Monthly Donations for the Upson Herd!
$61
Raised
5
Donations
$10,000
Goal
In January 2020, our lives changed. We did the unimaginable—agreeing to take in 88 pigs that needed to be removed from a property within a week, or they would all be euthanized. How did someone end up with 88 pigs? It was simple—they started with two and never spayed or neutered. When deputies went to serve an eviction notice, that’s when the cycle was finally broken. Initially, the pigs were going to be given to just anyone, but we couldn’t bear the thought of them being eaten or used for breeding. In just three days, the rescue logistics were organized, and the Upson pigs arrived at our sanctuary.
We had hoped they would all find forever homes and only stay with us temporarily, but then COVID hit, and everything changed. Veterinary clinics paused spay and neuter procedures to conserve medical supplies, and most people were reluctant to volunteer or help socialize the pigs. With our days filled with feeding, cleaning, and ensuring their basic needs were met, socializing the pigs became a challenge. Over time, they’ve learned to trust us, but pigs are creatures of habit. While they’re social with our family, they are understandably wary of strangers. By the time they were ready for adoption, many of them had grown too large for most potential adopters, leaving them disqualified from the adoption process anyway. Pigs do not stay small, and that’s a reality many people fail to understand. Do you see why so many pigs struggle to find homes? It’s not easy being a pig sanctuary.
Out of the 88 Upson pigs, 58 were females, and most were pregnant. Within the first few weeks, our pig family grew from 88 to 147, more than doubling our population here at the Sanctuary.
Any media coverage done to generate donations or adoptions during that time, and at any other time, has typically resulted in more intake requests. Pig homelessness and irresponsible pet pig ownership is a real problem, especially in Georgia, where there’s minimal regulation on pet pig breeding and little oversight for animal cruelty.
We’ve fought for it with every donation plea over the last nearly five years.
And we will continue to fight for them, ensuring they live out a life that so few pigs get to experience.
The forgotten, the unwanted—many of them live here, and when we see them every day… yes, it’s a lot of resources, and yes, it’s expensive, but we’ve never been happier to pay a bill than when it is for their needs. It’s never been money wasted. Yes, it’s a lot of pigs to care for, but we don’t see burdens or “too many pigs.” We see pigs that love the sun on their faces, pigs that wag their tails when they see us and know where to go at feeding time, pigs who recognize the sound of the tailgate dropping and know that a pumpkin party is about to happen. Pigs that don’t have a worry in the world.
It has been an absolute privilege to care for them, and we’re deeply grateful to each and every one of you who has allowed this miracle to unfold for the Upson pigs—long after their rescue.