Meet Winston, the class favourite
when in doubt, pig out
Winston's Story
Winston, as you may have read in our "Success Stories" section, is one of 2 potbelly pigs that came to us Valentines day 2023. Winston and his rescue mate Schmidt sat with their rescue for almost 2 ½ years because of age and medical requirements. .
They had opposite personalities. Winston loved his belly rubs right from the get go but would bully Schmidt out of the food.
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Winston now knows how to share and can often be found hanging around the chickens and ducks. They love him so much they don't just try to hang out and enjoy some fresh veggies, they even go and hide in his house with him if they are scared by a sound.
Winston doesn't miss an opportunity for a belly, ear or back scratch, especially from kids.
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He has become quite the celebrity and topic of discussions on the playground in local schools, and its not hard to see why when you meet him..
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Other Pigs In Our Care
We love all of our pigs here at New Beginnings Animal Sanctuary Society as they all have their own unique personalities.
We have Dudley & Petunia (for those Harry Potter Fans). Dudley is the whitish/pink and Petunia is the black and white. Petunia was a house pet that could no longer be looked after by her owner to due to age and Dudley came from another sanctuary that was over flowing. Petunia loves hanging out with the chickens during the day and has decided that sleeping with the sheep is much less noisy (she doesn't like the snoring from the boys)
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Lilith came to us from another shelter as well and boy does she have a lot of spunk! She, like Winston, likes to be in charge of the food dish and used to bully her pen mates at her previous farm. We are happy to share that here, she has learned to share, but she still gets to be the boss sometimes with Winston!
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Barbeque got a little big for his home, and his very loving family felt it would be best for him to have more room to roam and friends to play with. He has done very well adjusting to farm life vs house pet, but he still gets all the love and cuddles and some special hand fed treats to make him feel special.
TRUFFLES
the emotional support pig
You may have heard about Truffles on the news, in the paper or on social media. This guy took the province by storm and had a huge outreach of love. We are so happy to be able to provide Truffles with the love and care he provided others in his previous families.
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Truffles is already getting used to farm life and being around other animals. Although being around other pigs will take some more time, we gets along well with the sheep and goats but his favourite are chickens! Especially Little Red who can often be seen riding on his back or sticking close while Truffles takes a nap.
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As he gets used to his new home, Truffles will be able to free range on our 27 acre sanctuary, providing lots of room for exercise and rooting.
Rooting is a crucial part of their behaviour that helps them problem-solve and enagge in physical activity. They use their snouts to find plant roots, insects and other tasty and healthier treats. Pigs also root for comfort, Truffles can be seen doing this with his favourite blanket that was generously donated by the SPCA with adoption.
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Many owners of pigs for family pets find this discouraging as holes can be made around the property and is one of the many reasons why they are sent to rescues. It is important to know pigs behaviour and that rooting is essential for them before deciding to own one.
