Last Saturday I had the chance to visit Pigs Peace, a sanctuary for abused and neglected animals. A hundred and ninety-one pigs now call the sanctuary home. They, and a few non-pigs, will get to spend the rest of their lives in peace. Old age is something most pigs never see, so living a long life is very special.
I went to the sanctuary because Jo Lombardi, a grief counselor, was offering a healing retreat for animal rights activists. Activists are often the people who see the things that others turn away from. We see the damage that others cause, and we know the dire situation that a lot of animals are in. That can be stressful, so having a safe place to talk among like-minded people was refreshing.
Jo is switching the focus of her practice to help animal activists exclusively. What a treat! She led us on guided meditation, a way to de-stress, and gave us materials so we could create an action plan and work toward balance in our lives. We were treated to vegan chili and snacks, and got a chance to share our stories with others.
After the retreat, sanctuary founder Judy Woods took us on a tour of the sanctuary.
We saw a group of pot-belly pigs rescued from a hording situation, we saw pigs who’d escaped slaughter and others who’d been rescued from neglect and abuse. The biggest pigs were 900 pounds! Unfortunately humans have been breeding pigs to be bigger and bigger. In the mid-1800s, a pig on a farm usually grew to 150 pounds.
One thing that struck me is how clean the farm was. It didn’t stink. The barn smelled like fresh hay. Pigs are naturally clean animals and don’t eliminate where they sleep. The barn was a place where the pigs could pile up, nest, cover up with hay, and get cozy. They did their business elsewhere. Of course pigs can’t sweat, so on hot days, you might find them cooling off in water or mud!
I was also surprised by how hairy the pigs were. I always pictures “pink pigs” as being hairless. Well the “pink ones” had white hair. Others were brown, black, spotted or two-tone.
Pigs are smart! Smarter than dogs. They’re funny, playful, responsive, inquisitive, and a joy to watch.
We got to throw pumpkins to the pigs. They came running through the fields from all directions when Judy called them. And within a few minutes, two wheelbarrows full of pumpkins were gone!
Next up: Carrots. Judy rang the dinner bell and the pigs ran to the cement feeding area that we were busy littering with carrots. One again, the pigs ate them all–all 100 pounds of carrots!
One pig, a beautiful gray spotted one, would gather up as many carrots as she could. She walked far away, carrots spilling from her mouth the whole way, and then ate her “stash.” None of the other pigs did that, but she preferred to eat “buffet-style.”
If you ever get a chance to visit Pig Peace, I encourage you to. If you can’t get there, visit their website and look at all the pigs and read their stories. Judging by the amount we fed them, I’m guessing it’s not cheap to run a pig sanctuary. Pigs Peace is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, so consider making a donation.
In case it’s not obvious by now, I want to remind people that pigs are beautiful creatures who don’t belong on a dinner plate. I’m so sick of the cult of bacon. Bacon, pork chops, sausage–they’re all the same. It’s the flesh of a pig. And pigs deserve better than this. They deserve peace too!
And now for your viewing pleasure: pigs!
Sunshine and Slaughter 
What a beautiful experience and what a nice opportunty to heal. As it is I suffer from depression but dealing with animal rights just makes it worse on some days. It feels so lonely at times when it seems the world just does not care. People don’t get that is hurts me to know the animals are suffering.
It really was beautiful. Even people not dealing with depression get down after dealing with animal issues. Jo is a grief counselor who is switching focus to work solely with animal activists! I’ll add that to the post. She was very helpful and nurturing. Loneliness was actually discussed at the workshop. Sometimes we feel like we’re the only ones who care and we’re fighting alone. It’s nice to meet others with the same goals.
Thank you for your compassion and sensitive nature. The world needs more people like you!
I know how you feel . Yesterday I read the story about caitlyn the dog and cried for an hour. I suffer from depression too and people have no idea how bad horrible stories and images hurt sensitive animal loving people like us☺the worst is- we as humans know how cruel the world is, but these innocent animals have no idea why they are tortured and abused. Take care
Caitlyn’s story is so heartbreaking. Sensitive people like you and Ivonne have the heart to change the world, but seeing all the bad can certainly be overwhelming. But the animals need us (like you said, they don’t know why they’re tortured and abused). Thank you for all you do!
Oh Jean, what fabulous photos! And adorable pigs. Thank you for sharing your Pigs Peace visit with us. 🙂
Thanks Ally! I’m glad you enjoyed reading about my experience! I loved it!
What lucky little piggys! love the photos of them with the pumpkins 🙂
Watching them eat pumpkins was so much fun! I had such a good time with the happy pigs. Their grunts and squeals, and general contentment was amazing.
Makes me happy to see these pigs enjoying a peaceful life! Sadly, I have been to bear witness to the cruelty on the other side of the fence, where pigs are just a product for human consumption. Mere words cannot express the horror and helplessness I see and feel. They arrive in extreme cold weather or unbearable heat: crowded, disgusting and miserable conditions, they are thirsty and exhausted after a long trip. They will be executed for no crime, just so people can make money and devour their flesh.
Thanks for a glimpse of hope; in a world of madness, there’s a ray of sunshine!
With compassion ❤
This is the complete opposite of pigs in transport trucks, on their way to a death they don’t deserve! Some of these pigs escaped slaughter and it’s wonderful to see them live their lives in peace and learn to trust again. Pigs are very social and they have a great community at Pigs Peace. We can go there next time you visit Seattle.
Wish we had an animal sanctuary like this down in Alabama! Beautiful pictures! I’m jealous!
Thanks for commenting! I took over 100 pictures! It’s was hard to narrow them down for the post 🙂
If you ever are near a place that has a sanctuary like Pigs Peace, I highly recommend visiting. After seeing horrible footage and reading sad stories about animals, this was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits.
It sounds wonderful! After reading your post I spent about an hour trying to find something similar that was close by and I pretty much got a whole bunch of nothing! I will have to make a trip to one out of state sometime, it would be such a rewarding experience!
I’m lucky that WA State has three sanctuaries (Pigs Peace, Pasado’s, and Precious Life). California and NY have a few too. The only one I could find “close” to you (and it’s still 300 miles away) is The Pig Preserve (http://thepigpreserve.org/). I Bet it’s worth a trip, especially if you’re near Nashville or Knoxville in the future!
Wow! Thanks! I’m thinking an “alternative spring break” trip up there. Gosh, I’m already excited haha! Hopefully it will all work out! Thanks again!
That’s awesome! I hope you get to go. If you do, I hope you blog about it!
thank you for sharing, jean!
as you said, one needs pictures of happier animals after seeing heartbreaking pictures of horror.
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad the pictures brought you joy too!
absolutely!
The pictures of the pigs are just awesome…like being there all over again! Thank you!
Thank you! Such a wonderful day. The location was perfect!
I shared this post on my timeline.
Thank you, Bob!
Beautiful pigs.Great to see pigs being treated as pets rather than food.
Isn’t it? I really enjoyed it. Seeing them safe made me so happy! Thanks for commenting.