Snouts and snorts on display
Published 2:04 pm Saturday, April 30, 2011
Dottie, a 3-year-old pot bellied pig, was rescued by Hog Heaven of Buchanan. She was one of many adoptable animals at Tractor Supply Co. Saturday.
Several animal rescue and adoption groups were at Tractor Supply Co. in Niles Saturday in an effort to educate the public about responsible pet ownership.
Jean Wolf, owner of Hog Heaven in Buchanan, cradles a 5-month-old pot bellied pig, Jake. He was found in Centreville, Mich. in the middle of the road.
Groups included Animal Aid of SW Michigan, based in St. Joseph; Dream Paws, of Mishawaka; Great Lakes Greyhound of Indiana, with a kennel in Westville, Ind.; Talks with the Animals Farm, located in Vandalia; and Hog Heaven, of Buchanan.
“It all boils down to the irresponsibility of the owners of the pigs, of the dogs, of the cats,” said Jean Wolf, owner of Hog Heaven, a pot-bellied pig rescue. She has been rescuing, fostering and adopting out pigs for about 15 years.
She cradled a 5-month-old pig named Jake in a blanket Saturday as she explained how he was found in the middle of the road in Centreville, Mich. Another pig, 3-year-old Dottie, is now her “house pig” after it was rescued from severe abuse.
“There’s not a whole lot of medical documentation with pot bellies,” said Wolf, who works with a veterinarian and whose farm is also a foster facility for Pet Rescue.
There are currently about 70 pigs at Hog Heaven, many of them cross-breeds and young pigs. Many pigs are on her waiting list because many shelters don’t have the capacity or knowledge to take pigs.
“They are all mine until they are adopted,” Wolf said.
She said that people have misconceptions about pigs, and explained that they are intelligent animals, very docile and can be kept in the home.
“Everybody wants to make a dog out of them,” she pointed out. “They aren’t dogs; they are pigs.
“I don’t think people realize they are so smart,” Wolf said. “And there are so few places (for them) to go.”
Laura Ketchum, of Talk with the Animals Farm in Vandalia, also had two 3-week-old goats at Tractor Supply Co.
Tyler Rhodes, 5; his mother, Heather Rhodes, far right; and their neighbor, Shelby Watson, all of Niles, try to lure a 3-week-old goat with straw at Tractor Supply Co. Saturday.
Saturday. She and her husband have about six breeds of goats — more than 50 in all — as well as horses, peacocks and dogs.
She said that the event at TSC helps teach the public that pets are a big responsibility, and potential owners must be educated about what they are bringing home. For example, goats should not be taken from their mothers too early.
“We believe in parents naturally weaning them before we adopt them out,” Ketchum said. “I want people to see you don’t say, ‘here, have a baby.'”
