Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
“There are so many shelters for dogs and cats,” said Regina Allman, President and Director of Hog Heaven Rescue Farm in Cochranton. These who says hoofed animals and their needs are often ignored when they need to be properly rescued.
Who they are:
Hog Heaven “rescues, rehabilitates, and fosters” seized or surrendered hoofed animals, like pigs, goats, cows, horses—occasionally even alpacas—eventually sending them to permanent homes.
Allman runs the Cochranton farm with her husband David, both of whom are retired police officers from Pittsburgh.
See Hog Heaven featured in Community Connection on GoCrawfordCounty.com.
Motivation:
“Animals are very forgiving. You can take them from the doorstep of death and teach them kindness and trust.”
She emphasizes the difficulties for unwanted animals that are not cats or dogs. “The pot-bellied pig was the throw away pet of 90’s,” said Allman, who has 47 rescued pigs on her 108 acre farm.
Allman tells a story of a pig brought to a shelter getting dropped into a cage with seven other large dogs.
“Pig are prey animals; being around dogs and cats is very stressful.
Looking for a unique gift? This year, the farm restarted a sponsorship program; people can gift sponsorships of an animal to friends and family a certain dollar amount per month. Hog Heaven will send a certificate, photograph of the animal, and newsletter to the new sponsor.
Allman says she hears from people all over eastern America wanting her to take their pigs, including Vermont, New Jersey, and Kentucky. “We get most of our calls from Pittsburgh,” she said.
Unable to sponsor or adopt?
Volunteering
Hog Heaven is always looking for volunteers.
“We assign chores to people’s ability,” she said.
Assignments can be as varied as scrapbooking, folding newsletters, cleaning out the barn, and feeding the animals.
Interested? Contact Regina Allman at 814-425-1850, or hogheaven1@windstream.net.
Find Hog Heaven online at www.hogheavenrescue.org.
–Ginny Tonkin
