Kim Lynch is no stranger to a stray pig.
Lynch, who is based in Fitchburg, owns Lynch’s Pig Sitting Service and Transportation. For years, she’s traveled across the country to various farms and sanctuaries to care for, rescue and transport pigs in need.
So, when she got a call about a pig on the loose in the Bridgewater area, she knew she had to step in.
“I have a lady that works for The Bruno Project out of Saint Lucia … She texted me and she’s like, ‘(This) pig’s on the loose out in Bridgewater,'” she said. “I had to do something to get her safe because she was crossing … the street to KFC and Burger King and all those food places, so that really worried me about somebody hitting her with a car or shooting her.”
As a result of a collaborative effort, Lynch and her team as well as several volunteers were able to capture Penny the Bridgewater pig and get her off the streets, ending her months-long escapade.
“My heart was so full, I thought it was going to burst,” Lynch said. “Everybody’s been trying to capture her for a year almost.”
Penny the Bridgewater pig was successfully captured this week. Now, she’s looking for a permanent home.
‘People call me the pig whisperer’
Lynch said her passion surrounding pig rescues began years ago. She had a pig of her own, and discovered she didn’t know nearly enough about them to properly care for one.
“The worst thing you can ever do is buy a pig from a breeder because they lie to you,” she said. “(They) will tell you don’t feed them that much so they stay small, they’ll never get over 50 pounds, and then next thing you know, you have a 150-pound pig in your house.”
Lynch said because of this, she ended up deciding to find a new home for her pig.
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“After I did that, my heart broke,” she said. “I missed her terribly, and I started working a job where I was gone for 10 hours a day, and I thought maybe that was the best thing for me to do was rehome her.”
The experience led her to start working with Eastern Snouts Adoption and Rehoming, an organization that helps rescue pigs and find homes for them.
“My heart ached, and I started learning a lot about pigs and about breeders,” she said. “That’s how I got involved … (It’s) just heartbreaking stories that you see. You want to help them.”
Since getting into this line of work, Lynch has found that pigs tend to take a liking to her.
“I kind of have a way with pigs,” she said. “People call me the pig whisperer.”
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Penny lands in a foster home in Middleboro
Lynch said following the rescue, she drove Penny to a home in Middleboro with a few other pigs, so she’ll be in good company.
“She is at a foster home right now,” she said. “She’s got to be quarantined for two weeks because she’s been out and we don’t know if she has anything that can be contagious to the lady’s other pigs.”
After that, Lynch said, Penny might head elsewhere to a permanent home, but it’s still up in the air.
“This could be a foster fail … She might end up just keeping her if she falls in love with it,” she said. “I think she’s going to fall in love with her because she’s so sweet.”
Lynch said she’s happy to have been able to help Penny, and it means a lot to her to be able to rescue a pig right nearby.
“This is so special to me to be so close to my home and be able to help out,” she said.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Penny the stray Bridgewater pig was rescued. Where she’s headed next
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