Bubba

In late summer of 2013, a lady who worked at the cat adoption center for PetSmart retail stores had been approached by a woman who had spent $1,500 on the purchase of two young pigs and had an immediate case of buyer’s remorse. The initial buyer had been told that the piglets were both eight weeks old upon purchase. She had had her doubts about this, and felt that something was wrong with the pigs, something that she felt she was not equipped to handle. One of the pigs was extremely weak while the other screamed constantly. Since neither PetSmart nor the cat rescue agency had the resources to care for two young pigs, they contacted David and Mandi Tidwell for help with the two wee ones.

At the time, Hooves Marching for Mercy was still Pigs are People too, and the rescue had only been formed two weeks prior. Since they were still a new charity, there was ample room to house new pigs in need. So, the Tidwells agreed to meet with the original pigs’ parent and found, to their chagrin, that the piglets were not eight weeks, as the lady had been told, nor were they littermates, one was only four weeks, and the other was not even fourteen days old yet. Since the woman was not able to manage infant pigs, she agreed to turn them over to Pigs Are People Too for proper care and housing for the little pigs. So, on 19 August 2013, Pigs Are People Too acquired two new piglets: Bubba and Jake.

The older of the pair was named Bubba. He lives with the original herd with Sir Gaddy, who helped to raise the pair and teach them proper porcine socialization. Sadly, Jake has passed on due to a birth defect, but Bubba is a loving and affectionate young gentleman. He suffers from minor developmental delays brought about by improper breeding, but he’s never let that keep him down. Bubba is always the first to greet visitors at the gate, and he loves nothing more than to follow the volunteers around as they work in his pen. He is a happy, healthy, demonstrative little guy. Since coming to the sanctuary, he has never known pain or hardship, as he thrives with his herd; rooting, sunning, and truly living as a pig.