KC area couple now shares their home with 6 rescue pigs. Here’s what to know
What started as a surprise gift of one tiny pig in 2018 has grown into a household of six rescue pigs for a Kansas City, Kansas, couple.
Emily McLeod and Dave Jennings now share their renovated former detention center home with pigs that sleep on sofas, beds and even in an indoor tent.
FULL STORY: Gifted one ‘companion pig,’ KC area couple rescued 5 more. They sleep in the house
Here are key takeaways:
• McLeod, 51, and Jennings, 53, care for six pigs named Polly, Gerald, Henry, Elvis, Maxwell and Walter. Elvis is a three-legged amputee, and Maxwell uses a wheelchair after being partially paralyzed
• The couple’s first pig, Polly, arrived in 2018 as a 1.5-pound surprise gift from a friend. She was sold as a “miniature” pig — a misleading label, since no such breed exists.
• The Kansas City Pig Rescue Network, founded in 2017, has placed more than 600 pigs in adoptive homes. Most were abandoned, neglected or surrendered by apartment tenants who weren’t allowed to keep them
• Network president Kayli Houk says pigs are “much, much smarter than cats and dogs” and form deep emotional bonds, but require spaying or neutering since males can produce sperm at 8 weeks and females can become pregnant at 11 weeks.
• McLeod, an animal chiropractor, is in her third year at Kansas State University’s veterinary school. She plans to open a practice focused on companion pigs and brings Walter to class with her each week.
• The rescue group is holding a public meet-and-greet Sunday, May 3, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Buffalo State Pizza Co Crossroad Patio, 1815 Wyandotte St, KCMO, with adoptions requiring an application and vetting process that can take weeks or months.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
