“This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef and this little piggy had none. And this little piggy cried all the way home.” That may be one of our favorite childhood nursery rhythms but for one pig, it fits. Instead of becoming someone’s dinner, she went home to a wonderful animal sanctuary.
Animal lovers have a passion for all critters…including pigs. Yes, they wallow in the mud but they’re also incredibly cute. Not only that, but pigs are quite smart. People who own them as pets will tell you that with a little bit of patience, you can teach them to do all kinds of tricks.
Not this Christmas.
Every year, a vast number of pigs are slaughtered so they can become someone’s dinner. That’s what was about to happy to one pig named…of course…Miss Piggy. She was slated to be killed. But then, an animal rescue organization from Santa Clarita heard about her story and headed out to rescue her and her eight tiny piglets.
Advocates took action.
For animal advocates, even killing a non-pregnant pig isn’t okay. But when you have one as sweet as Miss Piggy that just became a mom, someone has to step in to help. Initially, she was purchased by a family living in Kennewick. That’s when a Christmas miracle occurred.
They had a change of heart.
Miss Piggy was purchased for the sole reason of having her as the main course for the family’s Christmas dinner. But unexpectedly, she gave birth to the cutest little piglets right before she was to die. Seeing these tiny pink babies depending on their mom, the family just couldn’t go through with their original plan.
Rescue on the way.
This year, Miss Piggy wasn’t going to be anyone’s dinner. The family sent word out through social media, which made its way to The Gentle Barn located in Santa Clarita. Without hesitation, they left on Christmas Day to go get the new momma and her piglets. They had to travel on the road for two days before finally reaching Washington.
Grateful hearts.
The people from The Gentle Barn thanked the family before loading the momma and her babies in a trailer. Miss Piggy quickly settled in, allowing her brood to start nursing. With business taken care of, the group was off. They headed back to Santa Clarita with a beautiful family of pigs in tow.
The 16-hour drive was worth it.
It took the team a full 22 hours before finally making it back home. Although they were all exhausted, the founder of The Gentle Barn, Ellie Laks, explained they couldn’t stop to sleep because “You know, you can’t sleep at a hotel with pigs.” Within a short time after arriving at the sanctuary, momma and her piglets felt right at home.
The kindness of others.
But a second Christmas miracle happened that no one expected. Through an anonymous donor, The Gentle Barn was gifted with $10,00 to match other donations raised to help Miss Piggy and her babies, as well as other animals in the organization’s care. What a wonderful holiday for a pig and her piglets, along with a selfless family and a group of people dedicated to saving animals.
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Source: Fox 5 Atlanta, Facebook/The Gentle Barn
