Anyone who’s met the pigs of Farm Sanctuary can attest to their distinct personalities and preferences. Just like the dogs and cats who share our homes, pigs are unique individuals.

Despite this reality, pigs are often misunderstood by people without firsthand experience. Pop culture unfairly portrays them as lazy, gluttonous, and unclean. Not only is this characterization inaccurate, but it’s also harmful. When we reduce complex, individual animals to simplistic stereotypes, it becomes easier to deny them compassion.

By getting to know pigs and sharing their stories, we can help others see them as deserving of kindness and consideration. Let’s start today with sanctuary residents Lola, Blue, and Pickles!

As a piglet, Lola was used in a high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) program. At the program’s conclusion, all of the pigs were slated to be auctioned off for slaughter. Luckily for Lola, the student who had raised her had also come to know her as an individual. He stepped up to save her and helped bring her to Farm Sanctuary, where she can live out her full life with kindness and care.

Eleven years later, Lola is enjoying sanctuary life as a senior pig. Friendly and joyful as ever, she can be found delighting in belly rubs from her caregivers, rooting around the sun-soaked pasture, or spending quality time with her best pig buddies, Maybelle and Anna. 

As Lola has aged, she’s developed hindlimb lameness and arthritis, so she receives medication for pain management and joint injections at Cornell University. When farm animals like Lola are allowed to grow old—as they are at Farm Sanctuary—their medical needs often increase. But so does the joy they bring to those who meet them, and the number of minds changed by their stories.

Like Lola, Blue pig was raised in an FFA program and saved from slaughter by the student who had come to know and care for him. Blue arrived at Farm Sanctuary at about seven months of age. 

Nearly three years later, Blue is now the leader of the pig hierarchy—a fitting role for this smart, bold, and curious pig. He sets good boundaries for his pack, never shying away from enforcing the rules when anyone acts up. Blue loves exploring the pasture and basking in the sunshine with his closest friends in the herd, Grace and Jodean.

Highly food-motivated, Blue also enjoys playing with treat balls to keep his mind engaged, and scarfing down his daily peanut butter sandwich, complete with a hidden joint supplement to keep him mobile and pain-free.

A true survivor, Pickles’ life began riddled with hardship. Born on a meat farm, she was the only piglet in her litter to make it, and her mother—faced with the brutal conditions she was forced to live in—showed no interest in nursing her. Fortunately, an acquaintance of the farm owner heard Pickles’ story, and it struck a chord. Pickles came to live at Farm Sanctuary, but she wasn’t out of the woods yet. 

Our veterinarians diagnosed Pickles with several serious medical issues, including a life-threatening umbilical hernia that required emergency surgery. After months of care to address her conditions and hernia complications—including a second surgery—Pickles’ health finally improved. Her traumatic past left some psychological scars, however, leading to porcine stress syndrome and unpredictable behaviors like nipping at humans.

Over time, Pickles has come a long way. Today, she’s much more comfortable with people and happily accepts snacks and belly rubs from her caregivers. She’s also a wonderful friend to her fellow pigs, including George, who currently lives with Pickles while recovering from an injury. The two explore their yard together and even eat snacks side by side. At bedtime, Pickles waits patiently while George meticulously builds a bed of hay for them—then they snuggle up together to catch some shuteye.