Shelley and Fred Muntau are enjoying the country life in east Maple Ridge after moving out from Surrey a year and a half ago.
The couple live in the Whonnock area and bought an acreage that could use a bit of fixing up but which suited their need to get some space and enjoy the quiet country air and their animals.
“It’s been wonderful. It’s been a really great move for us,” said Shelley Muntau. “All of our neighbours are just amazing,” she adds.
But it’s been a learning process for the family on the hobby farm that boasts three, big pigs, named Albert, Ginger and Spice.
They also have 40 chickens, which are subject to raids by some of the four-legged neighbours, some turkeys and now only one duck, after racoons killed the other one recently. “It’s been a bit of an adventure,” says Muntau.
Completing the menagerie is a dog and two cats, the latter two apparently the best-behaved of the bunch.
“We had goats last year, but we sold them before the winter because one of them was really mean. She head-butted me head-first into the fence once. She’s just cranky, she’s just a cranky goat.”
Last Friday, it was three big pigs’s turn to get into trouble. The trio escaped out of their paddock, then wandered up to the top of their driveway, though they never left the property.
The couple managed to round them up however, and got them back to their enclosure, then went out for dinner. When they returned that evening, the pigs were gone again. The couple grabbed some feed bags and headed out into the night calling “Albert, Ginger and Spice,” telling them it was supper time and asking them to come home.
The porky trio though had one more trick. They had grown tired so the pigs broke down another part of the fence to get back into their enclosure, went into their shelter and dozed off.
“After spending half an hour running around in the rain, there they were, sound asleep, where they should be.
“This is our first attempt at pigs. We’ve only had them for little over a month,” said Muntau, adding the previous owner wanted to keep them together. If any piglets show up they’ll sell them or maybe keep one or two for food.
In addition to losing the duck, they’ve also lost two chickens, again to the rampaging raccoons. “They’re pretty terrible. They’ll go in and get eggs, but if you don’t really watch them, they’ll go after the chickens.”
Shelley grew up on a farm but it’s new for husband Fred who’s still learning about rural life.
The dense bush in east Maple Ridge offers perfect hiding spots for cougars who also may be after an easy meal courtesy of local farmers. But, “We haven’t had any issues with cougars. We had a (large, well-fed) coyote right up to our back door.”
The Whonnock Neighbours Facebook group connects residents in the rural area. “Packs of coyotes howling, on 286th. Hope everyone’s pets are safe,” said one commenter. Another warns of a neighbour’s dog being taken by a cougar last week, advising everyone to keep their pets safe.
She’s also heard the rural legend, apparently of the Hammond cow that’s been wandering around loose in Maple Ridge for years.
There’s also apparently a cowboy who’s been trying to track it down. But that’s a sketchy tale, she acknowledges.
