A pig, a goose, and six ducks are not typical of the animals we care for, but when they were in need, we stepped up to the challenge. The first time we met Penelope the pig was in 2020 when she was surrendered to us. We adopted her but she came back recently when her adopters moved. Lucy the Goose came to us as a baby, went to live with the same family who adopted Penny, and was returned as an adult along with Penny, who she was now bonded with.The ducks were left at the Wildlife Center, but being domestic, ended up with us.

None of these animals were appropriate for kennel life so we used our ingenuity to give them what they needed. Penny and Lucy had separate protected areas to prevent Penny from bulldozing her way to steal Lucy’s food. When food was not present, they enjoyed time in the yard together. We built a habitat with a pool for the ducks. Our biggest challenge was maintaining it since they loved clean water but being ducks, it never lasted long!

All animals deserve quality homes but finding homes for farm animals proved harder than expected. The good pig rescues were at or over capacity. Like many other animals, the reality of long term care causes many to be given up as they grow and become harder to manage. Finding a home for Lucy wasn’t any easier since Lucy was a good “guard goose”, often pecking or biting intruders. The ducks needed a safe space and access to water, not at easy combo to find.

Our exhaustive search was coming up with nothing. We were feeling really discouraged until one phone call changed everything! In an attempt to find homes for our rabbits, a staff person contacted a rabbit rescue. During the conversation, she offhandedly asked, “You wouldn’t happen to know any good pig rescues, would you?” And that’s when we were given Mindy’s name. She and her family had other pigs and sounded like a great home for Penny. But the good news didn’t end there. Mindy agreed to take Lucy too! She also put us in touch with owners of a beautiful facility with plenty of space and a large lake who agreed to take the ducks. We couldn’t have been more excited for all of them!

With some coordination, a transport van, and our brave staff member Dean who willingly accepted the challenge, the animals were transported to their new homes. Updates from their adopters were all positive until we learned from Lesha, caretaker to the ducks, that one of them disappeared from the group after being released from their transition pen. She was heartbroken and very concerned for the remaining five. So on her birthday, instead of celebrating, she spent it rounding up ducks to take them to her house. We learned this as she was headed up home with 5 quacking ducks in her truck. We immediately contacted Mindy, Penny’s new mom, who didn’t hesitate for a minute in offering to go to Lesha’s house and help her build a temporary pen that night. We’re happy to report the ducks now have a safe permanent home with a neighbor of Mindy’s, who along with Lesha, will help care for them.

One of the best things about our work is the incredible people we meet and the connections we make along the way. Mindy and her family, along with Lesha, are role models of kindness and compassion. We now consider them our friends. We are grateful to them, to our intrepid transporter Dean and all other staff involved who worked together to ensure these animals a better life.