Dear Jimmy came into our care even before the buildout of the sanctuary.

But when we were contacted by two incredible women working in rescue (whom we'd met during a prior case at a sanctuary where we had previously volunteered) we knew it was meant to be that he would become part of our family!

Jimmy the pig, our first resident — Jimmy, our first resident, by the fence

As fate would have it, a family of hikers stumbled upon Jimmy in some woods, lying next to his mother, who was sadly deceased. His littermates were still alive at the time, but they too did not survive.

This caring and compassionate family took Jimmy in and gave him a home until he reached a size that meant they could no longer conceal his presence. Since they lived in an area that was not zoned for keeping farm animals, they feared being forced to surrender him to authorities.

That is when they began to seek options for an appropriate and safe space for him to live out the rest of his precious life. A network of contacts led them to the ladies who knew we were establishing a sanctuary and they reached out to us.

The ironic part of this story is that we too were still living in a house in a subdivision when we brought Jimmy into the fold. But we knew this would only be temporary.

In his former home, Jimmy had lived alongside the family dog, so he was accustomed to sharing a bed and toys and generally knew how to play well with others. This was a very good thing, considering that we had three dogs at the time (that number has since risen to six! A story for another day and another blog post!)

We very gradually and carefully introduced Jimmy to each of our canine friends. Although not everyone was on board at first, they all changed their tune later when it was revealed that Jimmy knew how to open the refrigerator!

He was quite the mischievous creature and it soon became obvious that he would need alternate arrangements until we were ready to permanently house him on the sanctuary grounds.

We were, fortunately, able to secure a foster home for Jimmy until we had everything appropriately readied for him at the sanctuary. Jimmy enjoyed foster care for nine months, during which time we regularly visited and interacted with him.

Even though his foster home was a more appropriate set-up for him, he still managed to find ways to make trouble. Jimmy was able, on several occasions, to get into birdseed and dog food and to knock over a few choice pieces of outdoor furniture—after which time he earned the moniker “Oh dear” Jimmy! Lucky for him he was (and still is) so loveable.

When Jimmy’s long and circuitous journey to his forever home finally ended, he landed in a virgin field, with suitable fencing and protective housing. That was almost four years ago, at this writing.

Since then, Jimmy has exhibited signs of satisfaction and enjoyment which fills our hearts each and every day.

We are so rewarded to have been able to offer him the safety, security, and love that he—and all other non-human animals at our mercy—so richly deserves.

Please support our mission in caring for Jimmy, by becoming a sponsor.