My dad purchased Pig Floyd from a breeder who promised if we didn’t overfeed him he would stay between 25-35 pounds.

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We quickly realized what an intelligent being we had just invited to live in our home. Pig Floyd learned how to go up the stairs, open cabinets, get in the trash, and pretty much wreak havoc in our home. He was clearly much smarter than a dog. I always knew pigs were intelligent, but when you have one in your home and they’re learning things as fast as your child is, you see firsthand how intelligent they truly are. They are obviously sentient, super-emotional beings. We call them dramatic because they’re highly emotional; you know when a pig is happy, sad, scared, angry, bored, tired, hungry, excited, etc! And they have vocalizations for all of their emotions!

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After realizing what we had gotten ourselves into, I started doing research on micro, mini, teacup pigs and learned what a scam this business is and how harmful these pig breeders are to pigs, and what a problem they are creating for shelters and sanctuaries across the country. 98% of people rehome their pet pigs within the first 2 years! Breeders don’t tell you how their intelligence means they may be easy to train but how they get bored because they’re so smart and start to cause big trouble in your home including destructive behaviors and aggression towards his people and dogs.  They don’t tell you they should be a healthy 125-200 pounds! We quickly realized that the amount of food the breeder recommended was a starvation diet for our Pig Floyd. He was cranky and bored and frankly looked malnourished. We tried to give him a good life allowing him to do what a pig wants to do, enjoy the sun and dirt, lie in water, make mud, root around and search for food, delight in finding and eating food, take naps with friends, etc!

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It was so much work! I wanted to give up. It would’ve been so easy. Instead, I started doing research. Not surprisingly, I learned that pigs want the companionship of other pigs. I started thinking about rescuing a pot belly companion and I began looking at creating an outdoor space for Floyd so he can engage in his natural behaviors.

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What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was dreaming up what would become Harmony Farm Sanctuary! Little did I know what a life-changing undertaking I was embarking on.  It’s been wonderful.