This pig literally smiled when rescuer kissed her
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 She never wakes up on the wrong side of the bed.
00:02 I am Wendy at Odd Man In, and this is Grace's story for CHIU.
00:07 We're a non-profit farm animal sanctuary in Jakestown, Tennessee.
00:12 The way we came across Grace was she was part of a small-time breeding operation.
00:16 When she needed vet care, they put her online as "free pig will be good enough for dog food."
00:22 That's just a heartbreaking way to describe such a beautiful animal.
00:26 We took custody of Grace, and we brought her into Oregon State University,
00:29 where they gave her the care that she needed.
00:31 She has now lived as a happy, healthy resident of Odd Man In for the last five years.
00:37 She's over 600 pounds. Full-grown, beautiful girl.
00:43 She didn't have a name when we took her in.
00:48 We immediately gave her the name Grace, a classic, gorgeous name.
00:52 She's like a 1950s pinup girl.
00:56 She has these really pretty eyes that I swear see right through you.
01:00 Grace's personality is big. It's really big.
01:07 She is like the girl in high school who would have been prom queen.
01:13 I swear, when she talks to me with her low, grunty, excited voice,
01:18 it's like she's telling me all the gossip of the entire sanctuary.
01:21 She wants to tell me who's sleeping with who and who did who wrong.
01:25 [belching]
01:28 Hello, hello!
01:29 We're on 93 acres in rural Tennessee.
01:31 It's currently home to nearly 200 animal residents.
01:35 Oh, yeah!
01:36 And 180 of those are mostly large-breed pigs.
01:40 Nice!
01:41 [laughs]
01:42 Pigs are master problem-solvers, and they seem to really understand complicated concepts
01:48 and troubleshoot difficult scenarios unlike any other species that I've seen.
01:53 Watch, watch.
01:53 And it's part of why running a pig sanctuary with 180 pigs is so challenging
01:58 because we're outnumbered 180 to there are five of us who run the sanctuary.
02:03 [laughs]
02:04 Grace has a whole pig family, a whole herd that she chooses to hang out with.
02:08 I love you, boyfriend.
02:09 Oliver is, that's her man partner.
02:11 Handsome.
02:12 He's a big old guy, 10 years old.
02:14 That's who she chooses to snuggle with at the end of the day.
02:17 [pig snorting]
02:20 [pig snorting]
02:25 She is a 650-pound Hereford pig, and a majority of her species are used in animal production.
02:33 And they don't get the opportunity to be seen for the gentle, beautiful creatures that they are.
02:38 Hi, I love you.
02:39 It feels like a noble cause to help these animals be seen for the really magical creatures that they are.
02:46 I don't have favorites, but I do have a special bond with Grace.
02:50 [music]
02:51 She is now a patient at the University of Tennessee intermittently,
02:54 where they check on her progress and make sure that everything looks okay.
02:58 [pig snorting]
02:59 She doesn't even need sedation to be handled or examined.
03:02 She lays down for a belly rub, and she's perfectly happy to let the medical team examine her.
03:07 We're just grateful for every day that we get to spend with her.
03:09 Happy girl.
03:11 Happy girl.
03:12 [laughs]
03:15 I tell her every day, "I could not possibly love you any more if you were my child or my sister."
03:20 I wish that she would live forever.
03:22 [music]
03:24 [pig snorting]
03:25 You're my best girl.
03:26 [pig snorting]
03:27 [kiss]
03:28 [music]