Animal Rescue League of Berks County: Other Animals Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The Other Animals Grant went specifically to the care of our barn animal, Baby the Vietnamese Potbelly Pig, who was in our care for over 550 days. In that time, she required an extensive health plan, daily food, medication, and enrichment, plus costly medical testing to cross state borders.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Our longest resident at the shelter, Baby the Vietnamese Potbelly pig, had been in our care for over 550 days. Once living in an apartment in the city, Baby was relieved to seek sanctuary at the ARL and experience life as a barn animal for the first time in autumn of 2022. Since then, she became a beloved companion to many staff members at ARL, gaining a love of apples, snuggles, and (especially) back scratches from her favorite caregivers.

However, with our rescue efforts being focused primarily on cat and dog adoptions, caring for unique barn animals such as Baby adds up quickly. Not only did we provide essentials for Baby in her time at ARL, but she required special food because of dietary restrictions, daily enrichment, and an extensive health plan due to entering our care at over 180 lbs. Because she was experiencing arthritis in her feet, she needed additional pain medication to overcome her obesity struggles.

The Petfinder Foundation’s grant immensely contributed to Baby’s care as she embarked on her health journey in the comfort of our barn. While unique situations like hers can take a toll on our budget, we are always thrilled when animals like Baby have a happy outcome.

In Baby’s case, she was recently transported by our team to a beautiful home in Georgia following expensive medical testing to cross state borders. Now, she is living her best life as an indoor/outdoor pig on a gorgeous farm with a family who loves her!