Potbelly Pigs!!

Hi everyone!! I live in NW Wisconsin and I met my first potbelly pig at a flea market where a lady was selling them. I fell in love from the first time I saw Frankie (that's what I named him). Well that was probably 8 years ago and now I have 23 piggies...many rescues from around our area. People think 23 PIGS, what are you thinkng!!! But I love each and every one. Many of them have suffered through terrible odds to make it to my home. I remember picking up Rudy, Stewart, and Maggie from a breeders house... I had only intended on taking one pig at the time but when I arrived and found them all living with their mother in a large water tank I took them all. They were all malnourished and Rudy weighed less than 2 pounds at 8 weeks old. The mother died the day after I took the little ones They are over 3 years old now and although they are healthy they are very small for their age. Rudy was a special problem because he also had a strange birth defect (but I won't get into that). In Jan. of last year I got a call from a breeder who said that his pig had babies and wouldn't take care of them. So I went and picked up 3 one-day old piggies and bottle fed them every 3 hours for the first month of their lives. One of the pigs (Oscar) didn't make it but the other two are doing wonderful. Each of them have a bad eye from being born out in the frigid Wisconsin winter. (I think it was -40 that day). The last pig (so far) that found it's way to our house is Junior. When we first met him we about fell over......he's a BIG boy!! The worst part is that he isn't fixed and we don't know how we will get him to a vet or even if the vet will want to work on such a large pig. We get all the boys fixed right away to avoid any accidents. We don't fix the girls because there isn't a vet around here that will do it...we have to travel 60 miles for the boys! Anyway, that's my story, or at least some of it. There are many more stories of how some of these lovely piggies came to be mine. Once they come to our house they stay, I just can't give them away. Frankie sadly passed away 2 years ago but we will never forget him or his legacy. It's because of him that we now have: Rudy, Stewart, Maggie, Colby, Maya, PJ, Junior, Charlotte, Puddles, Adrianne, Eddie, Arnold, Henry, Stanley, Betsy, Elliott, Bubba, Scooter, Lincoln, Hoover, Dupa, Ebony, and Beverly. So here's to all of you who care for your pets and for those of you who take in unwanted or abused animals of any kind. All animals deserve love, food and shelter. Take care

Tina, What a wonderful person you are to love so many *****ally need it! Great job on doing what's in your heart! Good luck and send some photos. I'd love to see them! I don't know anything about piggies, but I'm willing to learn.

You are a GREAT person for all you do for your pigs. It is nice to hear positive stories every now and then in a worldor negativity. I am a HUGE animal lover and I think people like you are wonderful! Keep up the good work, there is a special place in heaven for you Ps...I have a pug named Bubba Kelly Z