The happy couple

As I said previously, Rosie lost her entire family when she was just a few weeks old. This was no tragic accident, but an act of terror and in fact genocide, perpetrated by porcind's biggest foe - man. One day while out truffle hunting in the woods near their home on the Spanish-French border, Rosie's family were rounded up and taken with several other families of pigs, to the local factory to be made into pork pies.

Rodrigo and his family who were holidaying in the area at the time, having travelled from their home in Spain, got to hear of the factory, and Rodrigo's Mum Maria, a strident pig rights activist, persuaded her family to get involved. The risks were high, especially as Maria had only recently given birth to a litter of her own - her fourth and what turned out to be her last.

The family sneaked into the factory in the dead of night believing that the humans would be asleep, but found the factory in full swing. It seems that the area was also populated by human activists known as vegetarians, so the factory operated at night in order to avoid problems, and also without a license.

A terrified and squealing Rosie was forced to watch as one by one her family descended into the jaws of death, emerging as jelly soaked crusts covered in pastry and swimming in fat. She was snatched by Rodrigo just as she was about to enter the machine. He lifted her onto his back (piggy back style) and literally trotted for their lives. After a restless night, the following morning the family returned to Spain.

All attempts to trace her relatives failed, and so after a year, Rosie was legally adopted by the Trotter clan and brought up as one of their own, as litter mate to Maria's youngest.

Rodrigo, who was ten years old at the time, fell in love with Rosie, who was named after the pink colour of her coat (it gradually darkened as she grew older), the moment he saw her. It was not until years later that the two animals finally got together - when Rosie was eighteen. Rodrigo was worried about what their parents might think, as although they were not related by blood, they were to all intents and purposes, brother and sister. Pedro and Maria had already guessed what was going on, for they saw the way that the two animals looked at each other, and gave their blessing. Several months later, Rosie and Rodrigo departed for a new life in England.

Rosie soon became pregnant, while Rodrigo found work in a Spanish restaurant. When the restaurant burnt down he was unable to find another job, so they were forced to sell themselves to a card shop, which is where I found them. I took them home and helped them build their first sty and a few months later, their first litter was born.

Disaster strikes - but every cloud has a silver lining

Rosie remembers very little of her birth family, as she was just as few weeks old when they perished - every one of them, in a tragic accident. Actually this was no accident at all - for the pigs were captured and rounded up by nasty humans while foraging for wild truffles, and were transported to the local pork pie factory to be made into pies.

Fortunately Rodrigo and his family were on hogiday in the area at the time, and Rodrigo's Mum Maria as a pig rights activist, heard about the factory and persuaded her hog Pedro, and the rest of the family to help her rescue the captured pigs. They snatched a squealing and terrified Rosie just as she was about to enter the machine. Unfortunately it was too late for the other pigs, and Rosie was the only survivor - or so they thought ...

Maria had recently given birth to a litter of her own, who were the same age as young Rosie, so they adopted Rosie into the litter and brought her up as their own. It was Rodrigo who carried Rosie out of the factory on his back (piggy back style), and Rodrigo who named her, after the pink colour of her coat, which as Rosie grew older has gradually changed to brown.

Rodrigo who at the time was ten years old, fell in love with Rosie the first time he saw her, and as soon as they were old enough, the two animals left Spain for a new life in England. Rodrigo worked as a waiter in a Spanish restaurant, but the restaurant closed down and he was unable to find another job, so they were forced to sell themselves to a card shop in Croydon. That was when I found them and gave them a sty of their own. The rest as they say is history ...

Meet the Trotters

This is a pigture of Rosie Trotter, the matriarch of the Trotter clan, with her hog Rodrigo. Rosie and Rodgrigo share a sty in Slurrey Hills.

They grew up together in Spain, where they fell in love and after moving to England and having their first litter, trotted up the aisle.

I discovered them in a card shop in the Whitgift Centre in Croydon which they had sold themselves to after Rodrigo lost his job. Rosie was pregnant at the time, but I didn't realise this until later when she gave birth to a litter of six beautiful porklets.

These two animals have been my faithful companions for over 25 years, always there with a listening ear and never passing judgment. They have had their own share of problems along the way, especially Rosie, who lost her family when she was just a few weeks old. If you want to know more then read on ...