Violet the pig is adoptable after depression over owner’s surrender in Massachusetts
A pet pig named Violet is now “adoptable” after suffering “depression” after her owners surrendered her in Massachusetts, the Animal Rescue League of Boston said.
For months, the ARL has taken the time to work with Violet to help her “overcome her anxiety and fear-based behavioral issues” after her family could no longer care for her. So they brought her to the Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center, the ARL said in a news release.
Violet, 4 years old and weighing 120 pounds, is now ready for a new home.
“She would like to be the queen and the only piggy in your life!,” shelter staff said online. “She enjoys the finer things in life, like apple juice in the morning and her favorite fruits and vegetables.”
“She does get some transitional fear so she needs a family with patience and understanding who will give her time to adjust to her new home and environment,” staff also said of the black pig.
Since she was raised as a house pet, Violet was used to consistently spending time with her human companions while hanging out indoors, the ARL said.
When she arrived at the shelter on Aug. 8, 2021, she was provided with a comfortable outdoor paddock and enclosure.
However, Violet was not used to living outdoors and became frustrated.
She “would charge, bark or nip” at staff members or volunteers who entered her paddock for feeding an enrichment time and would block their exit, the ARL said.
A pig expert was called in to assess Violet and it was concluded that she exhibited “signs of depression, and was fearful about being alone.”
Violet’s acting out and preventing staff members from leaving her paddock were simply due to her fear of abandonment.
“It’s sad anytime we see an animal having a difficult time adjusting to a new environment, and with Violet, the behaviors she was exhibiting was simply her way of telling the person interacting with her that she didn’t want them to go,” ARL spokesperson Mike DeFina told McClatchy News in a statement.
To help her work through her anxiety and depression, staff taught Violet a “back-up” cue through positive reinforcement “to teach her that she needs to give space to anyone interacting with her,” the ARL explained.
Now Violet’s behavior has been “positively altered” and she’s ready to come home to a new family.
DeFina said her behavior continues to improve each day.
She’s received her necessary vaccinations and was spayed and neutered, according to her pet profile.
For more information, call 781-326-0729.
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Violet the pig is adoptable after depression over owner’s surrender in Massachusetts."
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