"There's a woman that needs a place for her pigs. I know we're not ready and won't be open for another five months, but we have space now. What do you think?"

That's how it started.

The idea was there, the land purchased and fencing completed, but then winter hit, and the official IRS determination letter for nonprofit status had not arrived yet. The time was perfect to finish up the paperwork, structure the sanctuary, write policy and procedures. Then in spring, the barns could be built, outbuildings wired, and water run across the property. Summer sounded like a perfect time to officially open the sanctuary!

But there was a woman who needed a place for her pigs. If they weren’t moved in the next twenty-four hours, they would be auctioned. So, the contact was made, panels put up, shelter cleared out, and the pigs arrived. In the dark. In the rain. In the cold. To a place that a day before was just an idea.

And it was terrifying to see those two scared, cold, wet boys and think that their future safety and happiness was in our hands.

And a sanctuary was born.