FARM SANCTUARY AND MINI PIG RESCUE
OUR RESIDENTS
DUSTY Rhodes
Dusty was our first pig. He was not a rescue and introduced me into the world of mini pigs. He was born on July 23rd and will be five this year. He has a mind of his own and has taught me so much. He can be extremely stubborn, thinks he’s the boss of every animal on the farm. He loves to root and basically get into as much trouble as he can find. According to the rumor’s around the farm by his four-legged friends, his nick name is “Gator”. We love him so much!
Sophie
Sophie is our first mini pig rescue. She is grace and dignity. She will tell you all about it if you cross her line of what she feels is right or wrong. She is a continual flirt with all the gents that come visit the farm. She’s got a little flirtatious sway to her hips. She is so gentle and loving. There is a softness to Sophie unlike anything I’ve ever seen. But, don’t let her fool you…. She may be a softie but she is no pushover.
Wilbur "Little" RED
Wilbur is our first hog rescue. He is a red waddle. Gloucester Old Spot, Duroc cross. His birthday is in February and he will be turning 2. Wilbur is target trained and knows various commands. I think he taught us so much more than we could ever teach him. He is around 750 pounds and still growing. Wilbur has faced another challenge and has mechanical blindness. He has learned how to adjust quite well. He can get up and go but for the most part he is more interested in hugs and cuddle time.
WATSON WADDLE
Watson is a rescue we got from Sammie’s Friends Animal Shelter. They were fostering Watson. He will be 1 year old in June. We had been looking for a friend for Wilbur for a little while. When we realized that Wilbur was going blind, we knew he needed a friend and Wilbur fit the bill. He has become Wilbur’s best buddy. He has gotten Wilbur to run and play again. Wilbur has to stay on his toes because of this mischievous fella. He is a wonderful addition to our farm.
.
NORMAN
Norman is a steer. He is considered a ‘mini cow’ although we call him a dwarf cow. He is not quite mini and not quite a full-sized steer. Norman came from a large herd that was quite neglected. When he came to us he had mites, had never been handled, was still a bull and completely wild. He is now a beautiful, gentle boy that takes care of his goats and his llama. He takes his job very seriously. He has a very gentle and loving soul and to watch him gently play with his goats or his llama is something special.
MARLEY J
Marley is around 6 years old and quite shy. He is starting to warm up to us, but still doesn't come up for pets very often. Marley is cryptorchid so we would prefer not to castrate him as it would be a major surgery so he has become part of Norman’s herd. He likes his herd and is becoming more social. You will find him with Norman, Benji, and Harley. He misses his old pal Haz.
BENJI
Benji was a single kid born. He was a mini goat, but because he had no other kids to vie for food, he grew quite fast. He was too big for most breeders and was going to be sold for meat. Norman had lost his goat so Benji was a great choice for Norman. Benji had not been handled very much and has never really warmed up to people. He loves his cow and his ‘herd’.
HARLEY
Harley came from the same farm as Benji. We felt that Benji needed a ‘brother’ to acclimate to our farm so Harley came along for the ride. Harley is very friendly. He is very gentle and has a bit of a naughty streak. He loves his brother Benji and helps Benji with human contact.
Vincent Van Goat
Vincent Van Goat is our old lady of the farm. She is over ten years old. She is missing over half of one of her ears due to a dog attack many years ago. We just acquired Vincent not too long ago. She had been in a large herd of goats that she ran for many years. Unfortunately, the herd had slowly died out and she was the last. She was quite lonely in her field by herself. We offered to bring her to Mara Farms Sanctuary to live out her life surrounded by animals so she could have her herd back. Her and Dusty have still not decided who the boss is out in the field but work on letting each other know every day.
Pennikens
Pennikens is a rescue cat that was originally going to be our chicken coop kitty. She was going to help keep the rats and mice away. We found that even though she was a feral cat that did not enjoy being around people, she enjoyed chickens even less. We decided to bring her into our house and put her in our son’s room. She is now his protector and spends every night sleeping in his bed.
Stewart
Stewart was a kitty living on the docks. When the restaurant that had been feeding her for years shut down, she moved on to another restaurant where she was not greeted with open arms. She was abused instead of taken care of. She is an older cat and she is blind in one eye. She is our barn kitty as she will never be comfortable living in a house. She loves her freedom and takes attention on her own terms. She is very good at her job and keeps the mice away.