- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
In the opening scene of the reality TV show “Pig Little Lies,” country singer and animal activist Simone Reyes received a call about two pigs – “husband and wife” Dante and Beatrice – who only had a few hours to get out of a shelter before they were expected to die.
Luckily, she’s sitting by Jane Velez-Mitchell, founder and managing editor of UnchainedTVan online plant-based lifestyle network, who shares her concerns and fervent desire to save them.
The women take action to save the pigs and kick off five short episodes of a sometimes humorous, always sincere attempt to save Dante and Beatrice – who turns out to be pregnant with 13 adorable piglets.
Jane Velez-Mitchell, founder and managing editor of UnchainedTV, smiles while filming the TV show “Pig Little Lies”. Courtesy of UnchainedTV
“It’s exciting and gives you a new perspective on pigs,” Velez-Mitchell told Rover. “Right?”
Certainly yes. They enlist the help of Cindy Brady, who runs the nonprofit farm animal sanctuary Tiny master from her home in Southern California. On the show, the no-nonsense rescuer laments the all-too-common problem of people handing over “too big” pigs to shelters after buying them from unscrupulous breeders – a problem associated with deeply concerned with Velez-Mitchell.
There is no such thing as a teacup pig. There is no such thing as pig micro. There is no such thing as a pocket pig. This is a lie. – Jane Velez-Mitchel
“The big lie is that there is no such thing as a teacup pig,” she said. “There is no such thing as pig micro. There is no such thing as a pocket pig. This is a lie. They’re just babies, and they’ll grow up — even the tiniest pig. “
A healing ceremony to relieve stress for pigs and people takes place in “Pig Little Lies.” Photo courtesy of UnchainedTV
Catch a pig with it
Velez-Mitchell – who adores his two rescue dogs, Foxy Lady and Rico – loves to see how protective Beatrice feels towards her piglets and how pigs wag their tails almost like dogs when they’re happy. After filming, she even fostered one of the piglets, Valentino. Some pigs have been adopted in shelters.
But first of all, their antics make for a great television set. In one scene, the pigs split apart to hide from rescuers who were trying to gently move them from the laundry room where they were born into a larger living space in the yard. The hour-long event proved so stressful for everyone that the team brought in a spiritual healer to perform a ritual that helped both pigs and humans.
While a healing ceremony may be unusual, the plight of pigs like Dante, Beatrice, and their offspring is not. Teri Crutchfield, founder and owner of the non-profit organization Save animals & heal hearts of Ramona, California, and who appeared on the show, called out the problem of people being tricked into buying a supposedly small pig – whether called a “micro-pig,” a “teacup pig” or otherwise. – is a “big deal”.
A growing problem
“Pigs grow up until they are three to five years old,” she told Rover. “I can get 10-15 calls a week from people trying to get rid of their pigs. Many of them say, “They’re too big” or “It doesn’t look like a dog.” It was just a horrible thing.”
Sometimes breeders will tell their pig buyers that they need to eat a specific diet – essentially starving to death, according to Crutchfield. She cares for a pig named Valentina, who has been starved for too long on a breeder’s diet, whose head is of normal size but its body is small, and she has a desk. Deformed legs force her to walk on her toes.
Another pig, Ginger, was stunted and lived in a small doghouse for years – without being released to pee, poop or eat.
But big-bellied pigs can easily grow to over 100 pounds. Crutchfield and her team once rescued a fat-bellied pig named Jeremiah, which weighed nearly 400 pounds when it arrived — and could barely walk. Its owners gave it cakes and snacks to try to fatten it up for slaughter.
“His belly doesn’t pull on the ground anymore,” she said. “It was a slow process but we managed to reduce his weight. It can be a good-natured, cheerful pig.”
Better laws can help pigs
As tempting as it can be to buy a cute little pig from a breeder, Crutchfield wishes people wouldn’t do the same — and always requires proof of the mother’s age, as pregnant bellies can start birth as early as 3 months old.
“We want legislation to stop that kind of farming, but it’s many years away,” she said.
Husband and wife Dante and Beatrice inspired and starred in the reality TV show “Pig Little Lies”. Photo courtesy of UnchainedTV
According to Nicole Brecht, founder of the nonprofit, sometimes laws zoning and restricting the raising of bellies in animal sanctuaries and sanctuaries. A refuge for a good life in Longmont, Colorado.
“Most of our pigs come from zoning violations,” she told Rover. “Not every city allows big belly pigs. So when people take them and they’re small and small, you can hide them. But later, when they are older, it is not possible to hide them because if you want them to be emotionally balanced, you must give them indoor and outdoor space.”
Even if a city or town is planned for pigs, many cities have a weight limit of around 100 pounds — and as noted above, pigs can easily exceed 100 pounds.
“Anything up to 400 pounds is considered a big belly pig,” she notes.
Pregnant piglets are adorable but they continue to grow for 3-5 years. They can grow to over 100 pounds in weight. Photo courtesy of UnchainedTV
Brecht agrees that breeders won’t explicitly tell buyers to starve their new pet, but they do say the amount of food they tell people to feed is intentionally underfeeding. She also gets frustrated when people call and say they simply don’t have time to take care of their pig anymore.
“Pigs are intelligent animals and they need a lot of nourishment. If they don’t understand that, they get destructive and they can become aggressive,” she says. “And pigs are highly social animals, so they shouldn’t be kept in captivity like solitary confinement. But usually the ordinance is only for one pig, then the pig really attaches itself to the human being.”
Long lasting love
A pig named Morgan landed at the Good Life Refuge after living as a single pig for seven years. When the owner left, it became extremely aggressive – that’s a problem with a 170-pound animal.
The team let him decompress for a month, then began training him. It takes a lot of patience—“I won’t feed you with my hands or give you more junk food until you stop biting my arm”—but now Morgan is no longer “self-aggrandizing” and enjoys a belly rub.
Pigs can live 10-20 years and require a loving, long-term commitment to help them grow.
However, Brecht hopes people will understand that pigs can live 10-20 years, so they need a long-term commitment to the space for rooting, enrichment activities, balanced nutrition and hoof care. She notes that many veterinary clinics do not treat pigs )—As well as at least one other companion of the pig.
“They don’t look like a dog or a cat — they don’t look like a cat,” she said. “They’re super smart and they cuddle and I love them all, but they weren’t made to live in a house.”
Pigs bathing in mud during the filming of “Pig Little Lies.” Photo courtesy of UnchainedTV
If people have the space and time it takes to properly care for pigs, she recommends adopting an adult from a nonprofit. Sanctuaries like hers also offer plenty of volunteer opportunities to interact with pigs.
There are more than 40 adoptable pigs currently available at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, with names like Batman, Petunia, Wally and Fifi. Jen Reid, a manager at Sanctuaryrecommends spending time around pigs before bringing them home to better understand the joys and challenges they will bring.
“Swine and farmed animal sanctuaries and sanctuaries can be a great resource to get some first-hand experience with them,” she told Rover. “And there are a lot of pigs in shelters and rescuers looking for adoption.”
To watch the free TV series “Pig Little Lies”, visit: Uncinedtv.com/pig-little-lies
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