We Have Someone We’d Like You to Meet…

by Mel

We brought a new guinea pig into our home. We’re still mourning Linus, so it’s a lot of mixed emotions right now, and it’s likely too soon. But this is how things aligned.

Wait. This is not the way I want to do this. First, meet Beorn Hazel:

He is a 9-week-old mixed breed—half teddy, half American shorthair. A mix of Truman and Linus. His fur is the best of both breeds—thick like a teddy and soft like an American—and a little wavy. He is technically a tricolour because he has a caramel stripe on his head, just like Linus.

We had been looking at baby guinea pigs to bring another pig into the house, and a breeder I follow posted an August litter a little before Linus died. We had been looking at him, and after Linus died, I wrote her to see if he was still available and paid her once she said he could be ours. We made arrangements to pick him up a few days later because she lives an hour away.

During those days, I went back and forth. He was cute, but I didn’t know if I was ready for this. I wanted my pig—my Linus—not a different pig. Baby food was sold out in three different stores, which felt like a sign from the universe. It was too soon.

So we made up a series of code words to each other before we left to pick him up. We had a word that meant absolutely not. If anyone said that word during the pickup, we were going to forfeit the fee and go home to regroup. We had a word that meant absolutely yes. We each had to say that word before we would leave with the pig. And we had a final code word that meant, “A decision needs to be made” if anyone hadn’t voiced their opinion and it was time to go.

I was so unsure of what we would do that I didn’t set up the cage before we left. I cleaned it out, crying the entire time, but left it empty with the food bowls stacked outside. It could have gone either way. But when she brought him out, every word left my head. He was tiny and sweet and terrified. Even though the code word was my idea, I was so discombobulated that I was the final person to use it. We were all in agreement within the first fifteen seconds of seeing him—this pig was coming home with us.

That’s a piece of red pepper behind him

The first day was hard. I cried a lot. He was not Linus. He was very shy and didn’t want to eat anything beyond hay. He was fine being picked up and cuddled, but he wasn’t talkative. He didn’t drink from the water bottle. He didn’t popcorn. He didn’t explore. It was the opposite of our first day with Linus.

We left him alone for a few hours, and then the ChickieNob coaxed him to eat. And the Wolvog got him to start chutting while he was being cuddled. And by the next morning, he was happy to have spring mix for breakfast and nibble some baby food and explore his cage and wheek a few times and play in our laps. We’re getting to know one another. He’s still awful with the water bottle—he cannot seem to master drinking from it—and he needs to be hand-fed every new food in order to believe that it’s really food. But he’s settling in with us, and we’re settling in with him. It will take time.

So his name… Beorn is from The Hobbit, the shape-shifter who would turn from a man (American shorthair) into a bear (teddy)*. He helps Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves when they need supplies and respite. And Hazel is a translation of the Ogham month—Coll—that he was born in. It’s also a nod to Umbrella Academy.

We are trying to be fair to Beorn. He’s our new sweet boy in his own right, not a replacement for Linus. We’ve shown him videos of the friend who should be here with him, and I think Linus would have liked bossing him around. It’s nice to have a pig in the house again.

And taking glamour shots.

* Of course, we’ve been calling him ManBearPig.

15 comments

1 a { 10.14.20 at 7:48 am }

OMG, he’s so tiny and cute!

No, he’s not a replacement for Linus, but he obviously needs you to bring him out of his shell. He’s the right pig for you and you’re the right family for him.

2 KatherineA { 10.14.20 at 7:59 am }

Grief is such a many-faceted thing…definitely not a replacement and also something lovely in his own right.

Abiding with you while you mourn Linus.

Also loving the shots of Beorn (as a fellow Tolkien fan, the name is awesome). He’s one adorable pig!

3 Peg { 10.14.20 at 8:49 am }

Welcome Beorn! Love the name. We did the same thing after our previous cat died suddenly. While Eevee isn’t a replacement boy has she brought love in our house.

4 Susan I. { 10.14.20 at 8:53 am }

Oh he is just precious. I love the name. I am a guinea pig Mom too and they work their way into our hearts so quickly. Hoping you have a wonderful time getting to know him while remembering Linus.

5 Beth { 10.14.20 at 9:27 am }

First – he’s the cutest thing I have seen yet today and I am in love with those glamour shots.

Second – your situation reminds me of something my very wise grandma used to say. If a person was widowed and remarried quickly, sometimes other people would be scandalized. But not her. Her feeling was, that person loved being married so much they couldn’t bear not to be married. So the remarriage was actually the highest compliment to their first spouse. I think bringing another pig into the family is nothing but a tremendous compliment to both Linus and Truman. And that means it’s not too soon and I wish you cuddles and happiness.

6 Susan { 10.14.20 at 9:49 am }

Welcome Beorn!! He is the cutest 🥰

7 nonsequiturchica { 10.14.20 at 10:58 am }

Congrats on Beorn! He is adorable!

8 omdg { 10.14.20 at 11:15 am }

AWWWWW!!!! I want him! We’ve been considering getting my daughter a rat, but maybe a guinea pig would be better. I loved my two pigs when I was a kid.

9 Battynurse { 10.14.20 at 11:35 am }

OMG! He’s so adorable! I love him.

Be gentle with yourself and him while processing the loss of Linus and welcoming your new little guy.

10 Turia { 10.14.20 at 1:47 pm }

He’s so sweet. Not a replacement, but a new member of the family. Congratulations!

11 Sharon { 10.14.20 at 2:33 pm }

Awww. Welcome, Beorn Hazel! I’m glad to see you bring a new furry friend into your family. I hope that he brings you joy and some comfort as you mourn the loss of Linus.

12 loribeth { 10.14.20 at 8:34 pm }

So cute!! I think Linus (& Truman) would approve. Enjoy! 🙂

13 Lori Lavender Luz { 10.15.20 at 10:43 am }

Welcome, Beorn! I’m so glad you have landed with this amazing family. You are just too cute. And handsome, too.

Mel, even as my heart is joyous for you, I am also abiding with you because I know how much you love Linus and how sad you are about the loss of him. It’s quite a lot for a heart, isn’t it?

Big love to you all.

14 Mali { 10.15.20 at 5:56 pm }

Aw, he’s adorable! And you’re right – he’s not a replacement, could never be a replacement for Linus (or Truman), but is and will be a joy in his own right. And loving him is not a betrayal. After all, you wouldn’t love him if Truman and Linus hadn’t taught you how to love him. So loving him is honouring them.

15 Jess { 10.17.20 at 2:34 pm }

Welcome, little Beorn Hazel! He is so cute, I love his curly hair.

Thinking of you as you remember Linus and welcome Beorn and love them both.