After being rescued from a B.C. highway rest stop, a pig has a new name and a new home.

Kerri Hegel said she received a call June 15 for a possibly pregnant pig at a rest stop north of Hixon, adding she was told the pig 鈥渨as going to have babies any day.鈥�

She drove out there, and while they found a pig 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 pregnant.

After talking to some people in the area to see if the pig had a home, Hegel didn鈥檛 have any luck and loaded up the pig and brought her home.

Hegel runs PG Tickled Pig Rescue in Prince George, and noticing the pig had overgrown hooves, they booked her in for veterinary appointment.

On Thursday (June 22), the pig had her hooves trimmed as they were giving her a hard time walking.

Hegel said she didn鈥檛 know if the pig would need to be sedated for the trimming, so she brought the pig inside to keep her away from food.

鈥淪he got quite accustomed to laying on that (dog) bed in the house. Last night I couldn鈥檛 get her back outside.鈥�

Now more than a week after rescuing her, Hegel said they鈥檝e decided to keep the pig.

鈥淚f she does well with the herd 鈥� which I鈥檓 pretty sure she鈥檚 going to 鈥� then I don鈥檛 want to upset her and move her again. I think staying here is probably best. She鈥檚 getting quite used to us,鈥� explained Hegel, adding her 13-year-old daughter has grown close to the pig.

The family has also decided on a name, Petunia.

Hegel said one of their other pigs, Rupert, 鈥渁bsolutely loved her and he broke through the fence to be with her.鈥�

鈥淪o now as a joke we call him Porky Pig and she鈥檚 his Petunia.鈥�

lauren.collins@blackpress.ca
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