06/18/2026
There are a lot of animals here at Oinking Acres that hold a special place in my heart, but Rogue will always be different. I can’t even begin to put into words how much I love this pig. When I started Oinking Acres, my first love and primary focus was potbellied pigs. I spent my youth volunteering with another organization that provided rescue opportunities for potbellies, and it quickly became evident that their need for refuge was much greater than I had imagined. This grew my determination to help them, and ultimately, my life’s purpose.
Over the years, potbellied pigs have often come to us as a result of human irresponsibility, impulsive decisions, and lack of understanding about the lifelong commitment they require. These incredibly intelligent and resilient animals deserve advocacy, compassion, and an opportunity to live safely and comfortably when others have failed them. My initial goal was to provide them with appropriate vetting and the care they need until they could be placed into forever homes. Through unwavering determination, sacrifice, and years of hard work, the farm has evolved into a beautiful sanctuary home for our residents and where we welcome visitors today.
Then one day, each in their own individually desperate and dismal situations, Theo and Rogue came into my life...
Before Rogue, I knew animal agriculture was cruel. I knew pigs suffered. But knowing something and looking it in the eyes are two very different things.
When Rogue jumped from a livestock truck, she made a choice that changed her life forever. What I didn’t realize at the time was that she would also change mine. These marked the exact moments when our mission expanded. The world shifted. They opened my eyes to an entirely different plight, an entirely different and heartbreaking reality— a reality where animals are not failed by a solitary individual’s poorly considered decision, but by an entire and intentionally constructed system, built around mass production, suffering, and slaughter.
Large breed pigs are born into an industry where misery and suffering are the standards of their life, from the moment they enter this world until the day they are killed, at just 5-6 months old. Taking in Theo and Rogue radically changed the trajectory of Oinking Acres and the course of my life.
Rogue’s leap from a transport truck introduced me to the heartbreaking world of truck jumpers—tiny babies who propel themselves from moving semis in an effort to save their own lives—and to the countless others fighting for their lives every single day. Since then, we’ve welcomed many brave piglets who made that same desperate leap for life. Each one, strengthening my dedication and resolve.
When she arrived, she was scared, exhausted, and injured from the jump. Watching her learn to trust and the deep friendship she made with Theo opened my eyes in a way I never expected. She wasn’t just “a pig.” She was an individual with a personality, preferences, emotions, and a fierce will to live.
Rogue became the pig that changed everything.
Because of her, I began looking at rescue differently. Because of her, I became passionate about helping truck jumpers and advocating for pigs destined for slaughter. Because of her, countless other pigs have found their way to Oinking Acres and now Evermore.
She helped shape the mission of this sanctuary.
People often ask me which animal is my favorite, and the truth is I love them all differently. But Rogue will always be one of the most important animals I’ve ever known.
She isn’t just a rescued pig. She’s the reason so much of this exists.
And every time I look at her, I’m reminded that one brave little pig’s decision to jump changed more than her own fate. It changed mine too. ❤️🐷
