Over 100 animal residents, including Jolene, will travel an epic 2,700-miles to their new home in Tennessee.
Washougal, WA – Odd Man Inn Animal Refuge and Wildlife Rehab announced its relocation to a 93-acre property in Jamestown, TN, formerly known as The Pig Preserve. Odd Man Inn will also adopt more than 160 large farm pigs that were residents there, establishing itself as one of the largest animal sanctuaries in the United States dedicated primarily to larger breeds of farmed pigs.
Odd Man Inn Animal Refuge has been searching for a property expansion since opening their doors in 2016 to farm animals in need. And it all started with just a single dog: a black Labrador retriever named Roswell who has fear-based aggression. To give Roswell more space and save him from euthanasia, Wendy and Josh Smith, Co-Founders of Odd Man Inn, abandoned their city life in Portland, OR in favor of 4 acres in Washougal, WA.
Over the course of the next 4 years, their personal residence blossomed into a bustling nonprofit rescue organization that has helped nearly 400 vulnerable animals of 15 different species—including pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, donkeys, and turtles—get adopted into forever homes. The sanctuary now specializes in rescuing pigs of all kinds and personalities, from the special-needs three-legged Eppah to the 600lb curly-haired Sid the Swamp Pig.
In the summer of 2020 Jolene, a 600lb rescue from a hoarding case, was struggling to walk. “Due to the limited technology for pigs of her size, diagnosing her problem was difficult. I reached out literally across the country looking for help, and that led me to Rich,” said Wendy Smith, Co-founder of Odd Man Inn. “Rich is well known in the animal sanctuary community as the ‘pig guy’. We bonded over the experience with Jolene and discovered that he was looking for successors to his pig sanctuary.”
For the past 16 years, Rich and Laura Hoyle have been full time caregivers for the pigs in Tennessee. In October of 2020, after Jolene made a full recovery, Odd Man Inn began discussing taking over the responsibility of providing care to the 160 pigs that live with Rich and Laura. Instead of relocating the pigs, Odd Man Inn decided to move its entire operation from Washington to Tennessee, which would meet the needs of everyone involved—most of all the animals, including Jolene.
“We plan to expand on Rich’s incredible setup for the pigs while restoring their sanctuary home. The pigs roam the 100 acres in as natural a way as possible. They choose their own social groups and their own families. It’s a beautiful life for the animals.”Wendy Smith
In their decades of animal rescue, Rich and Laura have helped hundreds of animals. This has come at a significant cost to the property itself. Along with the expense and responsibility of 160 new residents, Odd Man Inn inherits the task of fixing the infrastructure that has sustained significant damage as a result of caring for so many pigs.
The transition poses huge logistical challenges. Over 100 current residents of Odd Man Inn—including two 1500lb steers and 38 pigs up to 650lbs—will be carefully transported the 2,700 miles from Washington to Tennessee. Aging and special needs residents will require extra accommodation to ensure their safety and comfort during this multi-day journey.
“We will make as many trips as needed to ensure the animals are comfortable while we transport them to their new sanctuary. Their comfort and security is always our primary concern.”Josh Smith
While transporting their current residents, Odd Man Inn will simultaneously care for their newest residents in Tennessee and provide them with needed veterinary assessments, vaccines, and hoof care.
Odd Man Inn is raising money through a GoFundMe campaign (gofundme.com/f/odd-man-inn) to help with the safe transportation of its current residents and the restoration of their new Tennessee home. You can learn more about Odd Man Inn and upcoming volunteering opportunities at www.oddmaninn.org.
ABOUT ODD MAN INN
Odd Man Inn (www.oddmaninn.org) is a farm animal refuge and permitted Washington State wildlife rehabilitation facility formerly based in Washougal. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit’s mission is to help as many animals as possible find safety, rehabilitation, socialization, and a forever home while giving them a voice as ambassadors for their own kind against imprisonment, abuse, and consumption.
MEDIA CONTACT
Wendy Smith, Co-Founder and Director
wendy@oddmaninn.org
503-318-8426
www.oddmaninn.org
