The Photo That Made Us Look Twice

A few days ago, Stella was a pig we had never heard of more than 700 miles away in Indiana. Today she is safe at Arthur’s Acres.

On September 30, Todd received a message from a friend about a potbellied pig who had been abandoned on a property in Indiana. The family living there had reportedly been evicted and Stella was left behind. We were told that either the family or someone else had continued going to the property to feed her but beyond that we know very little about what her life has looked like or how long she had been living this way.

The first photo we saw stopped us in our tracks. Stella was extremely overweight, alone and looked defeated. She also reminded us immediately of Stanley.

We hadn't planned on taking in another pig going into the winter. But sometimes a photo comes across your phone and you already know what the answer is going to be.

Things moved incredibly quickly from that first message. With help coordinating through Eastern Snouts, transportation plans began coming together almost immediately. A transporter traveled from Pennsylvania to Indiana, stayed overnight and then made the long drive from Indiana all the way to Parksville, New York which was roughly 12 hours on the road with Stella. And just like that, only a few days after we first learned she existed, Stella arrived at Arthur’s Acres.

Her first 24 hours here were scary.

Stella arrived extremely stressed and uncomfortable. Her breathing was concerning, she appeared dehydrated, she did not want to eat and she had a very difficult time settling. After nearly two days without eating or drinking including the time before and during transport, we became increasingly concerned about dehydration. We gave her rectal fluids to help support her and when she finally urinated it was extremely dark which only reinforced those concerns. We’ve been monitoring her very closely ever since.

There are also things about her body that tell us there may be much more to Stella’s history than we currently know. Although she is still severely overweight, she has an extraordinary amount of loose skin around her neck and belly. It’s the kind of excess skin that makes us believe she has likely lost a significant amount of weight at some point. We just don’t know when that happened and honestly can’t imagine how much bigger she must have been. Stella is a very big girl!

Right now there are far more questions than answers. But today brought us something we desperately needed to see... Stella is drinking. A lot.

After how frightening her first 24 hours were, watching her willingly drink has been incredibly reassuring. She is still settling in and we are taking everything one moment at a time but today feels a little more hopeful than yesterday.

And there is one part of Stella’s story that feels especially bittersweet. Stella has moved into Stanley’s Pavilion. That space was created to be Stanley’s home but he never got the opportunity to experience it. Losing him left a hole here that is impossible to explain. We certainly never imagined that the next pig to call his pavilion home would be a girl who reminded us so much of him from the very first photo we saw.

But now that space gets to become a place for Stella to heal.

She has already started making herself comfortable and has been very busy rooting up the dirt which is slightly less heartwarming to Todd who would probably prefer she leave at least some of the landscaping where he put it. But seeing her root is a good thing. It means she is exploring. She is engaging with her surroundings. She is doing something a pig should be able to do.

And somehow there is something really beautiful about watching Stella begin again in the place that was supposed to be Stanley’s.

For now our job is simple. Give her time, keep her comfortable, learn everything we can about what her body needs and let her begin to understand that she is safe. She doesn't have to wonder if someone is coming back. No more being left behind. No more waiting alone on an abandoned property. Stella is home.

We’ll continue sharing updates as we learn more about her health and as she settles into sanctuary life.

Thank you for making it possible for us to say yes when a girl like Stella suddenly appears and needs somewhere to go. Sometimes rescue gives you months to prepare. Sometimes it gives you a photograph, a phone call and almost no time at all.

Your monthly support is what allows us to be there in those moments and we are incredibly grateful. If Stella’s story has especially touched you and you’d like to be part of her journey in an additional way you can sponsor her.

SPONSOR STELLA