Pot Belly pigs join menagerie at Warwick Valley animal shelter

Warwick - Two Pot Belly pigs recently joined the menagerie at the Warwick Valley Humane Society’s Animal Shelter just off Kings Highway, where there are now about 20 dogs, 80 cats and kittens, two goats, three roosters, five rabbits and one buzzard. Except for the buzzard, who will be released into the wild after a period of recuperation from an injury, all other pets, including the shelter’s newest guests, a pair of Pot Belly pigs, are available for adoption. The pigs, named “Barley” and “Hopps,” were recently dropped off at the shelter because the owners were relocating to a smaller home in another area where their unique pets, although friendly and house broken, would not be welcome. “Pot Belly pigs are very sociable, adaptable, clean, and intelligent,” said Suzyn Barron, president of the Warwick Valley Humane Society.” And she explained that they don’t eat very much of the recommended diet of pig feed, corn, fruits and other treats. “They’re not ‘pigs,” she laughed. The animals are also easy to train, used to living indoors, and capable of using a large litter box just like a cat or, like a dog, an outdoor yard. “They also make their own beds,” said Barron, who reported that the members of the Society were very much appreciative of a rug, donated for that purpose, by Fireside Carpets in Florida, NY. “Barley and Hopps love it,” she said. In good weather, the pigs spend their days outside in the shelter’s “barnyard” and their nights in the shelter’s nearby pole barn. Barron and the other animal control officers at the Warwick Animal Shelter would be in “Hog Heaven” if they only had to deal with friendly Pot Belly pigs like Barley and Hopps. However, on a recent Friday evening, when Florida Police Officer Eagleston found himself dealing with four rather large hogs loose on Meadow Avenue and Roe Street, they had a more challenging task. Florida Police Officer Eagleston tried to locate the owner of the pigs while keeping them from becoming casualties. When he was unsuccessful in finding the owner, Warwick Humane was called to the rescue. Animal Control Officer Rebecca Hanlon arrived first and managed, with the help of a nearby homeowner and a neighbor, to catch two of the four. Society staff member Kathleen Mosca arrived next, followed by Barron. “All together,” reported Barron, “we caught the third hog and finally managed to get the fourth one into a dog crate which we then had a struggle to lift into our shelter truck. The third pig was also lifted into the truck under much protest.” Barron said the owner then arrived and escorted one pig by leash to its pen, which was about one-half mile away. “Kathleen and I walked the last pig home,” she said. “It was a sight to see, two big hogs on leash being walked along Meadow Avenue with the police car, lights flashing, right behind us. Lots of other cars and even a school bus slowed down to get a good look.” The pigs were all safely returned to their pen and later, said Barron, their owner was truly grateful for their safe return. “I was delighted we did not have to take them to our shelter,” she said, “and the owner gave us a generous donation.” Anyone interested in adopting the friendly pair of Pot Belly pigs, any other pet or making a donation should call the Warwick Valley Humane Society at 986-2473.