Photo by Mary Ellen "Angel Scribe"

Ingrid a professional cartoonist, and her partner, Bob, have a serious penchant for fostering guinea pigs. Ingrid shows off (L-R) Chubub and Lilah and Bob, Olive (L-R) and Lucy.

“In elementary school as the principal walked by my desk,” said Ingrid, “he recognized the caricature I drew of him. He was not impressed (even though the other students were) and I got in trouble!" It was destiny moment!

Today, Ingrid is a syndicated political cartoonist, who’s still poking fun at authority figures with the occasional animal included in her work.

"Growing up, we had 24 pets including a monkey, raccoon, and skunk. The animals were family pets, but I wanted my own, so on my sixth birthday I was gifted a guinea pig, Ginny.

My mother was an animal whisperer and our animals had an inter-species truce not to eat each other! This unlikely group (including cats, dogs, rabbits, and rats) made the funniest “choo-choo” train following each other, snout to butt, around the house.”  

Because Ingrid’s pets were “family”, they spent more time out of their cages than in them. “Sadly, many people lock pets up in a too small cage in a kid's room or unseen/neglected in a backyard. Animals are inquisitive and mobile. They like being caged as much as we’d enjoy spending our entire life in a tiny bathroom,” explained Ingrid.

Ingrid’s partner, Bob, and her friends reminisce on Ingrid and Bob’s first pig, Duchess, the kleptomaniac, who stole from purses, ate the coating off fried chicken legs, and “lifted” cigarettes out of packages.  “She never had access to a lighter,” said Ingrid, “or we might have come home to find her enjoying a cup of coffee and a cigarette!”

Guinea pigs are herd animals - much smaller than buffalo herds. Ingrid and Bob "accidentally" started their herd when their neutered boar lost his mate, and the vet diagnosed him as "clinically depressed". Unknowingly, they adopted a pregnant guinea pig for his company. The vet told Ingrid and Bob to break quarantine and unite them as family. Voila - happy pigs and a herd!

Guinea pigs live 5-7 years. They have poor vision and smelling capacity. When putting a treat down on the floor, you have to help them locate it by tapping where it is - 2" in front of them. In their environment, guinea pigs memorize where everything is and then run at full speed.  If you move furniture, they will bump into it until they can slowly wander around, memorizing the new layout before sprinting off again.

BUT! Their hearing is amazing! Especially when they hear an opening fridge door or a carrot being cut.  Ingrid, said, “Their condo is in our kitchen (it is the most entertaining room in our home), and its door is open, allowing them to range free around the kitchen and living room.

When they hear a ‘food’ noise they come charging towards it screaming high pitched ‘wheeks’ at the top of their lungs.  They are also capable of purring, hissing, and chirping. The first time I heard a pig ‘chirp’ I searched the house for a bird!”

Ingrid’s friend brings “the herd” her left over veggies. When they hear her arrive, they swarm her like locusts. To keep her Godmother status in good standing, she spoils them with a fresh watermelon. Ingrid thinks they want her to be their human.
 
One Christmas one of Ingrid's friend brought her chocolate Labrador to visit.  While they ate, he was locked in the living room. When they returned, they discovered Ingrid and Bob's orange cat and a guinea pig were locked in with him.  There they sat, in a row, in front of the fireplace, like a Norman Rockwell holiday painting.

One time, Ingrid and Bob unknowingly left a gift box of chocolates on the floor. They were unaware a guinea pig had nudged the top off and climbed in until the box began moving across the floor. The pig ate half a dark chocolate strawberry cream before she was released from her "prison".

Ingrid loves guinea pigs because "they don’t have sharp edges, they fit in your hand, they are warm, soft, communicative and highly intelligent. They are not reliant on human companionship like dogs (and some cats), but they are incredibly entertaining to watch. I’m sure if they had opposable thumbs they would take over our home - and lock us out!”

“Outside, we built a 4' X 8' hutch,” said Ingrid, “It keeps our pets protected while giving them a home base to explore the yard. We folded corrugated plastic signs into A-frame "pup tents" to protect them from overhead predators. The ‘tents’ are placed throughout the backyard and the garden for protection from overhead predators.  The herd leave the safety of the 'A-frames' at dusk when they instinctively know the birds are in bed!”

Ingrid is also an inventor. She designed a roller for guinea pigs whose back legs are not working, and a Chin-Sling to treat malocclusion, a common problem with senior pigs that often results in TMJ. (When the jaw muscles weaken the pig can't self-grind the molars properly, which results in overgrowth and an inability to eat.) Ingrid custom makes and sells the Chin-Sling online world wide. Customers are grateful that one crazy lady had the smarts to make animals' lives easier!

Mary Ellen's Silver Persians swam their way into readers and viewer's hearts! They have appeared in International magazines and newspapers around the world. (France, England, Canada, China, Germany, USA, etc.)

Also, several National and International TV shows featured the swimming felines teaching pet-water-safety. And their furry faces appeared on a line of shirts.