Sue Parkinson is fundraising
Help The Abandoned Pigs Rescue Fund
Dozens of rescued pigs arrived safely at Lil Orphan Hammies Potbellied Pig Sanctuary & Rescue (LOH) after a grueling two weeks of effort by volunteers and officials in various capacities.
The story begins after a two-day investigation of a property in Stallion Springs by Kern County Animal Control in mid-May. Officers found 50+ pigs with no food or water. They couldn’t even find running water anywhere on site. Some of the pigs showed signs of malnutrition and were extremely underweight; some had badly overgrown hooves and others needed vet care. The pigs were seized and brought to the Bakersfield Shelter, with the overflow being taken to the Mojave Shelter.
Once the pigs were in custody at the shelters, Animal Control put a 10-day hold on sales/adoptions as they do in cruelty cases. This gave the owner time to come forward and claim her animals, which she never did.
How can you help?
Volunteer – Come and socialize the young pigs and once the babies are born we will need volunteers to sit and work on getting the babies used to being touched.
Adopt – All baby pigs will be adopted in groups of two or more. Single pigs are not good for a pet for most. Potential adopters will be asked to spend time at the sanctuary before any pigs go to live with them.
Donate – We need ongoing funds for feed and veterinary care.
Foster – Fosters will only be done near LOH, but for the most part the pigs are settling in well and fostering isn’t deemed essential at the moment.
We need:
Hog panels – Hog panels make it easy to make changed as the needs of the pigs change.
Feed – We feed miniature potbellied pig feed made by Kruze. It’s available at Santa Ynez Feed & Mill.
Shelter construction – We could really use 8 x 12 shelters like Tuff Shed style. They can be built without flooring, which is preferable with our soft sandy soil.
Kiddie pools – We never have enough pools and if anyone sees them on sale please let us know.
Transportation – Once we start placing pigs in approved homes we may need help with transport but we also need assistance doing home checks. We need to make sure that those wanting to adopt have the proper fencing and shelter.
Funding – Funding right now is one of the most pressing issues facing LOH. The overall ongoing cost will be more than doubled now that LOH has almost doubled it's numbers. So until most of the pigs have found new homes we do need donations. We are also having transporter help to transport to some out-of-state sanctuaries to help ease the workload here at the sanctuary. We will have an online list of costs and needs and advise how your donations are being spent.
Veterinary support – Proper vet care is essential and can be relatively expensive, especially with a herd of relatively unknown pigs.
What’s next?
What will happen to these pigs? LOH will keep the mothers separated from all other pigs in their own secure, comfortable shelters; see the mothers through their delivery, neuter all baby males when they’re old enough then help find loving, safe homes for as many of these (all) pigs as possible. In the meantime, all the newly rescued pigs are living in secure areas and separated from the resident pigs for the time being. All the pigs are fed, have shady areas and pools to cool off in, ready access to fresh water, lots of personal attention, treats, loving touch. All pigs will stay at LOH for life, unless they can be adopted out to good and carefully screened homes. At some point they will be able to have the run of the property and can decide for themselves which part of the sanctuary they want to call home. Pigs who can’t find their place at the trough are penned during mealtime so they can eat in peace without interference from the “top hogs.” Seniors have their own area for sleeping and eating and pigs with medical problems are kept close to the house for easy access so they can have more constant attention.
About Lil Orphan Hammies Potbellied Pig Sanctuary & Rescue:
Founded in 1992 by Sue Parkinson, who bought a pet pig she named PJ and then fell instantly in love with the little guy. Not long after the word got out about the “pig lady” people started asking her to take pigs they were no longer able to keep, and so it began. What started as a hobby soon became a calling, and the rest is history. LOH is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax deductible.
www.lilorphanhammies.org
The story begins after a two-day investigation of a property in Stallion Springs by Kern County Animal Control in mid-May. Officers found 50+ pigs with no food or water. They couldn’t even find running water anywhere on site. Some of the pigs showed signs of malnutrition and were extremely underweight; some had badly overgrown hooves and others needed vet care. The pigs were seized and brought to the Bakersfield Shelter, with the overflow being taken to the Mojave Shelter.
Once the pigs were in custody at the shelters, Animal Control put a 10-day hold on sales/adoptions as they do in cruelty cases. This gave the owner time to come forward and claim her animals, which she never did.
How can you help?
Volunteer – Come and socialize the young pigs and once the babies are born we will need volunteers to sit and work on getting the babies used to being touched.
Adopt – All baby pigs will be adopted in groups of two or more. Single pigs are not good for a pet for most. Potential adopters will be asked to spend time at the sanctuary before any pigs go to live with them.
Donate – We need ongoing funds for feed and veterinary care.
Foster – Fosters will only be done near LOH, but for the most part the pigs are settling in well and fostering isn’t deemed essential at the moment.
We need:
Hog panels – Hog panels make it easy to make changed as the needs of the pigs change.
Feed – We feed miniature potbellied pig feed made by Kruze. It’s available at Santa Ynez Feed & Mill.
Shelter construction – We could really use 8 x 12 shelters like Tuff Shed style. They can be built without flooring, which is preferable with our soft sandy soil.
Kiddie pools – We never have enough pools and if anyone sees them on sale please let us know.
Transportation – Once we start placing pigs in approved homes we may need help with transport but we also need assistance doing home checks. We need to make sure that those wanting to adopt have the proper fencing and shelter.
Funding – Funding right now is one of the most pressing issues facing LOH. The overall ongoing cost will be more than doubled now that LOH has almost doubled it's numbers. So until most of the pigs have found new homes we do need donations. We are also having transporter help to transport to some out-of-state sanctuaries to help ease the workload here at the sanctuary. We will have an online list of costs and needs and advise how your donations are being spent.
Veterinary support – Proper vet care is essential and can be relatively expensive, especially with a herd of relatively unknown pigs.
What’s next?
What will happen to these pigs? LOH will keep the mothers separated from all other pigs in their own secure, comfortable shelters; see the mothers through their delivery, neuter all baby males when they’re old enough then help find loving, safe homes for as many of these (all) pigs as possible. In the meantime, all the newly rescued pigs are living in secure areas and separated from the resident pigs for the time being. All the pigs are fed, have shady areas and pools to cool off in, ready access to fresh water, lots of personal attention, treats, loving touch. All pigs will stay at LOH for life, unless they can be adopted out to good and carefully screened homes. At some point they will be able to have the run of the property and can decide for themselves which part of the sanctuary they want to call home. Pigs who can’t find their place at the trough are penned during mealtime so they can eat in peace without interference from the “top hogs.” Seniors have their own area for sleeping and eating and pigs with medical problems are kept close to the house for easy access so they can have more constant attention.
About Lil Orphan Hammies Potbellied Pig Sanctuary & Rescue:Founded in 1992 by Sue Parkinson, who bought a pet pig she named PJ and then fell instantly in love with the little guy. Not long after the word got out about the “pig lady” people started asking her to take pigs they were no longer able to keep, and so it began. What started as a hobby soon became a calling, and the rest is history. LOH is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax deductible.
www.lilorphanhammies.org
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