For this edition of our long-running weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, we focus on some traditional barnyard snoozers who understand and appreciate having a warm, safe, comfortable place to nod off while watching cable TV. Or after a good meal, I guess.
So, this edition becomes Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, Nappng Cats Nap & Celebrate Porcine Shuteye.
A QUESTION: Can pigs capture the human heart?
Of course, they can. Read on: This photo was taken by the great animal advocate with Dallas rescue roots, Maggie Dahl, when she encountered the tableau a few days ago. Found ‘em in her garage one cold morning? No, of course not.
These pigs are at home on the New Mexico Farm Sanctuary at Tijeras, N.M. It’s accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. [LARRY ASIDE: For you travelers to the Land of Enchantment, Tijeras is along I-40, east of Albuquerque and west of the famed tourist stop, Cline’s Corners.]
So, what’s the story on these sleeping pigs! Maggie, a volunteer who has moved into a leadership role, began her note with “My Happy Place” and explained, “I arrived early today and Hemingway, Batty and SodaPop were still snoozing. Took a while to get them moving.”
Sometimes life throws you curveballs. That is what happened and it's how Maggie Dahl of the Metrosprawhl wound up in New Mexico with a farm sanctuary.
She explains, “After losing my son to suicide in 2018, I decided I needed to move closer to my family. At end of 2019, I landed in the cool little village of Madrid, N.M., and knew I wanted to be involved in hands-on animal rescue again. After being a vegetarian for 20 years, and recently vegan, a farm animal sanctuary sounded like a good fit. In 2020, I did a simple google search and found the New Mexico Farm Sanctuary was closest to me (40 minutes). It was kismet.
“NMFS opened in late 2019 and their style fits my personal rescue philosophy… your rescued animals deserve the best shelter, food and vet care; don’t take in more animals than you can afford or physically can care for. I started volunteering every Saturday. I was recently asked to join the Board and am so proud to watch the sanctuary grow and our mission evolve. [LARRY FYI: We’re closing this Sleeper/Napper edition with the Mission Statement. First, what about the pigs…]
HEMINGWAY AND BATTY
Maggie’s note reads that Hemingway and Batty “came to the Sanctuary as our very first rescues before it were actually open. They were surrendered by someone who was told they were small pot-bellied pigs who needed a home. They are farm pigs that would grow to be over 600 pounds each.”
[LARRY ASIDE: That photo of SodaPop, Batty and Hemingway is off the Sanctuary's Facebook page in a warm mid-December post!]
Maggie continues, “As they [Hemingway and Batty] grew, they were moved to different places in different states; they were abused and moved from place to place by hitting them with iron pipes. They ended up in a vacant lot in winter with a small, one-horse metal trailer with no roof as their shelter. The owners gave them [the Sanctuary] 24 hours to remove the pigs or they would take them to auction.
“The Sanctuary was originally only going to give them space until they could be moved since we had not yet taken in any animals. We had the land purchased and the fencing completed, but there were no structures or barns built and we didn't even have a name picked out! We threw up some cattle panels and stuffed the only standing structure on the property with straw, bought some heat lamps and ran an electrical cord from the house to the structure. They came in the dark, freezing rain and cold and shuffled off the trailer into the shed. They were terrified and untrusting and pretty beat up.”
SODAPOP AND PONYBOY
That's SodaPop in the cap.
“Four months after getting Hemingway and Batty (and 6 barns, 3 garages, 4 paddocks, and a goat later), Pony and SodaPop came on our radar. Pony was small and was found in the back of a feed store garage where he was left to die, as they no longer wanted to spend money feeding him. He had developed an infection due to the unsanitary conditions the pigs were kept in and he was no longer an asset that could be sold, but a liability that needed medical attention.
“The first vet said it would take money and time and he would likely not live - they should simply put him down. He was given multiple surgeries and after a lengthy recovery time, he did survive and has grown into the gentlest boy we have. He is kind and currently raising the two piglet girls that the sanctuary rescued in October!
“SodaPop was originally sold on Craigslist as a 'Teacup' pig. Given that there is no such thing, it was discovered he was in actuality a farm pig that was a few days old. He was raised with PonyBoy and they bonded together as Pony recuperated from his infection and surgeries. He now hangs with Batty and Hemingway and during the day he and Mocha the Goat can be found napping under the big pine at the back of their pasture.”
[LARRY ASIDE: That's Mocha the goat preparing for a well-balanced meal. And see that photo of PonyBoy snoozing — those are the piglets Dolly and Jolene. Dolly and Jolene — hmm,
that sounds so familiar…. musical, you know? And here’s a link to PonyBoy discovering how easy it is to operate the “treat ball.”
Like most animal rescue and support groups, there’s a need for financial support. Maggie included these links in her explanation of the slumbering pigs: PayPal; Venmo; Patreon; and Amazon Wish List.
Maggie says, “We will always be a small sanctuary. We are hoping to add 2 baby goats in March and possibly 2 cows in the spring (one dairy cow, and one who would have been used for meat) at which point we will be at capacity. Our animals will live their lives out at the Sanctuary. We do not adopt them out, but use the Sanctuary to promote our mission.”
While this young Sanctuary has an animal-focused mission, it also has touched one person as gently and affirmatively as it has touched its “residents.”
Here’s what Maggie wrote, in case you’re wondering about an animal-related mission: “Finding NMFS has been my ‘Saving Grace.’ Taking care of these animals is an honor and developing a relationship with each unique individual soothes my soul. After several months, Hemingway and I have become good friends (or maybe he’s more friends with his favorite tomatoes that I bring him!) The founders, Julie and Gabriel Cerros, are now treasured friends. I am so incredibly grateful.😊”
That's Batty's mugshot....It's a face more than just a mother could love, to borrow from the ol' line.
The organization’s mission statement reads: “New Mexico Farm Sanctuary is a farm animal sanctuary and protection organization that promotes compassionate vegan living through education, conservation and advocacy. We exist to show how everyday choices make a difference to both sentient beings and the planet.”
[DEAR READERS: SEND PHOTOS OF YOUR SLEEPING OR NAPPING SENTIENT BEINGS to dallrp@aol.com and we’ll post their photos and bios in our weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap (Etc.). You’ll be inspiring humans and you’ll be suggesting to the world’s insomniacs that when the bed fails to let you sleep, fill the bedroom or the garage with hay, cue soft music, apply gentle heat and nod off.]
—- Offer opinions or pig note by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘save ‘em all’ in the subject line. —-
