Sweet Acres Pig Sanctuary in Whitchurch-Stouffville is hosting a fundraiser called Walk for Pebbles on Sunday, Sept. 19 in support of newly rescued potbelly pig Pebbles.
The fundraiser begins at the Porrit Tract of the York Regional Forest (15470 Kennedy Rd.) for a 45-minute walk, followed by vegan snacks and a light lunch at the sanctuary for guests who wish to come and meet the potbellied pigs in person.
The sanctuary is a not-for-profit organization that has been giving rescued pigs a second chance at life for the past seven years. The 1.5-acre property is currently home to 11 potbelly pigs all cared for by owner Kirsten Duggan, who lives onsite.
Located at 2798 Vivian Rd., bordering Newmarket, the sanctuary developed over the years by pure coincidence.
It began when Duggan and her husband, Matt, decided they wanted a teacup pig and acquired a baby piglet name Sadie. Once the piglet started to grow, however, the couple quickly learned that the term 'teacup’ was quite misleading, as the pig grew to about 200 pounds.
“Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a miniature pig,” explains Duggan on the sanctuary's website. “It is a marketing ploy by dishonest breeders to sell or advertise them this way. All healthy, mature potbelly pigs will grow to a solid 100 to 125 pounds or more.”
READ MORE: 'Just like children': Sweet Acres a sanctuary for abandoned, abused pigs
Almost a year after acquiring Sadie, the Duggans took in another potbelly pig from Barrie they called Dozer. After that, Duggan says the pigs "just kept on coming."
Duggan says she gets calls all the time from pig owners who need to surrender their pet due to zoning bylaws.
Pigs are deemed livestock and are not permitted in any residential areas in accordance with some municipal bylaws.
“So, the pigs are being relocated or killed as such," Duggan explained.
Although Duggan has experience with typical pets such as cats, dogs, bunnies, fish and canaries, she admits when she first acquired Sadie, she did not have any experience with farm animals. So, she reached out to the Wishing Well Sanctuary on the 10th Line in Bradford who rescues potbelly pigs.
“When I got Sadie, I knew nothing about pigs, so Brenda (Bronfman from Wishing Well) called me and told me what type of food and she walked me through how to care for the pigs,” she said. “She was the first one to call me back to help and I am forever grateful.”
Duggan receives around four phone calls every week from people asking to drop their pet pigs off at her property.
“It’s a lot! I’m not a hero, it’s just all the pigs came to me,” she says. “I never asked for any of them but one turned into 11 and now I’m at my capacity.”
Last month, Duggan saw a Facebook post from a woman who was moving out of the country and needed to rehome her pet pig Pebbles. Unfortunately, Pebbles had been kept indoors in a kitchen with no access to the outside. Pebbles was transferred to a "not so nice" farm and when Duggan followed up on the post, she ended up rescuing the pig from the small pen with no straw where she was being held.
Pebbles was just two years old and grossly obese, weighing 300 pounds due to poor diet and lack of movement.
“She will have serious health issues in the future,” notes Duggan. “My biggest concern is the amount of weight on her little legs – they pronate – and she has so much excess fat.”
Duggan immediately planned and organized the Walk for Pebbles event to help raise funds to build her a new pen and eventually a new pig house for the Sweet Acres property.
“Pebbles is bigger and has a lot of hanging fat,” she says. “It is a worry for me.”
Potbelly pigs can live anywhere from 15 to 19 years and can grow up to 600 pounds, as is the case with world famous potbelly Esther the Wonder Pig from Esther’s Army at the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary’in Campbellville, Ontario. It was Esther’s Army that shared the Facebook post about Pebbles that caught Duggan’s eye originally.
“Pigs can become fat blind, where the fat closes over the eyes and they can’t see,” explains Duggan. “Pebbles’ fat is receding a bit but her eyes are always goopy, so I must wipe them all the time.”
To help with food costs, maintenance and hydro for the pens during the colder months, Duggan runs public tours on a donation-payment basis. She is booked seven days a week with visitors from local groups and organizations from all over the area.
“The most reward for me is that I am wheelchair friendly and this year we had lots of kids with disabilities coming, as well as adults from group homes,” she shares. “I call them my therapy pigs because they’re very gentle and great with people with autism and other mental disabilities.”
Duggan’s goal for the Sweet Acres Sanctuary is to eventually turn it into an educational centre for families to come and learn more about pigs while teaching kids about empathy towards animals.
Duggan used to reside in Bradford and ran a popular business at the Four Corners called Cakes and Creations. Currently, Duggan works part time as a pastry chef for the Newmarket Health Care Centre where she has been for the past 12 years, on top of caring for all her pigs. She shares she and her husband can spend upwards of $400 to $500 a month on food, straw, and vet bills alone.
As the Sanctuary is not-for-profit, Duggan shares her mini wish list for donations of canned pumpkin. The pumpkin helps the pigs during the winter months with constipation. It also contains plenty of Omega 3s to boost the pigs’ overall mood and health.
Duggan is always looking for volunteers and sponsors and encourages anyone interested to contact her through Facebook page or website. There will also be sponsorship opportunities available during the Walk for Pebbles’ fundraiser.
“I’m very happy when other Sanctuary’s come to help me out,” she expresses. “Truly, it’s an eight-hours-a-day job!”
