Winnie arrived at Charlotte’s Freedom Farm when he was around 6 weeks old, after the family who raised him realized they were unable to properly care for him and his problems. of development. When they first picked him up, his rescuers thought only his front legs were underdeveloped.
They quickly realized that his sternum had also not developed properly, which means that his lungs and heart are not adequately protected at all at present, and that he is going to have to undergo major thoracic reconstruction operations.
„The main issue right now is that I have to limit what he’s doing because there’s a high risk of something happening,“ said Lauren Edwards of Charlotte’s Freedom Farm.
Poor Winnie used to play with the other dogs at the sanctuary, but they play too rough, and it’s just too risky right now. They felt bad that he was suddenly without playmates – until Wilma arrived.
Wilma was taken in by Charlotte’s Freedom Farm after being found wandering alone somewhere outside. Her rescuers assumed she had jumped out of a cattle truck, which fits her rambunctious personality well.
„She’s sweet, but, oh my, she’s cheeky,“ Edwards says. “If you pick her up she screams so loud I’m sure you can hear her from across the street. She’s figured out how to jump on the couch and she loves doing it.“
Wilma definitely has strong opinions, and as soon as she arrived, she was very clear on one of them: she loves Winnie and chose him as her official best friend.
“They met as soon as she arrived and were playing within minutes,” Edwards said. „They see each other and instantly go into play mode – that’s pretty cute.“
Wilma doesn’t play with Winnie the way other dogs do, so it’s a bit safer for her to play with him. However, Edwards always makes sure to watch them very closely while they play and always has to limit things to keep Winnie completely safe. They are still best friends and love every minute they spend together.
„They also hang out outside, but she’s very focused on looking for bugs,“ Edwards says. „He just sits and watches her when they’re out.“
“He definitely made her feel more comfortable coming here,” Edwards said. “She is still quarantined from the other pigs (by protocol, for safety reasons), which allows her to have a good friend and not feel alone. As for him, he lost his dog sister to play… so he still has a playmate. It suits them both!”
Winnie and Wilma may seem like unlikely best friends, but, in reality, they’re perfect for each other and hopefully will remain friends for a long time to come – even after Wilma has grown much, much taller than Winnie. .
“People love seeing them together — and she’ll be over 800 pounds, so watching him watch her grow will be fun too,” Edwards said.
