Marley was surrendered to the RASTA Sanctuary in October of 2012 by his previous owner as a result of being lied to by yet another shady potbelly pig breeder regarding the size he would be when fully grown.  We were initially contacted about Marley regarding a foul smell coming from his urine and after learning that he was not castrated, we informed his owner that this was the cause and would easily be resolved with a simple and very important neuter surgery.  The second question we were asked related to Marley’s size as his owner was concerned that at six months of age he was already exceeding the 50lb maximum weight that she had been guaranteed by his breeder.  We then informed the owner that potbelly pigs grow for 4-5 years with their average adult size being between 120lbs to 250lbs and that there is no such breed as a micro mini, or tea cup pig (this is just a scam!) and that her young boy would most likely exceed 100lbs within the next year or so.

Shortly after, we were told that due to Marley’s projected weight his owner could no longer keep him and planned to sell him on kijiji in an attempt to recoup her costs.  When learning this information we offered to help find a suitable home through a more reputable means but prior to re-homing we pleaded with the owner that Marley first be castrated.  Having seen the pattern countless times where unaltered (non-spayed/non-neutered) pet pigs bounce around from home to home due to hormonal aggressiveness, we did our best to educate his owner to make her understand that this would most likely be Marley’s hopeless fate until eventually being abandoned at a shelter, or ending up in the greedy hands of yet another unethical potbelly pig breeder.  The owner then stated that she wasn't willing to spend any more money on a pet she no longer wanted so we offered to pay for Marley’s neuter, just to ensure that it was done.  However, the owner then informed us that she didn't own a vehicle and getting Marley to a vet would not be an option.

Fortunately in the end the owner agreed to surrender Marley to the RASTA Sanctuary where she understood it would be in his best interests to not only receive the much-needed medical attention, but also to live the life of a real pig in a proper Sanctuary among other pig friends.  Our friend, Amy Corpe from the Red Deer SPCA helped us tremendously with Marley’s transport as she drove all the way to Wainwright, Alberta to pick him up and brought him back to Red Deer where we met her.  Marley was eagerly welcomed by Karma, another young piglet that was rescued the previous month and has been accepted by the dozens upon dozens of other potbelly pigs currently living at the Sanctuary.