Our Story

Neither of us had ever had a pet pig nor were we even familiar with pigs as companions. My husband and I just knew that we liked pigs because they are adorable. After losing our beloved boxer we decided that the empty hole in our home and hearts might now be pig-shaped. We researched breeds, searched for breeders, and found our Ferguson – a Juliana spotted about 12 weeks old. We felt like we had rescued him because we were horrified with the conditions in which the breeder kept their animals. I won’t go on a complete rant but PLEASE do not ever think you can raise over 50 animals in a shed with chicken wire fencing!

Ferguson was a squirming, squealing, dirt-caked mess but the love was instant. We scooped him up in a blanket and headed home. There was a pretty steep learning curve for a while! And our two dogs, Penny and Lucy, made it even more chaotic with their constant attention and excitement. Ferguson had never been away from a huge number of pigs in close quarters so I spent a tremendous amount of time with a tiny pig in my arms. Cooking, cleaning, working, and sleeping was accompanied by a mostly-bald (did I mention he had mange when we got him?) piglet. Once he was comfortable, he blossomed. This tiny ball of squeals and grunts became the center of attention for all humans and animals in the house.

Fast forward a year and my husband sees an urgent message online – there are four minipigs and four pygmy goats that need rescued. Off we go to Michigan to gather these animals and bring them home. We find three emaciated Julianas (a mature male and two young females) and four goats (one billy and three does – how many are pregnant?!).   No one knew what happened to the fourth pig.  We had toyed with the idea of raising Julianas so we could introduce more people to the delight of pig companions and goats were always on the radar. We are Licking Goat Farms, after all. 

UPDATE: Everyone was pregnant!! We now have 4 more does. And one pig gave birth almost exactly 3 months after we homed them. Lots of little ones running around this summer.

Important note - goats will break into any area they do not belong 😐