The Death of Zadok - March 2008
Zadok, also known as Zads, and sometimes as Wadol (his name in predictive text), was a guinea pig who really thought he was a human. In 2004 I visited a pen full of baby guinea pigs with a view to purchasing a little cream self cavy, whom I named Harvey. Knowing that Harvey could not live alone, I looked around for a companion. There were lots of babies in the pen, but one little chap caught my attention. He was a chocolate agouti, but with coat faults (splodges of orange hair); and he was full of energy, dashing around, annoying all the other babies. He stopped still and looked up at me as I looked down at him, and I decided at once that he was to be Harvey’s companion. He was named Zadok.
Not long after I had got my pigs home, it became clear that Zadok preferred the company of humans to other guinea pigs. Indeed, he had to be separated from Harvey, who later moved in with Oscar for company instead. Zadok spent quite a bit of his life living alone, and was never happier than when he was lifted out of his hutch and brought inside to be with the humans.
Although he never fathered children of his own, he had a keen paternal streak, and despite hating to live with other adult pigs, he spent quite a bit of time supervising our “boys creche” during the time that we were breeding pigs. Zadok was the appointed adult who lived in the creche with the baby boys. He kept them in good order, and cared for them beautifully.
Sadly, Harvey died early in 2008, and his companion Oscar moved in with Zadok. It was probably a sign of his old age, but for the first time ever Zadok agreed to live with another adult pig. They were never overly affectionate, and I never saw them grooming each other or lying together; but they kept each other company, and on cold nights they would sit quite close to each other on a nest of hay (making hay nests was one of Zadok’s habits, and he was very good at it).
As Zadok spent large amounts of time inside the house, he quickly learnt to be more and more human. At first he would sit in a high-sided indoor run full of wood shavings, but he learnt how to jump out of it (no other pig has learnt how to do this, although Zadok taught Oscar to do it - we have the whole lesson on video). Once loose in the drawing room, Zadok would trot around making sure that everything was in order. He did not run from humans, but rather ran to them, particularly if his name was called. He liked to sit between my feet and watch the television. He would jump back into his tray if he needed a wee, so as to save the carpet! One day we left the door open, and Zadok discovered the rest of the house - and he loved it! Thereafter the door had to be left open for him to roam - if it was accidentally shut, Zadok would grab it with his teeth and pull and pull until he got the door open - and then he would be off, on his explorations. The only no-go area was the kitchen, as his little feet couldn’t get a proper grip on the lino, and he would slip around.
Zadok disliked returning to his hutch. He couldn’t understand why he was the only human who didn’t get to sleep inside. When he was visited again the next morning he would be climbing the bars of his hutch, demanding release; and in the last few weeks of his life he developed a new trick: when I put my arm into the hutch he would walk onto my hand, and then scamper up my arm, trusting that I would (at the same time) swing that arm round onto the front of my chest, where Zads would then settle down for the ride to wherever we were going today!
He accompanied me on many tours of the garden (and expected something green to chew on as we went). He accompanied me to my Office on a number of occasions, and was often sitting on my desk observing as I interviewed candidates for baptism or marriage. Only two weeks before his death he came to the Office with me, which meant walking through the “Church Mice” toddlers group. Here he was in his element, because all the toddlers, and all their mums, wanted to come and stroke him - he was very happy with that idea!
On Easter Day 2008 my beloved friend and companion Zadok died in my arms at 1.30pm. Thank you to all those who have sent messages expressing their own sadness at the loss of such a special creature. I will miss so much about my little friend. I would sometimes sit with my arm hanging over the side of the arm-chair in the evening, whilst watching the TV, and suddenly there would be a tiny little tongue licking my hand. Zadok had wandered over to say hello. I will miss that funny little tickling sensation. I will miss his high-speed chases too; he had grown a little slower with old age, but in his younger days he would charge around the drawing room at amazing speed, chasing imaginary friends. I will miss looking up and seeing Zadok trotting down the corridor and into the room in the evenings. Most of all I will miss his friendly and chirpy little welcome at his hutch, and his leap up my arm for the first cuddle of the day.
Not long after I had got my pigs home, it became clear that Zadok preferred the company of humans to other guinea pigs. Indeed, he had to be separated from Harvey, who later moved in with Oscar for company instead. Zadok spent quite a bit of his life living alone, and was never happier than when he was lifted out of his hutch and brought inside to be with the humans.
Although he never fathered children of his own, he had a keen paternal streak, and despite hating to live with other adult pigs, he spent quite a bit of time supervising our “boys creche” during the time that we were breeding pigs. Zadok was the appointed adult who lived in the creche with the baby boys. He kept them in good order, and cared for them beautifully.
Sadly, Harvey died early in 2008, and his companion Oscar moved in with Zadok. It was probably a sign of his old age, but for the first time ever Zadok agreed to live with another adult pig. They were never overly affectionate, and I never saw them grooming each other or lying together; but they kept each other company, and on cold nights they would sit quite close to each other on a nest of hay (making hay nests was one of Zadok’s habits, and he was very good at it).
As Zadok spent large amounts of time inside the house, he quickly learnt to be more and more human. At first he would sit in a high-sided indoor run full of wood shavings, but he learnt how to jump out of it (no other pig has learnt how to do this, although Zadok taught Oscar to do it - we have the whole lesson on video). Once loose in the drawing room, Zadok would trot around making sure that everything was in order. He did not run from humans, but rather ran to them, particularly if his name was called. He liked to sit between my feet and watch the television. He would jump back into his tray if he needed a wee, so as to save the carpet! One day we left the door open, and Zadok discovered the rest of the house - and he loved it! Thereafter the door had to be left open for him to roam - if it was accidentally shut, Zadok would grab it with his teeth and pull and pull until he got the door open - and then he would be off, on his explorations. The only no-go area was the kitchen, as his little feet couldn’t get a proper grip on the lino, and he would slip around.
Zadok disliked returning to his hutch. He couldn’t understand why he was the only human who didn’t get to sleep inside. When he was visited again the next morning he would be climbing the bars of his hutch, demanding release; and in the last few weeks of his life he developed a new trick: when I put my arm into the hutch he would walk onto my hand, and then scamper up my arm, trusting that I would (at the same time) swing that arm round onto the front of my chest, where Zads would then settle down for the ride to wherever we were going today!
He accompanied me on many tours of the garden (and expected something green to chew on as we went). He accompanied me to my Office on a number of occasions, and was often sitting on my desk observing as I interviewed candidates for baptism or marriage. Only two weeks before his death he came to the Office with me, which meant walking through the “Church Mice” toddlers group. Here he was in his element, because all the toddlers, and all their mums, wanted to come and stroke him - he was very happy with that idea!
On Easter Day 2008 my beloved friend and companion Zadok died in my arms at 1.30pm. Thank you to all those who have sent messages expressing their own sadness at the loss of such a special creature. I will miss so much about my little friend. I would sometimes sit with my arm hanging over the side of the arm-chair in the evening, whilst watching the TV, and suddenly there would be a tiny little tongue licking my hand. Zadok had wandered over to say hello. I will miss that funny little tickling sensation. I will miss his high-speed chases too; he had grown a little slower with old age, but in his younger days he would charge around the drawing room at amazing speed, chasing imaginary friends. I will miss looking up and seeing Zadok trotting down the corridor and into the room in the evenings. Most of all I will miss his friendly and chirpy little welcome at his hutch, and his leap up my arm for the first cuddle of the day.