Happy Trails will transporting five of our big farm pigs as well as five of our pot belly pigs to a much bigger sanctuary in California.
***UPDATE~ The livestock trailer that Happy Trails had secured for this trip has fallen through. Happy Trails is in need of a livestock trailer to haul these precious piggies to California. If you, or anyone you know can help, or knows someone who could, please contact Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary at 330 296-5914 or via e-mail at contact@happytrailsfarm.org. Thank you for your help!***
We will be leaving Happy Trails on Sunday, May 20th. This will all be made possible by sanctuaries, compassionate volunteers, and YOU, our supporters, networking together for the good of the animals. This special "tour" will not only help find the Happy Trails sanctuary piggies secure a caring, permanent home, but it will also bring awareness to the plight and treatment of farm animals, the need for sanctuaries, and will bring to the public's attention our abused and neglected four-footed friends who rely on us to spread compassion throughout our communities and throughout our country. Happy Trails goal is not only to get the piggies safely to their destination at their new sanctuary, but also to raise $25,000 through sponsorships. This fund-raiser portion of the event will help defray costs of the trip itself and also to raise funds for care of the rescued farm animals who arrive daily at the gates of Happy Trails.
Happy Trails is networking in cooperation with Humane Farming Association of California, and kind-hearted Bradley Miller has agreed to accept five of our farm pigs and five of our pot belly pigs. Being a smaller sanctuary operating on only ten acres here at Happy Trails, we are very realistic about the amount of space that we have and the amount of animals we can help here in Ohio. Closer sanctuaries have not been open to taking on more piggies, but Humane Farming Association, with a seven-square-mile sanctuary, has kindly offered to come to our rescue and provide a loving, caring permanent home for our precious porcines. Check out their outstanding work on behalf of farm animals at www.hfa.org.
God bless Jim Shekleton, our volunteer semi-driver, who graciously and selflessly took time off work from his job as a long-distance truck driver, to make absolutely positively sure that the piggies will arrive at their destination safe and sound and happy. He is planning to stop regularly to check on them, make sure they have plenty of fresh water, are up to their eyeballs in soft, comfy straw, and have plenty of pig chow and scrumptious veggies on their pillows at night. He is not sure which movie he will have playing in their theater, though he's guessing probably "Babe"... Jim is also willing to put up with tag-along passenger, Annette Fisher, Happy Trails Executive Director, who will ride along to fuss over and spoil the giant beasties during their trip. And Jim couldn't take the time off work without the blessing of the company he drives for, Viking Land Transportation of New Ulm, Minnesota. Jill and Milt Fitzl, Viking's owners, support Jim's enthusiasm and dedication to helping with rescued animal transport whenever he can — our hats are off to Jim, Jill and Milt!
A group of volunteer escorts (read bikers) on their Harley's (and of course other bikes) will provide an escort service of "hogs" accompanying the Happy Trails "pigs" in the semi!
So, "Hogs Gone Wild" will be bikers escorting the semifull of pigs in support of "Pigs Across America"! Bikers are invited to ride with the Happy Trails semi across country as far as they choose to go.
Ohio bikers wishing to provide escort on Sunday, May 20th, when the piggy semi leaves Happy Trails, are welcome to sign up here. Riders may wish to escort the trailer for only a few hours, to the Ohio border, or however far you would like to ride with us!
There is a minimum $25 donation per rider registration, with every rider receiving a "Pigs Across America" bandana. Bikers may wish to collect sponsorship funds to cover their registration donation, and sponsorship forms are also available here. Any bike registering with a $50 or more donation receives a free "Pigs Across America" t-shirt. $100 or more donation receives two t-shirts.
Click here to print promo flyer, registration form and rider sponsorship form.
You can sponsor a rescued piggy per mile to help raise funds which will help defray the costs of the trip as well as help provide care for the abused, neglected and abandoned animals that arrive daily at the gates of Happy Trails. For example, you may want to sponsor Chloe the pig for 20 miles at $1 per mile, resulting in a $20 donation. A chart on our website will help supporters to monitor our progress as the trip unfolds.
Total miles for the one-way trip to California is 2,500 miles.
We are taking 10 rescued piggies.
Sponsorships are $1 per mile, and you can sponsor a piggy (or piggies) of your choice for as many miles as you wish! Each piggy is trying to raise $2,500 for the trip and for the care of the rescued animals at Happy Trails!
Our goal is to get each piggy's total miles sponsored, which gives us a goal of $25,000!
Choose to sponsor:
FARM PIGS — Montel, Rusty, Chloe, Anastasia, and Pearl
POT BELLY PIGS — Milton, Mario, Sergai, Kinko, and Morris
Can you please help the piggies reach their destination and help Happy Trails to reach our sponsorship goal?
Sponsorship donations can be sent to:
Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary
5623 New Milford Rd.
Ravenna, Ohio 44266
WHICH ANIMALS ARE GOING???
The big farm pig group (weighing it at approximately 1,100 lbs. each) of Montel, Rusty and Chloe. Big-eared, absolutely beautiful new 400 lb. pink piggy, Pearl (who has successfully recovered from intestinal surgery at OSU). Very loud and very
The group of five pot belly pigs, Morris, Kinko, Sergai, Milton and Mario. Ten piggets all together! Meet them up close and personal by visiting www.
http://happytrailsfarm.org/pigsacross/poa_pigs.htmSunday, May 20: Planning to leave Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary in Ravenna at 9:00am (read, whenever we can get the piggies to leisurely wander onto the trailer)
Sunday Evening: Major stop — Chicago, Illinois. Then onto Iowa 80 Truckstop in Wolcott, Iowa
Monday, May 21: Major stop — Des Moine, Iowa
Tuesday, May 22: Major stop (morning) — Cheyenne, Wyoming
Tuesday, May 22: Major stop (evening) Salt Lake City, Utah
Wednesday, May 23: Major stop — Reno, Nevada
Thursday, May 24: Major stop — Sacramento, California. Then, onto our final destination of elk Creek, California.
Who else other than Happy Trails could pull off "Pigs Across America" escorted by "Hogs gone Wild'!!!
Many thanks for your continued support of our animal rescue efforts here at Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary!!!
Happy Trails can only accomplish our goal of spreading compassion for all animals across the United States with your dedication, your encouragement, your participation and your desire to help us make a difference in the lives of those innocent creatures that are not treated humanely.
For more information on this event or Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, please visit
http://www.happytrailsfarm.org/Photo is of Anastasia, one of the lucky pigs that will be travelling.
This story re-printed with permission from Annette Fisher, Executive Director of Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary