riannan
Taking in a new pet isn’t easy. New animals take a lot of work to house break them, train them, and feed or clean their cage. You also worry that your other animals won’t get along with the new pet.
When these animal lovers adopted their new pet, they had certain expectations for how the new animal would behave around the house. However, after receiving shocking news they were left wondering what they got themselves into.
Steve Jenkins, a real estate agent, and his husband Derek Walter, a magician, are from Ontario, Canada. In 2012, Steve received a phone call from an old friend asking if he wanted to adopt a micro-pig. He was hesitant, to say the least.
Micro Trend
Over the past two decades, micro Pigs have become a pet trend, and it’s pretty easy to see why. They are adorable! Micro pigs are very sweet and extremely unique. Still, did Steve actually want to adopt his own?
Is There Enough Room?
After all, he and Derek had already adopted a turkey, two cats, two dogs, and a few koi fish. Would there really be room for a baby pig? He wanted to think about it, before he made his decision. However, a few days later, he received another call.
It Was Urgent
The woman on the phone told Steve that she needed an answer as soon as possible, because other people were interested. That was enough of a push for Steve to finally make a decision. He and Derek went and picked up their new baby pig, shortly after.
Esther
They named her Esther, and when they picked her up, her ears were sunburned, she looked underfed, and she had a collar on that was way too tight. However, once she was home she made a quick recovery. She began adapting to her new home and family very quickly.
Vet Appointment
Once Esther had some time to adjust, it was time for her first vet appointment, while being at her new home. This appointment was to see if she was healthy, but the veterinarian noticed something that shocked everyone.
A Clipped Tail
The vet realized that Esther’s tail had been clipped, which is only done in commercial farming. But, micro-pigs aren’t bred for commercial farming. So, what does that mean?
Not Your Average Pig
Come to find out, Esther is a regular piglet! It’s unknown if the lady who called Steve was scamming them, or if she made an honest mistake- but needless to say, Steve and Derek were at a loss for words.
A Big Pig
They already fell in love with the piglet, so they decided to keep her. She acted no different than the dogs did: well-behaved (most of the time) and very friendly.
200 lbs of Love
Even though, the vet had said she was underweight and would probably only become about 200 lbs, she already weighed 250 lbs by her first birthday and she was still growing.
Hungry Hungry Pig
The family continued to only grow after Esther’s arrival, with the addition of another dog and even a turkey.
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Esther weighed around 550 lbs fully grown. She could barely fit in the house anymore. So, they had to make some arrangements.
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They created an Indiegogo page to raise money to swap their house for a farm. The farm would act as a sanctuary for rescued farm animals. However, their home wasn’t the only thing they changed for Esther.
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Esther’s dads couldn’t help but think about what would’ve happened to Esther if they had never adopted her. They love Esther, and they decided to become vegetarians in her honor.
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Esther’s popularity on social media quickly grew, so Steve set up a website: EstherTheWonderPig.Com, where she quickly gained even more fans.
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They published a book about their loving addition to the family in 2016: Happily Ever Esther. It’s about her story and how she’s thriving with her new family.
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The book was very successful, and Esther’s story went viral. It didn’t take long for Steve and Derek to be invited to present a TED talk about Esther.
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Esther’s story influenced and inspired a lot of people. Several people would come to see her or they would become vegetarian because of Esther’s incredible story.
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The couple doesn’t regret adopting Esther one bit. As Esther has proved, pigs not only make great pets, they make amazing friends. Just ask one disabled cow in Massachusetts. She felt very lonely until she met this pig.
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Don’t Forget Us, Pet Us was an animal sanctuary in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and for a while, it was the home of a blind cow named Baby. Due to her inability to see, the staff knew she’d need care for the rest of her life.
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The sanctuary’s owner, Deb Devlin, gave Baby round-the-clock care. Even though Baby was mainly content, something still wasn’t quite right with her.
As time went by and Baby continued to mope around the farm, and the staff quickly grew desperate. They decided to introduce Baby to a different animal.
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Enter Lulu the pig. Her legs were accidentally broken by her mother when she was just a piglet. Even though Lulu and Baby were different animals, they both had special needs. The staff wanted to see if their challenges would bring them together.
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They both had something in common, other than their disabilities. They both have similar backgrounds. They were both rescued from slaughterhouses.
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There was only one way to tell if they would become friends: introduce them. Luckily, Baby and Lulu quickly bonded! “I had tried to pair Baby up with other animals, and it just didn’t work,” one of the caretakers explained.
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“I didn’t think the pig would be aggressive to the cow, and the pig was plenty sturdy. If the cow accidentally bumped into her, [Lulu] would be OK,” Deb also explained.
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For the next eight years, Lulu and Baby would form a close bond, where they were rarely seperated. The staff often referred to Lulu as Baby’s “seeing-eye pig.”
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They had to learn to have fun much closer to home than the other animals due to their respective disabilities, luckily, that wasn’t an issue for either of them.
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The new best friends did practically everything together. Thanks to Lulu, Baby’s blindness wasn’t much of an issue anymore.
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Unfortunately, after eight years together, Lulu passed away. After her passing, Baby was once again left alone without her seeing-eye pig. What was she going to do without her best friend?
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. “After Lulu’s passing, Baby mooed for two days. She also walked in circles frantically,” Deb explained. “She was unable to walk straight or she would hit fencing. I tried [to pair her with] a sheep, a goat, but nothing worked at all.”
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Deb attempted to have Baby mingle with several different animals, but nothing worked. When it seemed like all hope was lost, another animal arrived at the sanctuary…
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It was a sweet baby calf! The day the calf arrived, I had set up two small areas divided by an eight-foot gate. I was hoping to acclimate the two side by side first,” Deb explained.
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“Baby could get used to her noises, movement, smell, sounds… She was so in tune to those things, not having her sight.” Deb was nervous, but she was about to learn that she didn’t have to be…
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“When the calf unloaded into her small pen, she was nervous and timid. She quickly saw Baby and she blasted that gate off its hinges.” Deb explained. “It was still secured on one side by a chain so she jumped the four-foot width of the gate and ran to Baby’s side.”
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Baby’s spirits were quickly lifted. The new calf—who’d escaped a slaughterhouse just like Baby—hit it off with each other.
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Obviously no animal could replace Lulu, but Baby took the sweet little calf under her wing. The calf protects Baby, doing all of the things that Lulu once did for her.
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“The bond was immediate, the love instant, and even though Baby has never had a baby… she takes care of, protects and nurtures this little calf… all the things Lulu did for her. It is so incredible!” Deb said.
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Even though Baby’s friendship with Lulu was truly special, she was able to find a new friendship with someone new. But of course, Baby will always have a place for Lulu in her heart.
Best Friends For Life
Silvia
