Winkie and Derrick the wrecking crew

8 years ago on new year eve I was coming home from a program and was driving up my dirt road when I heard a horrible high pitch squealing noise just off the road. It sounded like a animal in trouble. When I went to investigate I found 2 dogs chasing a very scared small pot belly pig with a injured ear. I manage to chase the dogs off and after several attempts to catch the pig using trusty Cherrios that I carry in my car for a snack, (no matter how scared a pig is there is something about the smell of Cherrios that will even get a potbelly pig to take note and start to munch away. This little guy looked to be about 10-12 weeks old and had a severely injured ear hanging by just a small piece of skin. I manage to get him in a crate. I always carry crates with me as I never know when a injured or stray animal will cross my path. I drove straight to the emergency clinic to have this little guy checked out. It was decided that the ear was so bad that it had to be removed. My vet also suggested that we neuter him at the same time which I agreed to. My vet named him Winkie as every time they hand fed he would wink one eye at them before taking a treat.  Winkie spent 2 days at the vet charming everyone that came in touch with him. During  the surgery it was discovered that he had a heart problem. My vet explained that his weak heart would probably make his life much shorter than most pot bellies, I understood this and decided to give him the best he could have with the time he had. My vet started a protocol that would give him a good quality of life for time he would be with me I tried to find his owner with no luck, I figured he had be dumped on the road. Where I live it is very rural and  some people think it is ok to dump a animal in the country. This is never ok as that poor animal most likely will never survive!!!! Winkie loved my cats and like to run around with them in the cat run. He took to litter box training and grew very quickly to his full size of 125 lbs.  He was very smart and clean. I taught him how to sit, stand up, lay down ,and place on command. When Winkie was 4 years old (3 years older than my vet thought he would live) Derrick came in to both of our lives. Derrick is a raccoon. I got the call to go rescue Derrick when he was 12 weeks old. The people who had him had found him on the road clinging to his mom who was dead from being hit by a car. They thought it would be great to have a raccoon as a pet. Within 4 weeks they found otherwise Derrick was into everything, kitchen cabinets, food , toilets, drywall etc. I have worked with these busy creatures for over 30 years and I am always amazed at what they can find to entertain themselves! When I picked up Derrick he was so imprinted on humans that I was not sure if we could introduce back into the wild. I took him to a center were he was introduce to wild babies his age to see if he might learn from them and the imprinting might lessen. All he did for 4 weeks was set in the corner and make his baby cries every time a human would walk by. It was decide to sent him back to me. As my last imprinted raccoon had passed away at 16 years old 10 years before.  I introduced Derrick to Winkie and my kitties. My kitties and Derrick became instant friends, as there had been a cat at the other peoples house. Winkie wanted to be friends but Derrick wasn't very sure of the giant black snorting thing. 3 weeks passed with Winkie trying to be Derrick's friend and Derrick still not sure.  One Evening I was setting on the porch steps petting Winkie's tummy and Derrick decided he had to get close to Winkie. He walk slowly up to Winkie and started to feel the bristles on his back picking at his hooves and trying to hold onto his tail. Winkie just layed there letting Derrick explore.  Winkie then stood up startling Derrick but he didn't move away. The next thing was a camera moment, but of course my camera wasn't anywhere close. Winkie let Derrick climb on his back to my surprise and Derrick stood up on his hind legs while Winkie walked around. Derrick thought this was great fun and Winkie didn't seem to mind. This action cemented their friendship. Derrick's and Winkie friendship grew so strong that the were always looking for new and interesting things to explore. On my back porch I have a large commerical refrigerator that is 4' wide and 6' tall. All my animal food is kept in there. I thought that I had Derrick and Winkie proofed the door so they could not open them. I had installed 3 locks to keep the doors closed. One afternoon when I was gone Derrick and Winkie decided they need to gain access the inside of the refrigerator and not be deterred by the 3 locks. Working together Winkie was able to lift the door up wards just enough to let Derricks magic little paws pull the pin out of the door. Together they must of worked to move the door just enough for Derrick to gain access inside. When I got home What I saw would of probably made me laugh if it had happen to anyone else. Laying on the floor was Winkie in a pile of food and he had eaten so much that he had barfed some up UGH!!!.  The next thing I saw and heard was Derrick climbing to the top shelf to pitch more food out to a very stuffed pig. He was making his happy chortling sounds as he was having a wonderful time 3/4 of my animal food layed on the floor scattered everywhere mixed with barf and water (Derrick had figure out how to open 12 bottles of water and pour them all over the food) how nice!!! I ran in the house and grab a crayfish, Derrick's favorite as that was the only way I was going to be able to move him from the refrigerator. Thank goodness it worked. I spent the next 8 hour cleaning up a incredible mess and giving Winkie medicine to help his tummy ache. Derrick sat on his perch watching after his crayfish treat I think enjoying the mess he had created. I now have different locks, hopefully raccoon and pig proof. Derrick and Winkie had many adventures during their friendship however this was probably their best  and most messy that they threw at me. Sadly Winkie's heart gave out last Aug.  He lived 8 years and 8 months much longer than my vet thought and I think part of that was because of his unique friendship with Derrick. Derrick mourned his friend for 2 weeks not wanting to come out of his house except for food or water. I could not even engage him in his favorite game of Raccoon Bowling which he loves, I will explain in future posts. He truly was mourning the loss of his best friend. 2 weeks after Winkie's passing Derrick came out of his house and walked up to me and wanted to set on my lap. When he sat down he started to make a strange crying sound that I had never heard before. He did so for 45 mins holding my hand in his 2 front paws. When he stopped he licked my hand looked at me and walked off. That evening Derrick was out playing with my cats. I will never know what that 45 mins was about but I suspect it was his way of telling me he missed Winkie. Derrick is still with me doing what raccoons do finding new and different way to get into trouble. Winkie will forever be in my heart. As a footnote Pot belly pigs make great pets but they are not for everyone to  many end up at shelters  as that cute little pig reaches 125-175lbs small for a pig but not small for the average household. They have to be spayed or neutered to be a house pet and they require food made especially for them not dog or cat food. they are very sensitive they can develop ulcers if yelled at or exposed to a catotic living situation. They require regular check ups and hoof trimming. If you are considering one as a pet please please do you research first. They are long lived my oldest "Elmo" lived 35 years. Raccoons do not belong in the hands of some one who thinks that they are going to be like a cute puppy or cat. They are wild animals and will always be. They are destructive. Just check out animal planet's Bad Animal Feature. There is a raccoon featured that did $10,000 damage to just one house because he wanted back in. I have had 3 raccoons come thru my rescue as they were imprints and could not be released into the wild each one posed unique problems. I have had over 30 years experience dealing with wild life and they still gave me a run for my money. If  they are returned to the wild after imprintation they will most likely perish in the wild. Wildlife does not make good pets!!!