Michigan Potbellied Pig Club Porkers

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

About the MICHIGAN POTBELLIED PIG CLUB. We are a group dedicated to pet pig awareness and welfare. You don’t have to own a pig to belong, we just hope you’ll find us good company and join us in our endeavors.

Currently we are working on a fund raising project for Piggy Heights (click here, for more info), also know and Darlynn’s Darlins, a non-profit 501©3 sanctuary in Lake Wales, FL. They are a hard-off sanctuary run by only two people because they have a hard time keeping commitments from volunteers. They are on only 2 acres and have over 150 pet pigs on site! They also have 18 dogs, several cats, chickens and a cow. They just lost their horses because they did not have the funds to board them. Who knows what kind of homes they will go to.

Since I have known them they were hit by hurricane Katrina, drown in a major flood, almost lost the sanctuary to foreclosure, have had some severely sick pigs, and had several more pigs dumped on their property. They get very little in donations and spend well over $1,000/mo on feed alone. Over the years people have trailed off because the owner, Darlynn, doesn’t play politics. She’s sticks up for what is right and will defend her pigs at any cost. Not everyone likes to hear that sad truth… which is if these pigs don’t get help, they will die. Darlynn drives a bus for Disney and Butch, her husband, is in and out of work as a carpenter because they mostly hire migrant workers in FL.

Our goal is to raise enough money to hold a volunteer day at their place. A few of us are driving down there (anyone is welcome to join us!) and will be helping organize an estate sale, because Darlynn is packed with pig items because she had a pig store that she lost when she took in the pigs and had mouths to feed. This will bring in a lot of funds for them. We also are organizing a fix-it day where volunteers come and mend fences and fix gates, fix-up pig houses and get the barn bailed out from its mechanically cluttered state that is unusable right now.

Please check out our pictures of the sanctuary dogs and pigs in our picture gallery. Some are funny, some are very sad, but it is interesting to see the community of them. I took pictures of just the very front section of the sanctuary.

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...*****JOIN OUR FUNDRAISING TEAM!!!*****...

We are hosting a benefit concert in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area. This benefit will be of the heavy alternative music genre so you have to be over 18 to attend, but any age can help with the planning. WE have contracted 60 SECOND CRUSH to play at the benefit. Two of the venues we are considering are Metaphisto’s in Ham Tramack and we are working on talking to City Club. So you can see this will be a big deal!!! JOIN US!!!

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If you want to donate financially, that is great, but we need your time more than your money! We are looking for good people to help with the following:

*Photographer to take pictures for Tshirts and Stickers and cards. Pictures here in Ann Arbor, MI or if you know someone in the Orlando/Lakeland area of FL. This is a volunteer position but the photographer can have rights to the pictures as long as we have a waiver to use as we see fit for our purposes. This would be great for a photography student and their portfolio!

*Volunteers to call businesses we need non-monetary donations from such as things to sell at the concert and tshirt companies and sticker dealers to see if they will donate their services (you will know exactly what to say and its SUPER easy!) this is perfect if you only have a few hours to offer total.

*We need people to find pig item donations online and from people and to scour the thrift stores or arrange with them to hold all pig items for pick up. All funds put forth by you will be reimbursed or a tax credit written if you prefer.

*We need someone to find a company that will donate fliers and posters to hang and people to hang them. Please offer of you know anyone!

***REMEMBER***

All services and other companies needing money can be paid with a tax credit. We are working for a 501©3 non-profit and we have privileges to their tax documents.

If you know anyone who is interested or even might REMOTELY be interested, please send them a link to this page or ask me to send you our forward letter! THANKS!!!

[piggymama]

hey! this sounds like a really great idea! lets all join in and help!!! woohoo! (dont tell anyone that Im the person who sent that to her, I just joined lol....ssshhhhhhhh....)

[deathfearsnone]

hey! this sounds like a really great idea! lets all join in and help!!! woohoo! (dont tell anyone that Im the person who sent that to her, I just joined lol....ssshhhhhhhh....)

lol i am in!!!

[Lillylu29]

does she not try to adopt these animals out or are these all her own personal animals?

[piggymama]

Aparently my post to this didnt show up the other day.

She used to adopt out but the pigs she adopted out often were mis treated or abandoned again or returned. It is really hard to be a pig parents because people think they stay small and cute and they dont. and they are very high maintenance. Pigs have the IQ of a 3y/o child. making them the 4th smartest creature in the world right under dolphins. Its like raising a toddler for 15-20 years, very very difficult, way more so than a dog.

Darlynn no longer adopts out because many of these pigs that she takes have been abused. Alot of them also have been abandoned time and time again. Most of her pigs came from one herd that if you seperate them after all this time it will be really hard on them. Pigs get severe depression and can actually die from it. they will bond with just a few people or other animals (Ive even seen a pig bond with a chicken that rode around on his back... when the chicken died so did the pig). So its hard to seperate them once theyve been on a place so long. She no longer takes in any more pigs. 85% of them came from a rescue done by another pig group that were dumped on her. Its a big controversy with the other pig groups because the owner that screwed her is a huge political player, and Darlynn is socially retarded lol. so the pigs are there forever.

below is a picture of Rosie. Rosie was with them about 2 years before she passed away last month. Rosie had been used as dog bait all her life. her ears were torn off and she had lots of peices of her missing from dog bites. Darlynn rescued her and when she got there she was fat. Tursn out she had a 23lb tumor they removed! thatsnot a typo. afterwards she was only about 40lbs and pots should be like 80lbs at the least. This pic is of her laying in the sun when I fisited last thanksgiving. This is a idea of what we are fighting for and supporting. Thanks for the question

[deathfearsnone]

updated 60 second crush to play benefit show

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Aparently my post to this didnt show up the other day.

She used to adopt out but the pigs she adopted out often were mis treated or abandoned again or returned. It is really hard to be a pig parents because people think they stay small and cute and they dont. and they are very high maintenance. Pigs have the IQ of a 3y/o child. making them the 4th smartest creature in the world right under dolphins. Its like raising a toddler for 15-20 years, very very difficult, way more so than a dog.

Darlynn no longer adopts out because many of these pigs that she takes have been abused. Alot of them also have been abandoned time and time again. Most of her pigs came from one herd that if you seperate them after all this time it will be really hard on them. Pigs get severe depression and can actually die from it. they will bond with just a few people or other animals (Ive even seen a pig bond with a chicken that rode around on his back... when the chicken died so did the pig). So its hard to seperate them once theyve been on a place so long. She no longer takes in any more pigs. 85% of them came from a rescue done by another pig group that were dumped on her. Its a big controversy with the other pig groups because the owner that screwed her is a huge political player, and Darlynn is socially retarded lol. so the pigs are there forever.

below is a picture of Rosie. Rosie was with them about 2 years before she passed away last month. Rosie had been used as dog bait all her life. her ears were torn off and she had lots of peices of her missing from dog bites. Darlynn rescued her and when she got there she was fat. Tursn out she had a 23lb tumor they removed! thatsnot a typo. afterwards she was only about 40lbs and pots should be like 80lbs at the least. This pic is of her laying in the sun when I fisited last thanksgiving. This is a idea of what we are fighting for and supporting. Thanks for the question

Wow.

[piggymama]

Wow.

yeah, she spends all her spare time with these pigs and they still dont get the attention they need. It takes them 3-4 hours in the morning to feed everyone, and 3-4 hours in the evening for more feed and water. add that up with an 8hour job and 1hour each way drive time. they love these pigs so much to go thru what they do for them. Their place is in really bad shape. they take better care of the fences and pigs than the do thier own home because they just dont have time or energy. its so sad.

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

*bump*