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Emotional links to animals and pets

dazahomestead

Long story short, I have a pet pig, yes that's right, a pet pig. We got her when she was 3 months old. We asked for permission, rented house, and were told 'there's no reason why not', by a member of the housing team. We loved our little girl, her name is Reu, short for Reuben, because she's a girl.

A few months passed then we had a follow up with regards to the request for permission for her. Well, here it all begins. Seems the person who had given the 'ok' was a junior that strangely no longer worked there. We most certainly could not house a pig at the property under any circumstances. Bit late at this point, seeing as how she had been living with us for a month or so.

The letter came ordering her rehoming, the fights on the phone, the emails. I tried to suggest it was a mistake on there behalf, quoting what we had been told in the beginning no luck. 

After months of hassle we found her a new home. It felt like my soul had been ripped clean away from me. I've always been attached to animals rather than people and I really took to this little girl with all my heart. I've always found it easier to relate to animals rather than people, at the time I had no idea that I could be on the spectrum.

We found out a couple of weeks after she left that the new owner's partner had, shall we say mistreated her. We were sick. We made arrangements to bring her back, informing the housing team of what had happened.

Time went on and we heard nothing. Piggy settled back in with us and we were all so relieved to have her home and our family felt complete again.

Months later a letter arrived. Final order to remove her or face eviction. I was so tired, so worn out from fighting this. I threatened to get a solictor involved.

Just a  year ago wife had a breakdown and was diagnosed with bipolar. It shock our family to the core at the time. So by this time I had nothing left in me.

Eventually my mum stepped in. She took piggy to live with them, which satisfied the housing team and meant we still could see her whenever we wanted, my parents live just the other side of town.

The one piece of good news, from my point of view anyway, and sorry if it seems vindictive, but the next time I spoke to the housing team I discovered that the person I had been dealing with was, mysteriously, no longer available and later we were told he 'no longer works for us'. Me threatening legal action got him the push because of the way he had dealt with it.

It still breaks my heart and is ever present in my mind that she's not her with us. It just reinforced my distrust and dislike of people as it was a person who forced my beloved pet away from me.

Now I understand what being on the spectrum can mean in terms of how i bond with people and animals, it makes sense but it still hurts me so deep.

Sorry, wasnt as short a story as I suggested at the beginning.

Parents

  • This is a sad tale.  I'm sorry that Reu is no longer living with you.  But you know she's in safe hands and that you can see her when you wish.  Hopefully, if things change in the future, you will be able to get her back again.

    I feel certain that, without my rescue cat Daisy, I could easily have given up on life when my mother passed away last year.  I could have drunk myself to an early grave.  But I had Daisy to be responsible for.  She was happy with me after a miserable early life, and she is reliant on me.  I've not doubt that if anything happened to me, she would have no trouble finding another happy home through the rescue charity I adopted her from.  But if anything happened to her, then I really don't know what I'd do.  My life revolves around her now.  I put her needs before my own, in many ways.  She is a tie for me - I can't go anywhere unless she can come with me (I won't put her in a cattery) - but I knew that at the outset.  And I'm sure I owe my life to her, as I said.  I remember reading that Chris Packham became suicidal after losing one of his dogs, and it was only the intercession of friends that got him through.  We do form a close bond with our pets.  Closer, I think, than the bonds NTs feel.  They don't stab us in the back.  They don't gossip about us. They don't bully us.  They're always loyal and trustworthy.

    I know how you must be hurting.  Like I said, I hope things can change in the future.

  • in reply to Martian Tom

    I watched Chris Packhams documentary last year, before I even though about being on the spectrum was a possibility. It was strange, because what he said, what he described, his emotions, they struck a chord with me then, it made me stop and think, "could that be me"? The thought passed and it wasn't until this year when it was offered to me as an explanation that I remembered. I've found his film online and watched it again, I felt I really understood the deep lose he felt with the bird he had in his teens and definitely that lack of giving a care for anonymous authority figures.

    Thanks for the kind words again. Just having 'people' I can talk to and understand is the greatest gift I could ask for

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  • in reply to Martian Tom

    I watched Chris Packhams documentary last year, before I even though about being on the spectrum was a possibility. It was strange, because what he said, what he described, his emotions, they struck a chord with me then, it made me stop and think, "could that be me"? The thought passed and it wasn't until this year when it was offered to me as an explanation that I remembered. I've found his film online and watched it again, I felt I really understood the deep lose he felt with the bird he had in his teens and definitely that lack of giving a care for anonymous authority figures.

    Thanks for the kind words again. Just having 'people' I can talk to and understand is the greatest gift I could ask for

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