#ogar

Ogar’s first experience with mud. Needless to say, it was a big hit!

Charlie did standup comedy and was also a therapist and drug counselor — although the comedy part was the reason that this special pig got his name. Because, though Ogar pig did not do standup, he kept us smiling and laughing all the time.

Charlie Ogar getting the huge pig snuggle!

And he still does. Since he weighed a mere 75 pounds, Ogar pig would play with us, spinning in circles — often until he fell. And this boy loves the belly rub — really loves it. Just touch his belly and he is down.

From his early days with us to the present, Ogar has always had a soft spot for the belly rub!

He would (and still does) run when you call his name.  

If you call him, he will come. Ogar is always up for human attention and really wants to be where the action is. 

He is a camera hog — unlike his brothers Farley and Dennis, who were not fans of the attention from humans, Ogar is a clown, and he loves to mug for each shot.

Teenage Ogar in our main pig barn — chillin’.

He is a big talker and responds when you call his name each time. With a grunt or a “huh huh huh” sound to greet you, this boy is always saying something to communicate his feelings. 

Big talker — the typical Ogar greeting. He loves to talk (just like his namesake) and when you call his name, he grunts a response each time.

And he is a lover of mud. He loves to dig and create newer, larger mud holes to share with his people. This boy is a regular engineer of the perfect wallow. 

These photos, taken today, show that with the arrival of spring comes the need for a much larger wallow!

And what a looker he is, too. Those beautiful tufted ears, that silly grin on his face, and those beautiful eyes. 

Big smile, hairy ears, and that amazing pink nose. This boy is a real charmer.  

He and his brothers remained very close, although Farley and Dennis never got over their fear of people — even when they were bigger than everyone they encountered. Both Dennis and Farley attempted to bite people — again, out of fear; they are not mean.

Dennis, Farley, and Ogar grazing and enjoying the day.

So the two brothers were to be moved to our rescue barn, which was being converted into what we lovingly call “the biter barn.” This area is where pigs who tend to nip, have bitten caregivers, or have lunged can live away from human strangers and with each other, which is how they like it.

If the boards start a rockin’, it’s Ogar a-knockin’.

And knowing how amazing Ogar’s personality was, we thought — incorrectly, as it turned out — that he could happily remain with his sister in the big barn, and the two brothers would move to their home across the farm.

The brothers as young pigs in a piggy pile. From right to left: Dennis, Farley, and Ogar. 

We were wrong, and Ogar, in protest, stopped eating for a full two days (although Emily was thrilled — those boys picked at her relentlessly wanting to play, and she had been growing weary of their antics). 

“Where are my people?” Ogar in his new pasture and happy again to be with his brothers. 

So Ogar was moved to the barn whose name described his behavior during his first few weeks with us only — and the reuniting of the family was a tearjerker. They spun and played and hoofed and ran, and Ogar’s appetite returned. And to this day, he never sleeps away from his brother Farley (Dennis passed away last year).

Ogar now — a very hairy boy with the cutest ears on earth. 

He did, however, find love for the first time this year — a bit late in life, but when it’s right, it’s right.  

Roxy and Gus a few years ago. They were the happiest siblings, and her sadness over his loss was so painful to watch. 

Roxy, who just lost her beautiful but very sickly brother Gus, was moved into the herd (the biter barn) because she had met these pigs through the fence for the two years that she’d lived beside them with Gus. She was very depressed and lonely, so we moved her quickly after his passing.  

Roxy and Ogar.  

And out of all the pigs, she was smitten with our boy Ogar, and he returned this love — which surprised us, since so many have entered the herd and he usually either fights them for position or ignores them.  

Ogar and Roxy enjoying the great outdoors together.

But not with this girl. And it’s great for her — because Ogar runs the place. Our first lady of the pig barn now sleeps beside her boyfriend as well — with Farley on his other side. Although we have seen Farley chase her away, it does not deter the love that has developed, and we are so happy for them both.

Loving this belly rub from friend and caregiver Abbie! (A nest-building Socks pig makes a cameo.)

So from biting, fearful baby to funny, loving, and quite comical adult, Ogar showed us that he was unique — different, even, than each of his siblings. And though our food system raises these animals more like machines, they are not. Each one is unique and has his or her own personality. They are each someone — they are individuals — and he is Ogar.