There are more than dogs and cats at Pima Animal Care Center in need of homes.
The county shelter also takes in other animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles and a variety of birds.
And late last year, a 133-pound potbellied pig, who arrived as an injured stray after wandering west of Tucson.
One of the animal care officers noticed that the pig was friendly but had several puncture wounds around his face.
Once he arrived at PACC, the pig was given some pain medications for his superficial cuts. And he was ravenously hungry.
The pig was already neutered and had once likely been someone’s pet, said Karen Hollish, PACC’s development director. He was very affectionate and pressed his snout against people’s legs. Staff adapted an enclosed area for him.
After no one claimed the pig, he was adopted on Jan. 2.
“Right when we saw him we knew that we had to take him home,” said Savannah Rivera, who had spotted the pig’s photo on PACC’s Facebook page.
“He was just such a happy pig,” said Rivera. Her family immediately named him Frodo, and took him home to where Thunder, the pig they raised from a baby, was waiting.
“When we first got him home he was so restless. He could never stay in one spot,” she said, noting that authorities estimated he had been on his own for a couple of years. “Now he’s kind of learned to relax.”
Frodo and Thunder share a yard and each have their own little house. “We have harnesses and we take them for walks. They love going to the park,” Rivera said.
The family had already taught Thunder to sit and shake hands. Frodo is a bit more stubborn than Thunder, but the two have bonded and touch noses affectionately.
“Pigs are really smart animals,” she said. “It’s actually like having a 3-year-old child at times. They are very smart so they need a lot of attention and care.”
