When Edna first arrived at Life With Pigs, she spent her first two weeks of quarantine looking at every human with absolute terror. She kept her distance as much as she could and made it clear that affection was not desired.  

And then, once she was let out of quarantine, everything changed.  ​

Yesterday was a BIG day for Tia and her babies, Rachel and Betty. After weeks of spending their days safely in the covered run, we finally let them out into the yard to explore.

Last month, we loaded up Pumpkin, Charlotte, and Millie and drove an hour north to see Dr. Kristie, THE pig vet here on the East Coast.  She comes up this way once or twice a year, so we take the girls to their annual appointments then. ​

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live in a peaceful, harmonious animal sanctuary where everyone coexists in perfect serenity… we can confirm that we have no idea.

Because lately, Life With Pigs has been less Little House on the Prairie and more Real Housewives of the Barnyard.

Life at the sanctuary is never still. With so many balls in the air right now in regards to health, we thought it would be easier to include one big update on everyone. We've had moments that made our hearts sink, and others that reminded us just how resilient our animal family truly is.

One otherwise ordinary day, Sherman decided that peace was too boring.  For reasons known only to him, he picked a fight - with the pigs. Yes, the pigs. The pigs who love birds, are willing to share their food with them (which is just about the highest honor a pig can give) and who have never had a bad word with any of our bird family.  

Unfortunately for Sherman, the pigs are pretty good at fighting when they want to. Charlotte, who had been cornered by Sherman, was not in the mood to be bullied and did what any self-respecting pig would do: she defended herself. We’re pretty sure she or one of the pigs landed a quick and well-deserved counterattack with a tusk.

We said goodbye to our beautiful Tesla this week.

Tesla was a gentle soul with bunny spunk - sweet, yet mischievous. She would boldly steal food from the pigs (something no one else ever dared to do) and they allowed it. She befriended anyone she met, no matter their species. She vigorously guarded doorways from unknown foes. She loved to play ball, tossing it back and forth with us. And she wasn't afraid to give us a good foot stomp to show her feelings. She also loved to snuggle and have her head pet.

She was a cancer survivor once already, beating the odds after losing her ear to an earlier tumor. For a long time, she enjoyed a peaceful, happy life here, surrounded by love and sunshine and her favorite snacks.

Recently, another cancer appeared, and it spread quickly and couldn’t be stopped. True to her spirit, Tesla kept fighting right up until the end. Even when it was clear her body was tired, she found the strength to attack her banana slices and snuggle with her favorite humans.

From the minute Ryan met her at a post Easter rescue event to the very last minutes of her life, she was adored and loved wholeheartedly and is missed in ways that are indescribable. Only one word can truly make clear how we feel about our fluffy little girl: irreplaceable.
​
This October is Tesla’s month in our 2025 calendar, a bit of perfect timing that lets us see her sweet face every day.

(Please note, this was written before Edna had a name.  We've asked Jenna for comment, but she has been silent since the name announcement.  Maisie is following suit.)

​Jenna has long reigned as the only fully horned superstar around the sanctuary. But then there was a goat. Yep, a goat with horns.  Jenna doesn’t understand why that was necessary. She felt that two horns were plenty for one sanctuary.  She keeps pointing out that the new kid doesn’t even have a name.  We’ve explained many times that she will have a name soon, but Jenna doesn’t understand and just keeps coming back to she’s just not sure how to feel about a nameless goat.  

But we are reassuring her that no matter how many horns, she will always be the star of the show and that her horns will always be the biggest.  This provides a little comfort.

Maisie isn’t helping by constantly trying to sneak a peak of the newcomer. Fortunately, Jenna hasn’t noticed this betrayal. And Maisie is quick to agree with the absurdness of having no name whenever Jenna mentions it.