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Mary on Facilities
I remember that day in December 1998 when I read about Pigs*A*Lot in the Tucson Citizen. The piece was done by Carla McClain who has influenced my life over the years with many articles she has written about animals.
After reading the article, my husband Ben and I thought we should see what we could do to help. That was the beginning of what has become a consuming interest. The needs are great, as you might expect if you had more than 100 hungry mouths to feed each day!
There have been many challenges over the past few years. It started with finding additional sources of food other than what Lynnette was already using. We have fostered good relationships with a number of local stores: Safeway, Wild Oats and Albertsons, which provide us with their discarded fruits and vegetables.
With the help of many other volunteers we have built a new pond for the pigs, put up shade cloth for the summer and even built an infirmary at our house for the sick piggies. But the need is still great.
The pigs come from abusive, dysfunctional homes. They are neglected, dumped in the desert, and abandoned by apartment-dwellers. We need good, adoptive homes, foster homes, help with food pick-up and delivery, work-projects, and always help with clean-up and watering of the pigs.
It isn't easy to operate Pigs*A*Lot, and like Lynnette once told me, for many of these pigs who were once prized and pampered indoor pets, their lives are dramatically changed where they try to cope with living outside in the desert with so many other more aggressive pigs. But without Pigs*A*Lot, they would have nowhere else to go.
-Mary Schanz &
Ben Watkins
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Paula the "Pied-Piper"
I met Lynnette Warren six years ago. Upon my first visit to her home, I saw that she had these pot-bellied pigs. I had never been around pigs before and I found them to be quite interesting animals. It did (and still does!) amaze me that she can give you the name of each pig.
When I first started going to her home, she only had a few pigs, but the number kept increasing with each visit. She was taking in unwanted and abandoned pigs. Many of these pigs were overfed and could hardly walk and some had physical problems. After a while at the sanctuary, there was a pig change in these pigs. Lynnette's love and care has brought many of them back to life.
After numerous visits, I got to know some of these pigs by name, too. Each one has its own personality, just like any other pet.
I started volunteering about six months ago. I found it to be very self-rewarding when I would drive up to her home, and the pigs would start coming to the gate as they had gotten used to me as I had to them. Of course, when they see me, they know it's time to eat. Sometimes I feel like the Pied-Piper of Pigs*A*Lot. I talk to them, and they respond as any pet would. I love it!
It is a huge responsibility for the care of so many. After feeding the kids--as I fondly call them--we water. They follow me everywhere. They love to be sprayed with water and after playtime, it's time to clean up the property, which is another huge undertaking. It takes the two of us a couple of hours to do, but it is very rewarding. Even my husband Jerry enjoys helping with fencing, tree maintenance and whatever else Lynnette needs his help with. We both enjoy helping out around here!
-Paula |