. She was a nice boss who didn't throw her weight around but gave the other pigs security. She was a huge lap pet with the humans. She would snooze on us. She had the most beautiful symmetrical face, agouti with teardrop markings on both eyes. She was smart, good at figuring things out and solving problems to get food. Her favorite thing in the world were freeze-dried strawberry treats, she would just keep going with them. We called them Hadley crack. She made twittering noises when she was happy and vibrated when she was angry. She loved to have her nose stroked and hated to have her nails clipped. She was a big pig who filled up our laps and our heart. We will always love her and I'm devastated at her passing. I'm so thankful to have had her for over 6.5 years, and to have been with from the time she was a couple months old until her last breath. I will never stop loving her. She was our friend.
I read a little story the other day about God talking to dog and have modified it in Hadley's honor...
Guinea pig: (Whistling.) "What does this do?"
God: "It makes people happy."
Guinea pig: (Popcorning.) "And this?"
God: "Oh, people love that!"
Guinea pig: "Is there anything I do that makes people sad?"
God: .....
Guinea pig: .....
God: "I.... I'll tell you when you get back."
And that is just the truth. Hadley gave us joy every single day of her life. The pain I'm feeling right now is the only hurt she ever caused me, and it is more than worth all the happy memories.
Rest in peace, Hadley. You are so loved.
What can I say about Hadley... she was the boss pig to Sundae and Leela. She was a nice boss who didn't throw her weight around but gave the other pigs security. She was a huge lap pet with the humans. She would snooze on us. She had the most beautiful symmetrical face, agouti with teardrop markings on both eyes. She was smart, good at figuring things out and solving problems to get food. Her favorite thing in the world were freeze-dried strawberry treats, she would just keep going with them. We called them Hadley crack. She made twittering noises when she was happy and vibrated when she was angry. She loved to have her nose stroked and hated to have her nails clipped. She was a big pig who filled up our laps and our heart. We will always love her and I'm devastated at her passing. I'm so thankful to have had her for over 6.5 years, and to have been with from the time she was a couple months old until her last breath. I will never stop loving her. She was our friend.
I read a little story the other day about God talking to dog and have modified it in Hadley's honor...
Guinea pig: (Whistling.) "What does this do?"
God: "It makes people happy."
Guinea pig: (Popcorning.) "And this?"
God: "Oh, people love that!"
Guinea pig: "Is there anything I do that makes people sad?"
God: .....
Guinea pig: .....
God: "I.... I'll tell you when you get back."
And that is just the truth. Hadley gave us joy every single day of her life. The pain I'm feeling right now is the only hurt she ever caused me, and it is more than worth all the happy memories.
Rest in peace, Hadley. You are so loved.
. What an amazing life she had with you. And to reach 6.5 proves that. Take care. RIP Hadley
Sleep tight Hadley xx
