PAT. SOMEONE, NOT SOMETHING

Each day in the life of the Sanctuary brings something new, often very unexpected.

A young farm pig, likely between 5-8 months of age, was poorly confined on land occupied by a non-paying resident. The owner of the land had passed away, and the executor of the estate discovered that this pig was on the land The executor personally witnessed excessive physical mistreatment of the pig that escaped the make-shift pen.🥺

All of that description sounds so clean and tidy. In reality, this baby pig was beaten with a fireplace poker, chained around the neck, penned up using pallets and other garbage, from where he would escape easily (and understandably). During one session with the pig loose, to avoid the fines from the animal control officers, ownership of the pig was transferred to the executor of the estate. This detail let us step in when the executor of the estate asked us to help them rescue the pig from mistreatment.

This baby pig was scheduled to be the pig roast two days later.

Shelter Manager Tye hooked up the truck and trailer on his Sunday off, and set out for western Massachusetts. The local police department had two officers of the law present, with the executor of the estate simultaneously on the phone.

Tye was very clear to everyone that he was not leaving without this pig!

Just a couple of hours later, Pat the Patriot (in honor of today, Patriots Day here in Massachusetts) was now safe in our Healing Haven Barn. "Pat" is forgiving, easy going and curious, like all babies. 🐽 And just one day later he wants belly rubs and is playing a LOT, just like all babies do!

We stepped up to save him, but we were not immediately focused on his permanent sanctuary home. We still plan to have some conversations with other New England Sanctuaries - in case the perfect spot is out there for him. However the reality is that there are hundreds of pig (small and large) on the east coast needing sanctuary right now. Our veterinarian team at Equidoc will be out tomorrow give Pat a vet exam and vaccinations

Meanwhile, clean fluffy straw bedding, back scratches, fresh food, hay, water, Jolly Ball treat ball toys - and a stuffed unicorn toy - are all his as he decompresses from his recent experiences.

Welcome to safety little fella! Thank you to everyone who supports the efforts of the Sanctuary with sharing of posts, comments, volunteering, and donations. We could not do this without all of you 🙏 To donate for his support at the Sanctuary, here is his page