Rescues and Sanctuaries working together for the pigs

There is often confusion and sometimes lack of cooperation between the two interest groups as they cross invisible lines in their work for the pigs..

Rescue: by definition removes pigs from desperate or threatening situations with the anticipation of placing them safely in another home or foster care or a sanctuary.

Sanctuary, by definition, provides protection and refuge, usually for the lifetime of the animal. .Some adoption may take place of the younger or more human dependent of the animals but these adoptions are not the primary function of a sanctuary. For a sanctuary its the well being for the pig's lifetime that is the motivating force, for those in its system of sanctuary, fosters and adoptive homes. The responsibility for the pig does not end when a pig is placed. As long as the pig is alive it will be a potential resident for the sanctuary.

Big problems arise from unrealistic expectations about the roles each plays.

Sanctuaries cannot foot the bill for all the needy pigs in the world .. there are far too few and way too little funds available to them. Rescues are many.. sanctuaries few.. the funding of a pig into a lifetime of care is a balance to be sought. It makes it possible for a pig to have a life.. Here we could not take another pig funded or not. It is not possible to add more pigs to the huge population we have.

Sanctuaries have to manage their funds and their properties or they soon become just another place for the pig to suffer.. a change of abuse venue.. nothing more. Erosion control, pasture rotation, livestock per acre of pasture, nutrition, pest control.. a sanctuary director needs to be an expert in agriculture, business and marketing if any long term good is to come from all the expense.

Finding fault with one another only slows our effectiveness overall. The love of pigs drives us.. we need to work as a team to get as many pigs to safety as we can.

In a perfect world, here's how the interaction would occur between the two groups:

Rescue would identify and respond quickly to at risk pigs and put them safely into pre certified foster care. If safe fosters with appropriate quarters and a good knowledge of stressed pig behavior and care are not available the rescue should refer them immediately to the people who have that expertise IN THEIR AREA. Sanctuaries cannot be expected to handle a desperate pig a thousand miles away.. the local person or group dping the resuce needs to be responsible for that. In Tennessee ,to refer pigs needing placement to us call Michele at 615-429-2266 or email the main sanctuary office from our "Main" page. The most danger to a pig is through well meaning people who may have a few pet pigs and think they know how to effect a safe re-homing on one that is older, abused, stressed, starved, or has other issues. Many organizations (like ours) have training programs and internship programs for anyone seriously wanting to learn about pig care. Its not like dog and cat rescue.. and therein lies the problem.. years and years of experience rescuing dogs will give you no insight whatsoever into rescuing pigs. If you set out to learn it on your own, many animals will suffer at your hands as they did at the hands of the current experts. In the early days there was no one to guide us. Now there is.
Rescue would determine if the pig is a good prospect for re-homing by his personality, health and history. This would come from observation in the former home. Most adult pigs (those who have reached physical and social maturity; age 4 to 5) pigs go into some form of psychological problem when moved so evaluation during that period would be senseless. Often they are depressed, angry or suicidal.
Rescue would contact agencies who have programs for assistance (we have spent about $60,000 on these programs in the past 5 years) with vetting and see that the pigs are spayed or neutered. Those who cannot be spayed or neutered for health reasons should not be considered for adoption and should be referred on to the sanctuary closest to them for assistance with placement. Older pigs and those with health problems should be referred on to the local sanctuary for assistance with placement.
For those who are young and are "adoptable" , the advertising for homes would ensue as soon as the pigs are s/n using email and local white space advertising.
Adoptable pigs would go through a responsible manner of re-homing as defined further below whether placed by a sanctuary or rescue. The 10 step process as we call it.
Transport would consider first the welfare of the pig and assure his arrival safely and without heat/cold stress or physiological/psychological trauma. No transport should ever take place in a pickup truck or other open conveyance. Van, SUV, station wagon or, depending on seasonal temps, horse or livestock trailer are all appropriately safe in responsible hands.
All laws regarding placements and health would be observed and all regulatory requirements would be fulfilled. If pigs were to be imported from outside the state the potential adopter has the right to know what the ramifications of that are.. They need to be made aware of the health requirements that will fall to them after the adoption (i.e. retesting is required in TN) and the effects of NAIS , now requiring microchip identification of all animals moved, on all animals they possess.
The responsibility to assure that laws are not broken, regulations are met and zoning and development restrictions are respected begins and ends with the person placing the pig. That pig is dependent on you for his future.

In an imperfect world, we color outside the lines way too often and cause ourselves, and worse, our pigs, a great deal of problems. Rescues from Pennsylvania try to adopt in Kansas without doing home checks so the pig ends up either suffering or being dumped.... and a sanctuary in Kansas can't take the old pig in its area because of all the adoptables in the sanctuary.. a vicious circle of mistakes and good intentions... all costing the lives of pigs who don't have the time to wait for us to sort it all out.

Unless we work together we cannot do the best for these pigs.

At our sanctuary we work with Penny in NC, Lorelei in VA, and Sandy in Missouri on a regular basis.. and less frequently with Barb in NC and Jan in SC and Victoria in Georgia.. We share inquiries and notices about pigs in distress. Those that are sent my way I can send on to the pig rescue people in our system or to our foster homes. .Adoption inquiries will start the 10 step process listed below. We have been doing it for many years and hundreds of pigs are safe because it does work smoothly.

For things to work best we mostly need to keep pigs in our home states. . It is easier on the pigs to be moved less, we can do follow ups readily on placements and when the need arises to return the pig to the sanctuary, as is often the case when illness or disinterest strike.. we are right there to do so. Unlike rescue agencies, sanctuaries have a lifetime take back responsibility.

Rescues should never place a pig in a state with a sanctuary without advising them. Ultimately that pig becomes the sanctuary's responsibility from the day it is placed.. and we need to know where they are and whether they are legal and in breeding or abusive situations. When outsiders place a pig in my state of TN , they can disrupt a network that has been painstakingly put in place over time and cause much difficulty with legal and regulatory issues here. (See TN laws and regulations ) Often, too often, the pigs pay the price of a "quick home" by email or phone by falling into one of the many disreputable and deadly traps in TN. (See Placing a pig safely in Tennessee)

When the sanctuary or rescue has a prospect these are the 10 steps to assure a good home. This is pretty much standard procedure for those I know at sanctuaries and conscientious rescue organizations.

Phone interview. We use a standard form to ascertain the commitment and ability of a prospect actually provide a safe home. Our phone interviews are done by a knowledgeable pet pig "mom" who is well educated in rescue and sanctuary concerns. It generally takes about 2 mins to cull the dead beats and 30 mins to an hour to talk with someone who may actually be a good prospect. To refer potential adopters; Have them call Michele at 615-429-2266
Application: (click to view a sample) This is usually filled out by the phone interviewer during the interview.
Assessment: Added to the application is the interviewer's assessment of the potential home and the recommendation to pursue to the home check step or to delay while necessary environmental or other changes are put in place. This is sent on to the sanctuary director, outreach director or rescue coordinator.
Home safety check: (click to view ours) This most critical step is carried out by a few objective people on our staff who know pigs and who can assign an objective number to a form. The home check individual is NOT responsible for making any decisions about placement. We find all too many times the pressure of knowing a pig was in need of a home made the home check subjective and we couldn't actually place a pig there when we arrived with him. A bad situation for everyone. And often a home that could have been salvaged was lost because of promises made by error. Home check form and comments are sent to the sanctuary director, outreach/adoptions director or rescue coordinator. A folder of information about vet care in the area, contacts for help in other issues, and a copy of our standard agreement and their phone application is left at the home when the home check is completed. .
If approved, a letter of approval is sent to the prospect along with comments on any minor corrections that may need correcting before pigs are delivered. If not approved, a letter is sent detailing the reasons and what can be done to correct the safety issues before adoption is considered. A revisit is required after changes are made.
Once approved the prospect is invited to visit the adoption location to see what pigs are available and to review with the adoption director or rescue the list of needy pigs on waiting lists to determine the best pig(s) for their home.
Once a pig or pigs have been chosen all vaccinations are brought up to date and the pig(s) are wormed.
A contract is prepared. (Ours provides a 30 day cooling off period . If the follow up visit finds the pig is not happy, the new parent is not happy or the staff/rescue person is not happy, the pig is picked up and retuned to the adoption center. )
The pig or pigs are delivered and the staff or rescue person stays with them to see that they get settled in safely. The contract is signed and a copy of the contract is left with the new home.
Within 2 days a follow up call and within 30 days a follow visit will take place

While these steps won't guarantee a lifetime home in a great place, they at least give the pig a good chance.