From the president
November 2024
Dear Supporter,
We are at the beginning of the Holiday Season and all of us at Ironwood, people and pigs alike, would like to wish all of you a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season since this is our last communication until 2025.
As of this writing, we are still in three digit temperatures so it sure does not feel like fall or the holiday season to those of us in Arizona. I can only hope by the time you actually receive this newsletter the folks doing cold towels on hot pigs for the “summer” will have hung up their towels and moved on and the pigs will be snuggling in the blankets you send our way.
This November, I have decided to write about what happens beyond the gates of Ironwood. I have often spoken about outreach and fostering, but I have never really told you the extent of our fostering program. There are so many great people involved. Not only those who do the fostering but also those who work so hard to find foster homes, do the yard checks, transport, and build pens and shelters when need be. It is yet another Herculean effort by staff and volunteers to save the lives of so many pigs. But you are the real force behind all of this. Fostering is neither free nor cheap. Your support makes this program possible and saves so many more lives in Arizona. We now have over 450 pigs in our foster program. Why would we have so many in foster homes and where are they all coming from? There are literally hundreds of pigs in Arizona who need homes. We get calls and emails daily. We clearly have to limit our intake in order to be able to maintain a good quality of life for our pigs. Therefore, we have reached out to so many people around the state for help. We have fosters from Sierra Vista to Kingman and everywhere in between. In the past 1 ½ years, we have taken in three large rescues where the females came mostly to us and the males went to Kleigh who fosters many pigs for us. Patrick has helped Kleigh by taking six of the males to foster at his home.
At the end of July, we got a call to take 25 starving pigs from a lady in Casa Grande. Carrie and her team of volunteers were able to find fosters for all of them. The pigs have gained weight and are doing well.
Phoenix and Joey (on right) were among 25 pigs who were being starved that were rescued by Ironwood. They are gaining weight and learning what it’s like to be loved.
While many of the pigs we place in foster homes come from large rescues, not all do. We sometimes have tiny pigs like little Maple found running around alone in Glendale, AZ. A good Samaritan took her in. She was born without an anus and required an operation to save her life. She is now in a reliable foster home with two ladies who have fostered special needs pigs in the past.
Another little girl is from way north in Sanders, AZ where a rancher threatened to shoot her if she came near his livestock. A neighbor took her in then a volunteer picked her up and took her to a foster home. She was very pregnant and later delivered four healthy babies. Jellybean, her new name, is happy and safe and busy being a good momma. Not that we ever want more babies, but on occasion there is no option.
These two little ones, Casper and Mojo were both strays. Mojo had been attacked by a dog and was nursed back to health by a foster then released to us to find a pig friend. Casper also needed a buddy so now they are best friends. They are now in a foster home together and getting lots of love.
Apollo and his two young sons, Jake and Ziggy, were surrendered due to owner hardship. None of the boys had been socialized and were very skittish when they arrived at their foster home. After being neutered and learning to trust people, Apollo soon became quite the love bug. Jake and Ziggy took a bit longer to come around to being comfortable with humans but eventually turned into sweethearts.
Poppy is a 3 year old Kune mix whose owner fell ill. She is the sweetest girl! She was severely overweight from being on a pop tart and cake diet. She has lost a lot of weight since the foster got her and put her on a healthy diet.
These are a fraction of the stories and lives saved because of your generosity. Once Ironwood is contacted, the effort begins to get them into foster homes if we are unable to take them at Ironwood. We pay for most food, spays and neuters, more serious medical care, medicines, and hoof trim ming. None of this would be possible without your support. If you combine our pigs at Ironwood numbering nearly 680 and over 450 fosters, you are supporting the lives of over 1100 pigs. Your support is the best Holiday Gift our huge pig family could ever have!!! Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Mary Schanz, President & CoFounder
