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Winter 2016
Wet and cold months continue with need for hay to pig beds every two weeks. A constant need!
Blessings galore to donors who help with these unseen costs. You do make a difference in the life of a pig. Twenty-five trees planted in TLC pig area
in hopes of one day being a dense thick tree barrier to our neighbor who kills pigs in sight!
Slasher kitty, one of our feral cats, to vet for care. Our Barbados Sheep Alfy died from natural causes. She was old. Two months later her daughter Bambi, also a senior girl, died.
Three-legged pig Ziggy gets hoof trim under anesthesia. She had a difficult, horrible wake up. Anesthesia on big pigs is a challenge.
Many mini pigs to vet for hoof trims, tusk trims and dentals routine care of senior pigs with dental extractions of molars in many senior pigs.
Pig Onyx here for medical help, to vet for exam and x-rays. His person Michele is wonderfully attentive and drives hours to be with him and learn pig info.
Judy meets with animal research lead vet for interview and tour for possibility of pigs out of research to come here. Routine out of research is death.
Winter storms are extra wet with flooding and power outage. Blind pig Bailey does not eat for two days, not even peanuts. Then he is ok
- and ate famished! He had the flu. Six other pigs had the flu this winter.
Vet out for llama Packer, after week of care Packer died. Packer has been with us since 1992, before the first pig Fern.
Sanctuary dog Jenny’s nerve sheath tumor is back and she has surgery #2 to remove it.
Spring 2016
Big blind pig Bailey died on Mother’s Day. Visitors from Sonoma CA. start our visit season early thanks to a pig loving fund raising young
woman! Pig Charlotte moved to pig Charlie Brown’s area for friendship.
Call comes about sheriff seizure of farm breeding pigs. We will not take them as “holding” pigs. They must be owner released.
Sanctuary house painted barn green with barn red trim. A change from the white house it was.
Ellie and Joel pigs in separate area while large pig Ellie must be spayed at WSU and recover here with minimal movement.
We say Yes to eight sheriff seized breeding sows from a life of pig hell. Living in knee deep feces, dead bodies everywhere, being fed garbage in
feces! and pig killing in full view! Thank you to Whatcom Humane Society for being there to take the pigs out and help with transport here. Sadly,
their fate was limited after reaching out to sanctuaries across the USA only three sanctuaries would help - Animal Place in California, Blackberry
Creek sanctuary in California and Sanctuary One in Oregon. Thirteen pigs rescued. Four got homes and nine were left with no one helping. Four could
barely stand and walk due to the damage. I knew what it meant to say yes. The work involved would be an enormous load. I also knew the reality of
these pigs ever making it to a sanctuary. I said Yes to the eight sows! When first to Pigs Peace Sanctuary they were human terrified. Only one
would let touching happen. Four had broken pelvises damaged beyond repair. They did not know what pig food was and didn’t eat any or carrots.
To make room for eight full size sows pigs here had to be moved as we had to make a place big enough for a large group and close to other pigs so
they knew they were safe and could watch people with pigs with no harm ever happening. Two at a time were loaded up and to WSU for spays. The four with
broken pelvises are not stable enough to travel the distance. Volunteers Erin from Ellensburg and Lorelei from Bellingham become our Angels
of help driving the pigs the long distance.
The remaining boar being held at Whatcom Humane Society is safely castrated under anesthesia and must recover for 8+ weeks before being near a sow.
Standard recovery as newly castrated pigs can still impregnate up to eight weeks after surgery as the semen stays in the seminal vesicals.
Signs are made and put up for information about pigs and Pigs Peace Sanctuary for visitors. Tacoma Vegans meet-up group here for visit and workday!
Big pig Arlo down and unable to get up for five hours from failing hips, he is helped up by three people and walks to TLC area.
Visitors every week. Every visit is full. Sanctuary tractor repaired.
Summer 2016
Big pigs Ellie & Joel are moved to big sounder. They immediately bond with pig Alice who came to us a year earlier from a research lab.
Calls come from people wanting behavior advice for biting pigs. Many different calls. Very common.
Big senior pig Clara not up for breakfast. She is found down in the woods able to stand with help and walks weak. She is moved to TLC area. Arlo is happy to have his friend with him to sleep.
Calls come from across the country from people wanting me to take their pigs. I can’t help all the calls.
Pigs Houdini, Scooter, Freedom died this summer. Boar Dirk pig comes to join the eight sows. He is immensely overweight gaining 300 lbs. in twelve weeks! while being held.
The females are leery of him at first but soon renamed to Timothy he is now hormone free and does not bother them. He becomes a bonded friend. Healing happens!
Big pig Daisy is very sick with Peritonitis. She does not eat for three weeks. Judy gives her meds and water frequently daily. She responds with a
single grunt each day and I think she will die. Prognosis is poor. Treatment is strong. After six weeks she slowly recovers!
Farm Sanctuaries in Colorado, California and Wyoming call Judy for pig behavior consultation. Pig aggression is often the consult need when people
have done everything they know. We are known for nice pigs!
Apple donations start early due to an early harvest from all fruits and veggies this year. Pigs are happy for apples galore!
Fall 2016
Big Daisy pig continues healing in medical unit until well enough to rejoin the sounder. Her bonded brother Tony has kept a vigil on her every day she
has been sick. Not leaving her side and “showing” me her when she was extremely sick. Daisy is very tired of shots of antibiotics. She is
a walking pin cushion!
Fall tasks are planned as every fall every year - truckloads of wood shavings for well-traveled walkways and truckloads of hay for hay beds.
Twelve-year-old big pig Clara down in TLC unresponsive to emergency potent medicines. Weeks later with no improvement she dies. Big pig friend Arlo
never left her side while she was down. He was with her when she died and he watched her buried. His grief of sadness is profound with refusing to
eat or leave the spot she was in when she died. Very very sad to witness.
Visitors continue until season closed November 1st. This Fall was great fun for the pigs with many hundreds of pounds of apples given to
them by visitors. Pigs will run to the field to eat the thrown apples. We are pleased to welcome new volunteers this year. All can volunteer after
a recent scheduled visit. Volunteers get and give pig love in a personal way. The pigs soon teach all volunteers their job is to give tummy scratches!
Two-month-old German shepherd mix puppy joins the sanctuary family. Old dog Jenny comes to life with a happy puppy to watch and teach.
Senior large pigs Albert not wanting to get up or eat. He is up in two days. Continues with leg inflammation.
After many years here pigs Georgette, Gretchen, Charlie Brown, Heidi, Wilbur and Bradly die. The grief never stops. We honor the lives of all.
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