Horton and Henry’s lives have drastically changed, but one thing that has never changed is the bond these two brothers share. These two have been there for each other through thick and thin.
The story of these piglet brothers begins under harrowing circumstances.
Horton and Henry were neglected and abused by their owners. Rescuers found the pair starved and scared on a pig farm where they were so malnourished that they were anemic. They were so skinny that you could see their bones.
And that wasn’t all. They were both riddled with ticks and parasites and terrified of humans which is no wonder because the humans they had been exposed to up until that point were raising them for slaughter and didn’t care about their well being.
Thankfully, The Gentle Barn swooped in to save them.
The Gentle Barn is a rescue organization out of Tennesse that rescues severely abused animals and rehabilitates them so they can help to heal severely abused children. Is that brilliant or what?!
It took a little time, but eventually, Horton and Henry started to warm up to their rescuers.
“They were scared to death,” The Gentle Barn’s founder Ellie Laks told The Dodo. “We sat with them every day for weeks to comfort them.”
The key here was snacks… lots of snacks. It wasn’t long before they came out of their shells and started to embrace their new lives.
“We read books to them and sang them songs,” Laks said. “It was as if their eyes went from dull to bright. After a few weeks, they started rolling over to let us rub their bellies.”
The two brothers began to gain weight and grew strong enough to play in the pasture where they could lay in the sun.
They even enjoyed getting to know the rest of the animals on the farm.
“Our newly named pigs, Henry and Horton got to go outside for the first time yesterday and were given a warm welcome by Dudley,” The Gentle Barn wrote on Facebook in a caption to the photo below. “Everyone is settling in nicely and becoming one big, happy family.”
Horton and Henry were getting the hang of life on a safe farm and loved to eat, sleep, and play together.
“They were inseparable since day one,” Laks said.
Just look at these two cozy cuties!
Horton and Henry had turned a year old when The Gentle Barn staff noticed that Horton was having trouble walking.
This is because pigs like Horton are raised to be unnaturally large for food and he couldn’t support his weight.
“They both grew very, very quickly,” Laks explained. “But Horton’s size coupled with his bad conformation turned into mobility issues.”
This meant that Horton would have to spend most of his time on “bed rest,” take steroids and undergo surgery. But just because Henry could go out and play didn’t mean that he left Horton behind.
Henry took on the role of protector to his brother and would take extra good care of him.
“When we bring out hay for them to eat at lunch time, Henry will grab a mouthful and bring it right into the barn for Horton,” Laks said. “He is very nurturing to him — to the point where he won’t let any other pigs near him. He knows that Horton is delicate and vulnerable.”
As you can see in the video above, Henry will bring his brother food before he takes any for himself. He often checks on his brother throughout the day.
“Henry is the best guy,” The Gentle Barns writes on Facebook.
No matter what, these two brothers love and look out for each other.
After all, it is the pig way as pigs are known to form deep bonds with family and caretakers.
“Pigs have a highly developed language,” Laks said. “They’re always communicating through their different snorts or grunts. Henry especially loves people, too. He’s always up for a belly rub and some veggies.”
After all these two have been through we’re glad to see that they are living a happier life, and more importantly, a life they can spend together.
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