The Incredible Collapsible Pig

Pig loves us, I can tell.  When we get home from work and let him out of his pen, he is overjoyed to see us.  When we call him to dinner, he races across the yard at top pigspeed, barely touching the ground.  I marvel at how a creature with Pig's shape and short legs, can run so fast.  Pig is happiest when we are out in the yard with him, even if we're not directly interacting with him.  Henry occasionally will get down on all fours and make pig noises, and he and Pig will "talk" together for awhile.  Pig loves being scratched behind his ears, and Henry has discovered that when he scratches him behind his front legs, Pig will collapse in apparent ecstasy and lie there, completely still, for a long time, as if to keep the ecstatic bubble from bursting.  Henry will sometimes lie down next to him, and I will discover them, basking in the warm sun of early summer, a man and his pig, together.  It makes me laugh and love them both all the more.

Adolescent Aggression

Pig has started behaving aggressively toward our 14-year-old son, charging at him and trying to bite his legs.  This behavior occurs without provocation, but so far, he has not been aggressive toward me or Henry.  We've done some research on pigs and have learned that pigs are often aggressive toward litter mates, as they compete for the alpha position.  Does he think Hank is a litter mate?  Does he sense increased hormonal changes in our adolescent boy and interpret these as a threat?  That's my theory, anyway.  For now, we have instructed Hank in how to discipline Pig when he attacks, pushing him backwards firmly while yelling "NO!"  This seems to help for a while.  It's disappointing though, and we won't be able to take him to school any more because of it.