A rescue pig named Barbara has found her forever home on an acreage south of Cranbrook.
Barbara was adopted by Kathy Proudfoot on Dec. 1 from Leslie Long Rescue and has quickly settled in to her new home in the Gold Creek area. She has joined a menagerie of other animals that live on Proudfoot’s property, that includes horses, chickens, goats, cats and dogs.
“She’s very patient. She’s a very sound sleeper,” said Proudfoot.
“She’s already the Queen B of the pen. One of my goats, he’s a bully, and he’ll try and go and get her pellets. She moves her head so fast and just kind of chomps at him. He’s scared. You don’t mess with her when she eats.”
Proudfoot has always been an animal lover, but it wasn’t until her friend got two pigs that she seriously considered getting one. She already had some experience dealing with pigs from her days as a 4-H Swine Club leader, so Barbara seemed like an obvious choice of pet.
“You can teach a pig to sit. You can teach a pig to dance. You can teach them to high-five. You can teach them to drink out of a water bottle. They’re very social. I feel like they’re almost smarter than a dog,” she said.
Still, Proudfoot cautioned that pigs are not easy pets to take care of and that they’re not for everyone.
“It’s a big commitment to have one…You never know how big it’s going to get unless it’s a registered and really honest breeder.”
“They’re social,” she added. “A pig is not a pet that you can leave at home by itself and you go to work all day.”
Proudfoot has been working with Barbara to help restore her health. She has been exercising her regularly to help her lose weight and has put her on a diet of pig-friendly food. She’s working on getting her used to the feeling of a harness and has been rubbing her with warm coconut oil to help soothe her inflamed skin.
People in the community have been generous enough to reach out and donate items. Barbara already has a heated dog house to sleep in and a comfortable quilt. Leslie Long Rescue funded her vet visits.
“Not one time did Barbara squeal,” said Proudfoot, as she described the vet visit. “She’s just amazing. She’s just got the most wonderful disposition.”
Proudfoot has created a Facebook account called Sweet Barbara so the public can follow along with her progress, and she is also planning on getting a TikTok account started. In future, she would like to set up a live-stream in Barbara’s pen.
Proudfoot said she’s grateful that Barbara has become a part of her life.
“I’ve had a very difficult year … I wasn’t happy with anything. I just couldn’t find any joy and now I have purpose. I’m spending more time with all my animals. I needed Barbara just as much as she needed me.”