Edna of the Forest: From Lost Wanderer to Household Supervisor

When Edna first arrived at Life With Pigs, she spent her first two weeks of quarantine looking at every human with absolute terror. She kept her distance as much as she could and made it clear that affection was not desired.  

And then, once she was let out of quarantine, everything changed.  ​

Overnight, Edna decided we were her people. Now she follows us everywhere - trotting along behind, determined to stay glued to our side. To keep an eye on us even when we’re inside, she claimed a viewing post: the wooden platform perched over the well housing just outside our house. From there, she watches us through the back window... for hours.  She even sleeps there.

One of the first things to go was her ratty old collar (we had already removed the broken cable ties originally attached when she was rescued).  We got her a pretty new pink one, with a name tag:  Edna of the Forest.  

But as much as Edna adores us, she is still working on her behavior with her woolly roommates. We had high hopes she and Huck would become best friends immediately (Huck is basically best friends with anyone he meets, so it shouldn't have been too hard), but alas, that was not to be.  We tried to explain to Huck that where Edna used to live most likely wasn't a very good home and she maybe had to fight for her food and didn't learn good manners, but his feelings were still very hurt and his rump sore.  Anytime there is food around, Edna headbutts Huckleberry, Bonnie, or Piper out of the way.  Suffice to say, she has not made friends with them.

The exception is Annie, who is either oblivious to Edna's bad behavior due to her eyesight or is just choosing to ignore it.  Annie is the only one who doesn't leave the area as soon as Edna arrives.  Jenna is taking having a second horned lady at the sanctuary surprisingly well.  In fact, with her diva behavior we have been calling Edna Jenna's mini-me.  Basically, we were totally off on our guesses about how any of this was going to go.  

Then came the escapes. After quickly learning the layout of the yard, Edna slipped out behind us or volunteers simply because she wanted to keep tagging along. One day our neighbor called to ask if we had a new goat.... because he had just watched Edna strolling down the street. Luckily when Ryan stepped outside, and called her name, she came running home immediately. Exit points have since been secured. Edna now wears a GPS tracker, just in case she feels adventurous again.

Despite her questionable manners with the sheep, Edna is settling in more each day. She has even visited us inside the house!~. And we’re confident that once she learns that headbutting isn’t the foundation of friendship, she and Huck will finally get to share the bond we know they’re capable of.  They both love to play and frolic and follow us around everywhere - just right now it's with a few feet of safe distance between them.