Check Out Beth Anderson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Anderson.

Hi Beth, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up on a farm that provided most of the food that our family of 8, but have always wanted a pet pig. In 2021, right before Snowmaggedon, we were finally able to adopt a piggy. His brother, at the time, was going to another owner. We told them that if it didn’t work out, call me, we will take him. Well, it didn’t work out, so suddenly we had 2 very active piggies in our house, in the middle of what felt like a never ending ice storm. We loved it. This whole thing lead me to do more research about the pig world and I began seeing people offer their baby pigs up for slaughter because they couldn’t handle the work it takes to care for their animals. People go to get a pet piggy with the idea that they are getting what is advertised as a teacup or micro-mini-pig, but this turns out to be a misnomer. A mini pig, it turns out, is anything under 300 pounds! Well, the overwhelming need that occurs when these cute little babies turn into HUGE indoor pets led to many owners in search of a pig slaughter house. This is what led us to start a rescue. We decided that we had the room and the heart to start our rescue in October of 2021. I had many people reaching out to me, but I had to do a ton of research. I had to make choices and offer input when someone thought they couldn’t keep a pig… “Have you checked your city ordinance?” “Have you reinforced your fence so your piggies can’t get out?” “Have you had your piggies neutered/spayed?” “Have you separated the males from the females?” Oft times, just a little bit of advice goes a long way and the desperate owner realizes that they are capable and willing to make it work on their own. Sometimes, though, we have to come and get that baby to give them a better situation. To date, we have 24 pigs, and 45 animals total. All have been rescues.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh goodness, has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not! Is it rewarding? Yes! Pigs have really strong snouts, so if they find a weakness in a fence, they will figure out how to lift it to get out. The other animals are not innocent either. If there is a will, there is trouble! If we have snow or ice, we are 100% in panic mode. We are putting a ton of straw in the many pens we have, and making sure everything is covered in tarps for extra warmth. Wait, the water doesn’t work outside due to the storms? Now, we are off carrying 5 gallon buckets of water to the animals all over the property. Definitely not smooth, but worth it.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I was a teacher until I retired in May of 2025. I loved my mission as a teacher, but there comes a time when you have to make life altering decisions based on life altering occurrences. I had an accident in 2025 that lead to a traumatic brain injury and this led me to my retirement after 29 years in education. My whole passion is now our rescue. Even in the hardest of physical times, I have had piggies that made me stay active. I could have slept to recover for days at a time, but the animals need daily care. We had to keep them alive, save them, and do all of the things they needed. This gave me the motivation to keep moving and keep going!

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I don’t have an industry, I have a rescue. I see rescues right now at a standstill. There are very few volunteers to help and fewer donations. It’s a hard time financially for most in the world today, so most of it comes out of our pockets. I am not sure how it will look in 5 to 10 years, but I will keep striving to provide a happy life for the sweet animals that depend on us.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andersonacrespigrescue