A dog's life for Apple Sauce the piglet
Apple Sauce the piglet snuggles up with his brothers and sisters for an unusual family portrait. Apple Sauce the piglet snuggles up with his brothers and sisters for an unusual family portrait. This little piggie could not look more at home or more content despite being, to the human eye at least, an obvious outsider. The Belgian blue and his litter of brothers and sisters now cuddle up as if it were the most natural thing in the world after the baby runt was dismissed by its own mother. And surrogate mum Sasha, a one-and-half-year old rottweiler, seems to be taking the adoption in her stride. Apple Sauce and his canine companions now live together at Pont Llogel in Llangadfan, near Welshpool, where owner Heidi Rhiann, breeds pigs. Read the full story in the Shropshire Star.
This little piggie could not look more at home or more content despite being, to the human eye at least, an obvious outsider.
The Belgian blue and his litter of brothers and sisters now cuddle up as if it were the most natural thing in the world after the baby runt was dismissed by its own mother.
And surrogate mum Sasha, a one-and-half-year old rottweiler, seems to be taking the adoption in her stride.
Apple Sauce and his canine companions now live together at Pont Llogel in Llangadfan, near Welshpool, where owner Heidi Rhiann, breeds pigs.
She said: "I lent one of my pigs out to someone I know in Oswestry who wanted piglets. It had 13 babies but wasn't a very good mum and was losing her pigs left, right and centre and within days there were only seven of them left.
"My friend contacted me to tell me about her concerns and we decided action needed to be taken to prevent any more from dying.
"Apple Sauce was the youngest of the seven left and was being pushed out by the others. Because Sasha had just had eight puppies and I'd been promised a healthy piglet from my friend we decided that we'd give the dog and piglet partnership a go and it's worked."
Mrs Rhiann said she was surprised by the unlikely relationship between the animals.
"Sasha has probably helped save the piglet's life because she has gladly accepted it as one of her own - it just goes to show that anything is possible."
She added: "When Apple Sauce arrived we rubbed her with Sasha's blanket and the next thing we found was all eight puppies plus one piglet suckling. The puppies and Apple Sauce seem to get on very well too - it's lovely to see because the puppies are all pure bred black coloured rottweilers and the piglet is pink and blue.
"It'll be interesting to see how things progress but whatever happens Apple Sauce will be kept as a pet."
Mrs Rhiann said she was now finding new homes for the puppies, which are just over a week old. "It'll be great if they all find somewhere because it will mean a perfect ending to what has been a great story to tell." Anyone interested should call 07967 544164.
