Two sisters fall in love with potbellied pigs at the Sanctuary

Generally speaking, somebody who lives in Hawaii is probably not going to choose an island getaway for a vacation. (Go for the mountains instead!) Similarly, it’s easy to understand why an animal lover who runs a doggie day care wouldn’t want to spend all her time with dogs during a vacation to Best Friends.

Desire to meet the potbellied pigs

That’s why when Holly Walthers of Vail, Colorado, came to Best Friends, she had a goal: to interact with as many different species of animals as possible. Good thing Best Friends has plenty to pick from! Holly and her sister Lisa, who came along for the visit, had one specific species in mind. They wanted to meet some potbellied pigs.

Their curiosity came from a very special place. When they were growing up, Holly and Lisa remember, their mom really wanted a potbellied pig as a pet, though at the time they never understood why. And while they couldn’t adopt one because of where they lived, Holly and Lisa wanted to at least meet some of these critters that had their mother so twitter-pated.

A donation for the pigs

While at Best Friends, they finally had that chance. And they fell in love with them! So much so, in fact, that by the time they left the sanctuary, they wanted to do something nice for the pigs. They knew they could sponsor several of them and all, but they wanted to do something more.

After spending day after day at Best Friends’ Piggy Paradise, the sisters noticed there was no comfortable place to sit and watch the pigs. All at once, they thought of the perfect solution: a bench! But not just any bench. They wanted to personalize it. So, the bench, which now sits in a spot where visitors can relax and enjoy the pigs, is engraved with a dedication to their mother, along with the names of all the pigs currently at the sanctuary.

Both sisters have been so taken by the pigs that they’re already planning a trip back to visit all the animals at the sanctuary again. Thanks again, you two. What a great (and practical) tribute!

Photo by Gary Kalpakoff

Learn more about potbellied pigs in our online resource library. Or, learn more about visiting the sanctuary on our visitors’ page.