Had to do a mission yesterday to pick up some sausages from a mates place.
There’s a good spot for a quiet Sunday afternoon dog walk not far from his place, so I took my dogs with me.
Popped in to mates place to say hi then took the dogs for their walk.
Was walking along the stop bank a couple of hundred metres from the ute when they both start winding an area of flax across the canal.
Called them in behind and quickly walked past that spot and carried on for a while.
Turned around and started walking back and it occurred to me I really should have brought a dog lead, as my two dogs are borderline geriatric and too old to be handling a decent size pig by themselves, and all I had was a pocketknife.
Never mind, it’s probably just some little squealer and would be a bit of fun for them.
Then I saw a print in the mud. Definitely no small squealer. More like 100lb.
Anyway, I carry on, with my thoughts 100 miles away, when I see my bailer Tye come back up from the edge of the canal. So where’s the old holder Puddie??
A minute later my question was answered when across in the flax a hell of scrap went up, flax bushes were shaking and there was some serious scoffing and blowing from the pig.
I rang my mate to get his butt down there with something that floats so I could get to other side (I don’t trust my swimming).
Strangely it all started to quieten down. I’m guessing my old dog had the pig pinned. Then Tye got there and started barking and the pig went absolutely crazy. There was branches and flax shaking and dogs and the pig growling and grunting and scoffing. I couldn’t just stand there and wait so I kicked off my gumboots and started sussing out the safest way to swim over there.
Then some good luck went my way for once!
The pig broke from the dogs and jumped in the canal and started swimming towards me!
Long story short, pulling a boar up a muddy riverbank while a 30kg dog is trying to pull it back into the water is hard work!
I didn’t really want to have to stick a boar with a pocket knife, but by the time I’d hung onto him for a while waiting for my mate to turn up I ended up giving the pig the bad news with what I had, which actually worked ok!
Mate turned up a minute later and his dogs acted like they’d caught it. Turned out Murphy’s law had struck and his ute had a flat battery, and he’d had to jump start it off his lawnmower.
We took it over to mates place for his kids to see. Good country kids love that stuff.

Got halfway home and got a text from my mate.
I’d forgotten my sausages!

absolute classic...was right there with you balls deep in the wet stuff.....you write well my friend. thankyou for sharing.

"Jump starting the ute off the lawnmower"
Don't think the latte swilling Remuera types get up to that sort of lark!!!

Nice one! You dont even look that wet.

Nice porker,well done.