Best Friends Forever...not.
Petunia is our 12 year old pot belly pig. She has a few issues like: being over weight, not liking strangers or men, arthritis, bad feet and a suspected reproductive cancer. The vets tried to do diagnostics to confirm ovarian cancer but the ultrasound machine could not penetrate her layers of fat. We pretty much let Tunie do whatever Tunie wants to do...which is mostly to upset Ellie Mae, our 2 year old, 800 pound, pink farm pig princess.
Tunie likes to lounge in Ellie's bed, She will take her own sweet time to leave Ellie's stall when Ellie wants to come in and have her dinner. Ellie will fuss, and whine and complain that she is hungry and Tunie just tells her to bugger off and wait, she'll move when she is good and ready.
Tunie also likes to tell Ellie to shut up and quit making such a fuss. She thinks Ellie is a bad mannered and impatient pig and doesn't show proper respect for her elders.
Ellie thinks Petunia just picks on her and goes out of her way to mess up Ellie's supper. Tunie is forever sneaking into her bedroom during the day, refusing to leave and then yells at Ellie to quit being such a big pink cry baby.
These two have a weird relationship because it seems like they really do not like each other at all...except...that while they argue and haggle away, they never, ever physically fight or ever try to hurt or push the other around.
When Tunie is ill, Ellie checks up on her by suctioning and snuffling her nose gently along Tunie's side. AND...when Ellie's joints are really sore and she doesn't want to get up because she grew too big for her little legs to support instead of going to slaughter like she was supposed to.... Tunie stops off at her gate, to ask her quietly how she is feeling. Tunie then leaves her to rest without trying to bully her out of her bed. She wanders off to find somewhere else to spend her day because Ellie really needs her bed when she is sore.
You know that movie..."Grumpy Old Men" where they pretend they don't like each other, but deep down they really do? That is what it is like with Petunia and Ellie Mae...Best Friends Forever...NOT... (but they are pretending, being nice too often is not really cool.)
I think it is important for every animal here to have someone of their own species to talk with. Ellie and Tunie do not always talk very nicely to each other, but I think it is all just a bunch of hot air. Those two pigs are glad that the other is here for them to argue with, I think they like to argue....those opinionated pigs, think it is fun.
Petunia and Ellie Mae invite you to sit at their table where good friends sometimes do not always (on the surface) get along. But when push comes to shove and they need a real friend, they are there for each other until all is well....then they can go back to irritating the other again.
it is a good way to spend a day, bugging your really annoying best friend, forever.