Meet the Pigs

Lefty, along with his brother Poncho (who sadly passed away in July of 2020) were rescued by someone who initially was going to take pigs they retrieved from a hog farm into 4H and later decided against it. When they came to Sunrise in the spring of 2017 they were both so little. Lefty was slightly larger and stronger than Poncho, so he didn't have as many issues. He rebounded quickly and is a happy, healthy boy who loves mud holes and belly rubs. He's a funny guy who is constantly rearranging his little house. You'll usually find him sleeping with Henry and Miracle in the front barn. He's also a big fan of treats. He's been known to bring down a door!

Regan came to us on July 4th, 2020 after starting her life in a factory farm. Two wonderful people rescued her from a very horrible fate. Regan was born solely to end up on somebody's plate. She was brought into existence for one purpose, to be killed. Her soul had no meaning to those who brought her into this world. she was just for profit. However, Regan is a beautiful. inquisitive, vocal, and unique little girl. She loves the grass and fresh air, and loves to run and jump. She will now know nothing but love and care. Even after everything she's been through, she's such a trusting piggy. Now almost 3, the only thing that’s changed is her size. She loves being talked to and is very attentive when she hears her name, or the rustling of a produce bag.

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Oakley has called Sunrise Sanctuary home since 2012. Oakley is one of our owner surrenders. He and Henry were best buds for many years, but had a bit of a falling out in their older age. Oakley is an older guy and spends much of his time on Mindy's front porch with Carmen and Regan. 

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Chubb Chubb is one of our more vocal potbelly pigs at Sunrise. She is a sweet girl that is best pals with Randy. She's very sassy and has a BIG personality, though she's small in stature. Chubb Chubb sleeps often, but she's often out in the morning or evening hours with her friends.

Beatrice has called Sunrise home since 2011. She was abandoned in a state park in Dayton. Luckily, she was rescued by the Humane Society and brought to Sunrise. She is such a sweet little girl and in her younger years liked exploring and you'd often find her with our late potbelly, Baby. She is also such a smart girl and would sit on command! She's a very old girl now and doesn't come out of her bed during Open Barn often, but she is a sweet girl who loves produce treats from volunteers and still loves rubs and attention.

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Carmen and her friend Lousia were seized by the Humane Society after they were abandoned. Louisa unfortunately passed shortly after their rescue. They were found in deplorable conditions; a mud pit with trash everywhere with no food or fresh water in sight. At some point in her life, however, Carmen must have been treated very well because she is a sweet, sweet girl with lots of personality. She's also the loudest snoring pig we've ever met! Sandy can hear her snoring next door! Carmen likes to graze in the morning and evening hours, but during the afternoon you'll mostly find her snoozing on the porch with Oakley and Regan. Carmen is KuneKune pig, so she's very unique! Characteristic of the breed she has longer bristly fur and two distinctive wattles under her chin that many mistake as goiters!

Oscar was listed on Craigslist as a result of rooting and if he didn't sell he was headed for auction. Luckily, he was brought to Sunrise instead. Oscar is a Mulefoot pig, so he's smaller than the traditional pig. They have a distinctive solid, non-cloven hoof that looks like the hoof of a mule. He's actually a very special Mulefoot in that he isn't the traditional solid charcoal color, but mostly pink. He has been home at Sunrise since 2011 and is definitely a rare pig all around and often looks to be smiling.

Ronald and Arnold came to us in January 2021 from one MASSIVE rescue operation, starting all the way in California. Being from California, we felt it was appropriate to name them after two famous California governors. Over 100 potbelly pigs were rescued from a hoarding case in Bakersfield, California, where Kitten Lady, Hannah Shaw and Farm Animal Refuge orchestrated this extensive rehoming operation. With the help from Rancho Relaxo they were able to place pigs at many different sanctuaries all over the country. That was only one step, the next problem was getting all these pigs safely across the country. 2Girls 1Truck Animal Transport agreed to go all the way to California to help transport these piggies to Iowa, where they could stop and rest at Iowa Farm Sanctuary. From Iowa they were picked up by Daniel McKernan, from Barn Sanctuary, who transported numerous pigs east to New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont. Along their route east Dan stopped and delivered four piggies to Foreverland Farm where Ronald and Arnold spent their first two nights. From there our babies finally made their way home. Where you see one the other is not far. They were very timid at first, but have come out of their shell. They love to root and roam about the grounds and explore or you can find them snoozing in the first barn.

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Henry arrived at Sunrise in 2012 after he was abandoned by his previous owners when they moved away. The new tenants found sweet Henry completely alone. They first took him to OSU to get him neutered and checked out, and then brought him to us. He became pals with Oakley after a few rough introductions. Piggy drama, what can we say!? Henry was very social in his younger years and would even try to climb up on your back when our volunteers would sit in the front lawn! He's an older man now who likes to sleep. You'll often see him for breakfast and dinner, otherwise he's snoozing in our barn up front.

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Randy was brought to Sunrise Sanctuary after being found running along Interstate 70 near Springfield, Ohio. Luckily, Randy was rescued by some very kind people who knew of Sunrise. Randy is a very sweet pig. He lived in the house for the first several months after arriving at Sunrise, but eventually moved back with our other potbelly pigs and became pest pals with our other potbelly, Chubb Chubb. He is one of our more active potbellies. He loves to take his morning strolls around the field and the pond.

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Our newest rescue, Benjamin, came to us several weeks ago from a wonderful organization, Chicagoland Pig Rescue who also saved our precious Durocs. While rescuing 24 abandoned pigs, they quickly realized that Benjamin had some feral characteristics. ‘Feral pig’ is a term used for wild pigs that have not been modified by human breeding. An attempt to neuter him in the State where he was located would have meant euthanasia because of their laws for feral pigs. We could not let him be killed. We were able to work with our amazing vets at Ohio State University to ensure Benjamin had proper clearance to enter Ohio and was able to be neutered. He remains in quarantine for a bit, but is settling in very well and excited to meet his new brothers and sisters. He is a SWEETHEART.

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The Duroc's (Deedee, Uriah, Rosie, Otto, and Cam) came to us at the end of 2021. They were just supposed to spend a few weeks with us until they could be transported to their new forever home. After many failed transports it became apparent they were where they were meant to be and Sunrise became their forever home. They are very smart and love attention and belly rubs. They partially share a field with Danica, Jackson, Wooly, and Lily.

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Fast forward to March 2023 we received a message from the previous owner that they were no longer in a position to keep the mother (Ruby) and brother (Red) of our five Durocs. We couldn't let anything happen to our babies mom and brother, so we made the trip to the far end Illinois on March 18th to bring them home. We are greatly over our pig capacity, but they are family. We are so grateful for our friends at Chicagoland Pig Rescue for their help with the Durocs!

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Miracle was somewhere between 10-14 days old when she arrived at Sunrise in September of 2015. Miracle was found on the side of the road by a very nice woman. She contacted us and we agreed to meet her at OSU and to bring Miracle back to Sunrise. By her age and condition, we know she fell out or jumped from a truck on the way to a "nursery" where baby piglets learn to live without their mother and are injected with hormones to make them big as soon as possible so they can be slaughtered. Knowing little Miracle and her independent spirit we believe she jumped.