Emotional support pig gets emotional support chicken at B.C. wildlife sanctuary

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 8:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A erstwhile affectional enactment pig has been getting his ain affectional enactment from a chickenhearted who is helping him accommodate to a caller beingness astatine a B.C. wildlife rescue.

Truffles arrived astatine the New Beginnings Animal Sanctuary successful Summerland, B.C., aft being taken successful by the B.C. SPCA earlier this year.

The 10-year-old pig had antecedently been an affectional enactment carnal for a household who had to determination and could not instrumentality him with them, according to New Beginnings' president Jane Long-Haggerty, who says it was "super exciting" to beryllium capable to supply him with a imperishable home.

But erstwhile helium arrived astatine the sanctuary, helium was reasonably shy since helium wasn't utilized to being astir a batch of different animals, she said.

"He benignant of conscionable went to a small corner," she said, adding that helium shooed distant different animals who tried to attack him.

But determination was 1 exception: a precocious rescued chickenhearted named Little Red who started sharing a repast with Truffles.

"She was the lone 1 that helium didn't shoo away, and helium really, really, truly likes her," Long-Haggerty said. "Now they slumber together, they prevarication successful the sun, they eat, they're unneurotic astir of the time. It's truly cute."

Long-Haggerty said portion it's not antithetic for chickens and pigs to cohabitate and get along, it is antithetic for 2 of them to signifier specified a adjacent enslaved with each other, with Little Red hopping connected Truffles' backmost to groom him and sometimes get rides.

"It's similar they knew each other," she said.

Truffles connected a value nonaccomplishment journey

Truffles' communicative was already well-known successful immoderate quarters aft coming into the SPCA in April. According to Long-Haggerty, helium had concisely been successful the attraction of different household who didn't cognize however to decently attraction for him, and helium had ballooned successful size to much than 300 pounds — overweight and successful request of a diet.

"Truffles has a past of not eating his veggies, but is starting to find definite steadfast foods that helium likes," the SPCA said connected his adoption page.

They besides noted his past arsenic an affectional enactment animal, saying that helium was definite to beryllium a "sweet and loving friend" to whoever took him in.

What they apt didn't expect was that person would beryllium a chickenhearted much than 10 times smaller than him.

"When you spot him, each the pigs are benignant of successful 1 country and he's successful different country of the barn with his chicken," Long-Haggerty said. "He doesn't caput the goats being astir each erstwhile successful a while, but it's decidedly helium conscionable wants his chickenhearted friend."

She said helium is eating a much suitable fare and engaging successful regular exercise, and is besides highly affable with people, truthful the sanctuary is optimistic helium volition scope his people value again.

And she hopes the communicative volition connection lessons to people, too, astir the value of knowing however to attraction for pets earlier you follow them and astir the powerfulness of friendship.

"If a chickenhearted and a pig tin beryllium specified bully friends, wherefore can't radical conscionable get along?"