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 lived a lovely Sanctuary Babe life for many years.
He didn’t see very well, so we needed to make slight adjustments to help him at mealtime in the big GenPop herd. He otherwise lived a perfectly normal life in the Northwest Neighborhood with his best friends, Dave and Bubo.
It is an honor to love them for however long we’re given. It’s never enough—but it’s always an honor.
We walked Gus home, keeping the promise we made when he first came into our care. When his body could no longer carry him comfortably, love meant letting him go.
These gentle beings change everything. Gus taught us devotion, presence, and what it truly means to stay—until the very end. We will miss this OMI original. We’re very grateful to have called him our friend.