In November of 2022, we received notice that a pig was wandering our town, rooting up gardens. With the help of our wonderful ACO, we arrived at a house with our horse trailer, prepared to catch a large pig. Instead we found an 8 week old piglet, wandering an apple orchard and gorging himself on fallen apples. After some work, including a moment in which the piglet squirmed away but Andy and the ACO locked each other in an embrace, the piglet made it into our crate and back to the sanctuary. As an unneutered male, Hotspur spent the first two weeks of his life with us running up and down the fence line of his new home, getting our females excited and perplexing our boys. He had clearly never been handled by humans – at least not in a positive manner – and it took days before he would take food from us or allow us to touch him. After his legal hold was lifted, we were able to have him neutered, and he and Arthur, who was recovering from a medical issue, recovered in a stall together. They became instant brothers, burrowing into the straw together every night. They still explore together every day, following their big brother Gilbert and doing whatever he does. They have created their own loving family, and are safe here forever.
