Gus

When we met Gus, he was small enough to fit through a cat flap. He was a tiny little runt piglet that was part of a strange “rent a runt” program at an Oregon homestead business. Gus was “rented” by a young woman who lived in Portland to help nurture him to thrive. She slept with Gus. She fed him special meals. She loved him. When the time came to return him to the farm to meet his fate, as the program was designed, the young woman couldn’t bear it. Instead, she bought Gus’s freedom and started looking for help. We accepted Gus as one of our first pig residents, and he has flourished now for many years. He doesn’t see very well, so we need to make slight adjustments to help him at mealtime in the big Gen Pop herd. He otherwise lives a perfectly normal life with his best friends, Dave and Bubo. Guinea Hogs are a specific breed of pig that graze more than they root. They’re considered gentler on the land; therefore, they are exploited on small homestead farms because they do not destroy the land. They’re gentle, fuzzy pigs who only grow to about 350-400 pounds. They usually live slightly longer lives because they don’t suffer from the same mobility issues we see in huge production breeds like Yorkshires.