Tonight on RTÉ One at 7pm, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh and Anne Cassin are stepping outside to look at how people across the country have made the most of their back gardens.
Delving into the archives, the presenters look back on the fascinating story of Cathy Davey, a musician in Co. Kildare who cares for sick and neglected animals on her farm.
We head outdoors as we look back on stories from people's gardens incl. a master craftsman in Co Galway, @cathy_davey in Co Kildare who cares for sick & neglected animals & a talented artist, writer & puppet maker in Co Waterford on #RTENationwide Mon 11th May @RTEOne 7pm @rte RT pic.twitter.com/ODv7y0EDTK
— RTÉ Nationwide (@RTENationwide) May 11, 2020
Ahead of tonight's episode, we caught up with Cathy to find out how the 'My Lovely Horse Rescue' has developed and how her farm has been affected by Covid-19.
"The farm where I live has always been a sanctuary for the banjaxed horses and animals so it's a nice and quiet place," says Cathy, discussing her home and farm in rural Kildare.
Made up of three farms, with Cathy's being the smallest, the grounds have been a safe-haven for mistreated horses and donkeys who hope to eventually move on to permanent homes.
Exciting!!! pic.twitter.com/E4TPQNVEFT
— my lovely pig rescue (@pig_rescue) May 6, 2020
Recently, Cathy and her team have decided to upgrade their operation and, although the purpose of the charity will remain the same, the farm has undergone a makeover in order to cater to the care of pigs as well as equines.
According to Cathy, the change came when she saw a surge of pet pigs being sold or given away online. Much like puppies, piglets are often bought because they seem small and manageable but are later given away once they grow to their full size.
As a rescue, the team are not able to buy the animals directly but often contact the sellers directly to offer up a sanctuary for the unwanted animal.
"People are buying pet pigs and then realising that they're a harder animal to look after. Then they put them up for sale on Done Deal, for example. The price goes down because there aren't many bidders so then they're being given away for free and that opens up all sorts of avenues for nasty things to happen."
"They're not all bad," she added, insisting that some people's circumstances have simply changed and they can no longer care for the animal. "It's great that they put them up there so I can get in touch with them."
Having always had a soft spot for pigs, Cathy has enjoyed getting to know the different personalities and quirks of different breeds.
"Pigs are so clever and so interesting. You grow up used to dogs and horses - those are personalities that you know you could spend a lifetime getting to know - and then pigs come along and blow all of your preconceptions out of the water."
"The different breeds stick to their own temperaments," she continued. "The potbelly breed are quite domesticated; they're very docile, friendly, trusting and forgiving. When they eat, their food converts to fat so they are sloth-like and lazy whereas the rarer and more commercial breeds are leaner and have more energy and their minds are a bit quicker."
Welcome to MLPR! A peaceful farm dedicating itself to the needs of rescued and unwanted pet and commercial pigs. Follow and share to spread the word !
Like many charities around the globe, Covid-19 has hit the rescue hard. Fundraising for the animals - which usually includes everything coffee mornings to appearances at music festivals - has come to a grinding halt due to social distancing restrictions.
"It's a disaster, we would rely on fundraising for all of our funding. Electric Picnic would normally clear our vet bills from the previous six months and now that's not going ahead."
Working within the current restrictions, Cathy says that her suppliers have been understanding about payments so far but, in the long term, she and her team will face a stack of unpaid bills. Adding to the problem, of course, is the rising tide of animals in need.
"We've taken in three times the amount of animals over the last three months then we would have in the previous six months, it's insane."
Wrapping up our chat, Cathy says that the biggest message she wants readers to take is simple: don't buy pigs as pets; they are farmyard animals and need to be cared for as such.
You can follow My Lovely Pig Rescue on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
