A pig that wandered into the yard of a Penn State fraternity last weekend is getting good care at Pets Come First, the local volunteer nonprofit animal rescue that operates a no-kill shelter and adoption services in Centre Hall.
And while at a glance the story of a pig temporarily joining a fraternity might seem comical, the case may illustrate an issue that is no laughing matter.
Shelter manager Deb Warner said it appears the pig’s owner was no longer able to manage him and set him loose.
“People get a pig when it’s small and they don’t realize how big it’s going to get,” she said. “And as they get older they get more aggressive.”
The pig, which Warner said is about 120 pounds, showed up on Friday on the property of Sigma Pi fraternity, 303 Fraternity Row, and the fraternity brothers gave it food and water and kept it in the yard until the following day when they called Pets Come First.
PCF board member Shannon Nance said volunteers loaded up the shelter van with a straw-filled crate and “pig boards” to guide the animal into the crate. They also called State College Police to check if there had been any reports of a missing pig and an officer responded as well.
After the pig was loaded into the crate, four fraternity brothers carried it to the van and he was taken to PCF, where he’s gotten comfortable. He’s also gotten a name – Bowie, after David Bowie, because he is pale and shiny.
“He was not in the best shape and will be getting the vet care he needs,” Nance said.
Warner said Bowie “looks roughed up,” and he might not have been abused but did not appear to have been well taken care of. He also may have gotten into a scrape with another animal.
He is, though, happy in his new surroundings and sociable around people.
Bowie in his new surroundings at Pets Come First
While the circumstances may differ, this is not a new situation. Warner said Bowie is the third pig to come to PCF this year and about the 20th the organization has had overall.
She recalled one instance where an owner of an extremely overweight pet pig wanted a local food pantry to take it and butcher it. In another case, in a neighboring county, someone had grown tired of the mess their pig was causing and wanted an agency to euthanize it and dispose of it.
‘It’s a frustrating situation,’ Warner said.
She added that people without the appropriate space and resources shouldn’t be keeping pigs as pets.
“I don’t believe pigs should be kept in a house,” she said.
Owners also sometimes don’t think to spay or neuter a pig, which is needed for controlling populations of any animals kept as pets. Warner said that should be done when they are young, as they will become more aggressive as they get older and the procedure becomes more difficult and expensive.
Bowie had not been neutered, and Warner said a local veterinarian has volunteered to do it. PCF otherwise provides space for and partners with Allegheny Spay and Neuter Clinic.
PCF works with two pot-bellied pig rescue organization and will look for an appropriate placement for Bowie.
The pig was just part of a busy weekend for PCF. After a fox was hit by a car, a team member helped get it loaded into a crate and transported it to Centre Wildlife Care. PCF also took in at least six kittens while also being open normal hours for visitors and adoptions.
In Centre County, there is no animal control agency or humane society – PCF occupies the former SPCA shelter in Centre Hall — so it falls to mostly volunteer-staffed nonprofits PCF and Centre County PAWS, both of which are no-kill shelters, to respond to reports about stray and unwanted animals. The volunteer nonprofit Centre Wildlife Care offers care for injured, sick and orphaned wildlife with the goal of being released back into their habitats.
All of them are reliant on donations to fund their operations – they don’t receive government funding. That makes situations like PCF taking in and providing medical care for Bowie challenging.
“We don’t want any animals to suffer so we do everything we can with the staff we have,” Warner said.
One upcoming way to support Pets Come First is the 10th Annual Dog Jog 5k run and 1.5 mile walk, which will held on April 28 at the Grange Fairgrounds. Humans can run with or without a four-legged companion and registration is open online at www.petscomefirst.net or available the day of the event starting at 8:30 a.m.
For those who’d like to participate in the day’s activities but don’t want to take part in the run or walk, local vendors, a pet fair, agility training, music, food and refreshments, a microchip clinic and a silent auction all will be part of the event. The silent auction includes two 50-yard line seats for Penn State football’s game against Iowa.
For more information and to learn more about volunteering and donating, visit www.petscomefirst.net
Also learn more about and support Centre County PAWS at www.centrecountypaws.org/ and Centre Wildlife Care at www.centrewildlifecare.org/
