Chubby
~ We are happy to report that Chubby's adoption story is quite remarkable. The power of our Web Site shone through and Chubby's new family actually fell in love with him from his picture on our site. They were from Michigan and had recently lost their pet pig to old age. In their search to find another pig, the found our site and ultimately set their hearts on adopting Chubby. Even though we told them he was standoffish and did not really like people, they were determined to make him a part of their family. They took a mini vacation -- driving all the way to Pennsylvania to meet Chubby. They arrived with stories of all of their rescued animals, pictures of their beautiful home and family and a determination to make Chubby their newest family member. After staying at Ross Mill Farm for several days, Chubby and his new family returned to Michigan. Chubby's progress is remarkable -- his new Mom reports that he no longer is fearful of people, and actually loves to be touched and thoroughly enjoys his belly rubs! What a remarkable transformation for Chubby -- proving that every pig can shine once the right home
is found. PPN volunteers found an answer to their wish with Chubby's new family -- he finally has a secure home, where his family offers him nothing but unconditional love. After years in foster care, Chubby now freely roams on acres of property nestled within tall evergreen trees. He is truly a very happy pig Thanks to PPN, Chubby was truly given a second chance at life. He is one of the lucky pigs and stories like his are what make our volunteers continue to do the work we do. Thank you for helping PPN to save Chubby and provide him with such a Happy Ending! Chimes ~ When Chimes became a PPN foster pig she was just a piglet of 4-month old. She had been in foster
care for almost three years before someone came to the Farm and fell in love. Her new human mother fell in love with Chimes from the  first time she ever laid eyes on her. Unfortunately, her new mom Eileen could not take her home due to zoning restrictions in her community. But she continued to visit Chimes often and would spend time with her whenever Uncle Milton, Chimes
pen pal, would allow it. Although for sometime Eileen was unsure if she would ever be able to take Chimes home, that did not matter, in her heart Chimes was a very special pig and she continued to hope that circumstances would change. As luck would have it, they did. Eileen and her husband Kris found a new home and land where they could safely keep their pet pig Rosie, another
adoptable Handsome and Chimes too!! What a wonderful day for both Handsome and Chimes. Although it was hard to separate Chimes and Uncle Milton, Chimes was going to a big new pen and home with her new brother Handsome. After a very short time, Handsome was sharing not only his space, but also his heart with Chimes. He has taken over protecting and caring for her like Uncle Milton once did. The two are now the best of buddies, they
snuggle together, graze in the yard with their house pig sister, Rosie and just enjoy being pigs. When Chimes first went to live at Eileen’s she was shy and afraid of her shadow. With some time and TLC she has blossomed into a wonderful companion. She enjoys attention and loves belly rubs. Eileen says “We are so blessed
to have been able to make Chimes part of our family, she brings smiles to our faces on a daily basis.” Chimes sad story truly has a Happy Ending! Thanks to PPN and your generosity, Chimes was given a second chance at life. She not only grew up and made good friends she found a new loving family -- for life. While Uncle
Milton was her protector, and he was sad to see her leave, he knew in his heart that she was going to a good place and he too continues to hope the right family will come along for him. click here for an insight into fostering Merrily and Harper Tipster When Harper became a PPN foster pig he and his companion Merrily had an undiagnosed medical condition, which
caused them both to shake, fall down and have difficulty walking. Merrily was also pregnant and while in our care, she gave birth to a litter of five piglets Two of her piglets did not survive, but the three that did are doing very well. They too have the same condition as their parents, which to this day, even after consultation with numerous pet pig veterinarians, some leaders in their
fields, remains undiagnosed! One piglet “Nod” has a permanent new home and is living indoors and loving life. With this writing we are happy to report, both Merrily and Harper too have had Happy Endings. In the Summer of 2001 a woman named Joan came to visit Ross Mill Farm to satisfy her curiosity about pet pigs.
Joan immediately fell in love and decided she wanted to adopt pigs for her small “farmette” in Maryland. Joan was very much attracted to Merrily and Harper, despite their disabilities, she saw through to their hearts and bonded with them. She sat in their pen until they were comfortable enough to come and visit with her. She was immediately hooked and set her sights on doing whatever was necessary to adopt these two special pigs. Throughout the summer and into the fall, Joan and Susan, our foster mother, communicated regularly. Susan has loved and cared for Merrily and Harper for quite sometime, and she knew they could only go to a VERY special home one where they would be extremely well loved and cared for. Joan demonstrated that she was to be that special person. Joan has a beautiful home in Maryland where she also has a special needs horse and some other well loved animals. Joan is truly a wonderful woman with a heart of gold! After deciding to adopt these special pigs, she began to construct a “Piggy Palace”. The “Palace is custom made,
taking Merrily and Harper’s disabilities into mind. The house is insulated with plenty of space for the pigs and Joan’s frequent visits. It also has a ramp with rails on either side to help guide Merrily and Harper in without falling. Joan is thrilled to have these special pigs and reports that she spends a lot of time with each of them every day. She
works from her home, so she is able to provide them with lots of one on one attention. Joan reports the pigs are becoming incredibly friendly with her, she gives them ear scratches everyday and belly rubs. They are also making friends with the horses, goats and sheep. Thanks to PPN, Merrily & Harper were both truly given a second chance at life. Merrily was able to give birth to her
piglets, they were both provided with the best vet care and both found a wonderful new home where they will be loved and well cared for -- for life. They are only two of the lucky pigs and stories like these are what make our volunteers continue to do the work we do. 
Sara and her Hero First the hard facts: for the first three years of her life, the little pig who would be renamed Sara, spent most of her time in a very small enclosure, often in a box that barely fit her. Her diet consisted of what
she scavenged beneath a birdcage, and some dog biscuits. Her owner kept her confined and underfed her in the belief that this would keep her small. The little pig lived in her own excrement and thus her skin became caked with feces; she smelled so bad that no one could stand to be near her. When her owner decided she no longer wished to keep her, she finally did the right thing. She called Pig Placement Network and gave her up. Within a few days, Sara had already been to the vet, and placed with a knowledgeable and experienced pig parent. Unfortunately, she had stopped eating entirely by the time her new “Mom” picked her up, and the vet held out little hope for her survival. But this little pig had found her hero. Sara at the age of three and a half years weighed 25 lbs. Confinement had cost her the use of her
back legs, she couldn’t walk, and she was hunchbacked due to malnutrition. Her skin was a mass of mange and caked on feces, her genitals were covered in sores, she was scarred where her harness had grown into her flesh, and there were half dollar sized areas of skin loss on her forehead and one leg. Her ears were chewed up and raw from attacks by the dogs at her former home. She wasn’t eating. She trusted no one, and would bite if touched or handled. Sara’s new Mom slept on the floor next to her cage for the first full week. She kept her alive by trying anything and everything to tempt her to eat, succeeding with some fruit and gradually mixing in pig chow and peanut butter to keep her interested. Despite the smell (the little piggy could not be bathed for the first four weeks due to her fragile condition), Mom continued to sleep next to her and to feed
her every four hours. She carried her in and out of the house to potty, and nursed her wounds. As Sara gradually became stronger she was able to stand and eventually walk. Mom started to require her to stand and then to walk to receive her meals, and built her up to take 20-minute walks several times a day as physical therapy. Through behavioral techniques, Mom gradually gained her
trust, encouraged her to overcome her fears, and succeeded in harness training her and integrating Sara with her other pet pigs by the end of eight weeks. Sara will never be completely normal; her back still has a slight deformity and one rear leg is misshapen. She limps a bit and falls occasionally. She has some trouble breathing, and cries in her
sleep. The vet can’t say whether she will even have a normal life span. But every day of her life she will be happy, safe and loved, thanks to the experience, patience, and persistence of her new Mom and thanks to being matched with the right pig parent. Making the right match is what it is all about . . . and it has meant everything to little Sara. If you ever think that you can’t make a difference just think what sharing just one piece of advice can
do. Tell someone how to properly feed their pig and you can save that pig from malnourishment or obesity. Or make your well-trained pig an example to others, encouraging them to train their own. Show someone how you enjoy your pet pig’s company and they will be inspired to adopt one of their own. Be a mentor to a new pig owner. Write a positive story. You might be surprised to learn that your experience and knowledge is that valuable but it is, if you share it. If we each do a little, we can do a lot.
New York Daily News - Wilbur's found hog heaven
BY AMY SACKS
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Saturday, November 6th, 2004
At last, Wilbur's free to go hog-wild. The Vietnamese potbellied pig was stuck for months in a cramped bedroom of a Staten Island apartment, but he's now living it up on a sprawling suburban estate in Coram, L.I. "He's doing
phenomenally well," said Jeannie Watson, a volunteer coordinator with the Pig Placement Network who orchestrated Wilbur's rescue. "It wasn't that his family didn't love him," she said. "They just had no idea how to care for him." As a tiny piglet, Wilbur spent carefree days rolling around in the mud of his owner's spacious Staten Island backyard. But the owner moved to a cramped third-floor apartment and Wilbur got too big to climb the
stairs. He spent his days idling in a bedroom, eating too much and ballooning to 300 pounds - twice the average weight for a potbellied porker. It was a sad life for Wilbur, who was then one of the thousands of exotic animals living illegally in New York City. Animal rescue groups came to his aid after the Daily News featured Brooklyn exotic animal rescuer Sean Casey's desperate plea to find Wilbur a more pig-centric place in September. "It was truly a
happy ending," Casey said, noting that News readers also reached out to adopt two rats, two dogs, a Burmese python, a ferret, a rabbit, a parakeet and several turtles from his menagerie of rescued critters. As for Wilbur, the well-tempered 3-year-old swine spends his lazy days grazing on Lisa Mistretta's grassy 2-acre
farm that he shares with a llama and some horses. He sleeps in his own converted horse stall. Wilbur is even slimming down with a special diet of miniature pig chow with vegetables and plenty of exercise. Once a willing home came forward, transporting the pig was no easy task. It took several tries - and many mint treats - before Greg Eisman, who runs the New Jersey-based rescue group Rabbit Haven by the Sea, Watson and two volunteers were
able to lure Wilbur outside and herd him into a minivan. "For him to go through these changes in one day, he was a trouper," Watson said. Potbellied pigs originated in Vietnam and were first brought to the United States in 1984. The highly intelligent and trainable animals are known to make great pets. "Pig people who kind of 'get it' find that the pig satisfies a type of
companionship that appeals to our nurturing side," said Susan Magidson, the national coordinator for the Pig Placement Network. But owning a potbellied pig isn't for everyone. Many end up in shelters and sanctuaries, or left on the side of the road after being dumped by owners who can't handle the commitment. At Ross Hill Farm in Rushland, Pa., Magidson cares for 70 adoptable pigs that were either abandoned or rescued. Even though pigs are
illegal as pets in New York, Magidson said pig lovers can still get their fix by sponsoring a pig and heading out to the country to meet their new friend. "Pigs love company," she said. "Come up and visit it, bring it treats. They love to be groomed and brushed and pampered." | 
