Pig's do NOT belong in shelters!

Don't take your pig to a shelter

This is a true story as told from the eyes of a pig. 

As I was sitting in my pen one day with my friends, some people came in and said they were seizing us from my owner. They said it was an abuse situation and were sending us to a place called a "shelter".

I was happy about this because, I was expecting my babies soon. I hoped for a safe place to have them. They packed me and two of my piggy friends up and brought us to the "shelter". 

The place they brought us to, the “shelter”, it was so loud, there were dogs barking and we could tell the dogs didn't like us very much. I was afraid, but hoped it was safe for me and my babies.

A few days after we got there, one of my friends, Houdini, was attacked by a dog that escaped it's pen! He was screaming so bad, but he was a much bigger pig than me, thankfully someone ran over and protected him. She was able to stand between the dogs and him, she saved his life. Shortly after that, she was gone. We don't know where she went, she just wasn't there anymore. A few days later, Houdini was attacked again. This time, no one helped him and he was gone. That left just Papa and me. A couple of days later, Papa was attacked by a dog that got out of his pen. The “shelter” people were able to pull the dog off in time, and Papa was hurt, but not badly. Then, it happened again. Papa was attacked and this time, there was no saving him. I watched as the dog killed Papa. I was so scared, I can feel my babies, I know they are coming soon. I had to get out of this place, so I broke out of my pen and ran....I ran as fast as I could into the woods. 

I kept going back to the place where we were kept, looking to see if maybe one of my friends was there, maybe I could help them escape this horror too, but they weren’t there. I wasn't going to let them catch me....I had to protect my babies. I didn't know that the very next day, I was supposed to be picked up by a rescue, people who knew how to care for me and would love me. They searched and searched for me, but I was hiding, I didn't know what these people had in store for me. I found a place in the woods to have my babies and I tried really hard to protect them from the world out here. I was able to keep two of my babies alive, but I'm cold and hungry. I need someplace warm to keep them, the cold is coming. I went back to that awful place one more time and I smell something, there it was-food! I went in, and a door closed on me and my babies. I didn't really care because I was sooooo hungry.
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They put us in a shed, there was straw and food....I sighed with relief that my babies and I were finally safe, we couldn't go outside, but we were safe. 

Mama pig captured after giving birth to an unknown number of babies. 2 of her piglets were captured with her. (and yes, they were feeding her cat food, ugh)

After a couple of days, the food stopped coming, the water was empty. I would hear people outside, I would run to the door, are they coming with food for me? Maybe some water?....but it didn't come. Every day this would happen, and still nothing. My babies are hungry, they are my world, my sole existence is to protect and care for them. I continue to feed them, but I'm growing weaker, I'm hungry, I'm tired and thirsty. I hear people again, is today the day I will get a drink? Perhaps some food? The door is opening! Finally, they come in, but no food, no water. They take my babies!! They’re screaming, I'm trying to protect them, but I'm so weak, I can't do much. The door closes. I'm alone. It's dark, I'm cold, the straw is gone, I'm so hungry, and now my babies are gone. They were everything I was staying alive for and I'm crying, but no one is listening. I have protected them for the last 6 weeks, and now they are gone. Days later, the door opens and someone is coming in to feed me, but at this point, I can't walk anymore. I can't even open my mouth, I'm so cold. I hear one of the “shelter people” arguing with someone on the phone. I hear them saying something about a vet, but the people who have me are saying they can't do it because they have no money. I don’t even know what that is, all I know is that I desperately need help. Finally, I hear them say, we'll take her in the morning. I'm not sure what this means, but anywhere is better than where I’m at. 

I’m not so sure that I can last until tomorrow morning, but I'm going to try. All I want is to see my babies, are they ok? I lost some in the woods, are these two girls now dead too? I can't complain, I can't even move. Maybe, this "vet" will have my babies so I can see them again. 

Now I'm in this cold metal pen, people are sticking me, touching me, poking me with sharp things. I don't know what's going on, I can't move, my legs give out when I try to stand and my babies aren't here. I’m starting to think of giving up, I hurt, I'm starving, but I am still trying, just to see my babies. I hear the vet on the phone talking to someone. I hear him say he doesn't think I'll last through the night, and that he had never seen any animal, this thin, alive. Please, I just want to see my babies.

This is looking at the front half from above. Her spine is showing through the hair.

This is looking at the bottom half from above. Clear signs of starvation.

The next day, Miss Terry and her husband picked me up from the vet, and they found my babies! I'm in this crate, wrapped in a big soft blanket, in the car. Miss Terry whispers to me, look, we found your babies...holds one of my girls close to my pen, I see her! I see them both! I want to go to them, I want to love on them, but I'm so weak, and with all my might, I raise my head up to sniff them in the next crate. I lay down listening to their little grunts and watching over them. They're scared, but they’re alive! It was a long ride, actually hours and hours....but, I relaxed as I was watching, listening and smelling my babies.

Freedom Ride to Spamala's Orphanage for Wayword Swine in Alabama

Miss Terry brought me in the house, put me in a crate, and covered me up with another soft blanket. She pushed my crate next to a pen, and there they were, my babies. I could see them, we could touch noses through the bars. Miss Terry came in every 3 hours though the night, and had this thing that would put liquid in my mouth. It tasted good, Miss Terry would talk to me and pet me, is this love? I had never felt it before. I heard her talking to my babies. Her voice soothed me. Every time she came in, she would smile and talk to us. She would sit on the floor and pet me and talk to me while she was putting that thing in my mouth.

The next morning, Miss Terry came in, I still couldn’t move, I wanted to, but my malnourished body was too weak. I heard her say "good morning ladies" and I wiggled my ear, and even tried to smile for her. 
This made Miss Terry smile....she knew I appreciated what she was doing. But even more, I loved what she was doing for my babies. It was the only thing I could do to thank her. Miss Terry left for work that day, and I looked at my babies, thankful that they were finally safe, all I wanted was for my babies to be safe. 

I smiled one last time, and drifted off to sleep. I can leave now, everything I had been hoping for has come true. I'm loved, I'm safe and foremost, my babies will be loved and are safe. I know it’s time for me to leave. I passed away a couple of hours after Miss Terry left for work on Saturday December 8th 2018, despite every effort to save my life. 

One last thing, this sweet girl only wanted her babies to be loved and they need homes. Please consider adopting one or both of these little angels. They are both females. You can message Spamala's Orphanage for Wayward Swine for more information and an application for adoption. Potential adopters will be thoroughly screened. 

​The pictures tell her story and what she had to survive through to keep her babies safe. The last photos are of her two little girls, both need homes. They are approximately 6-7 weeks old....Please help this mama's wish come true, and be the home she was wishing for-for her babies.

Mama pigs babies that she fought so hard to keep alive

Her precious little babies....

This is a true rescue story from Spamala's Orphanage for Wayward Swine (S.O.W.S.), yes, this actually happened. YES, the shelter seized these animals from an abusive situation and left them to be attacked and left a nursing mama pig to starve. The shelter is in Lincoln County Alabama. All of this occurred even after they had guidance from an experienced pig rescuer. Terry spoke to the shelter people multiple times letting them know to give mama extra feed while pregnant and nursing, not to take the babies from her until they were old enough to be weaned, etc. We could not believe that people, who claim to be animal lovers, could do this to these animals. They are in the process of getting names and numbers so that a campaign of writing letters can be started to prevent this from ever happening to any other animals. Miss Terry, and several who were involved in this rescue, have been crying all day. We do want to send a special thank you to Mo Money For Pigs, who jumped right in and help them with most of the vet bill, the remainder having been paid by the generous donations from others.. They are so grateful for the assistance for these pigs when they needed it so badly. This sort of thing happens all over the country at countless numbers of shelters, though some shelters are obviously better than others. We must stop it! 

Please, S.O.W.S. needs your help to continue what they’re doing. They could use donations. Please go to their page, like the page and click on the donate button. It will help them to provide a good life for all the animals that are in their care now, as well as all the future ones! Ideally, they would love to build a new housing structure and get enough straw to last through the winter. You can also message them on their page & become a sponsor for one (or more) of their pigs. For just $25 a month, you can sponsor one of the pigs and every month you will receive a photo and a letter from your sponsored pig!

You can read more about this rescue by clicking here. A special thank you from MPI to Miss Terry and her husband for everything y’all did to help these precious piggies. We are incredibly sorry for your loss, but we are hopeful that her story will help other pigs in similar situations. 

Pigs don’t belong in shelters. ​