ESTACADA, Ore. — When an animal has no other place to go, you can be sure Kit Collins will do her best to give them a home — even if that means welcoming in 20 four-legged friends.
Collins and her husband John own Out to Pasture Sanctuary in Estacada, Oregon. Over the past two decades, pigs, goats, donkeys and a goose have arrived at their three-acre farm.
"Come on over the fence; they’re friendly," Collins said as she stepped into the pig pen in her rubber boots.
While she's used to having dozens of animals to care for, on Saturday 20 mini pigs joined the sanctuary.
"We have 20 of these rescue pigs, and we have 20 of our own that are on the property," said Collins, adding that of the new additions 12 are male and eight are female.
Collins said she teamed up with two other Portland metro area animal sanctuaries, Wildlings Forest and Green Acres Farm, to rescue the mini pigs who were living in the backyard of a Portland home.
"[The owner] bought a male and a female and thought he'd make a lot of money, you know, breeding potbelly pigs in his backyard, and then it turned out nobody wanted them because the supply greatly exceeds the demand," Collins said.
Volunteers from Wildlings Forest, a nonprofit, gathered up the pigs on Saturday. In a text message, Wildlings Forest Executive Director Ally Remington told KGW the team planned to rescue 23 pigs, but three died before they arrived.
Collins said the challenges compounded for the owner who reached out asking for help, saying he "realized he made a big mistake," and couldn't afford to spay and neuter the animals. She said the man struggled to keep the males and females from the litter separate.
"They can populate very quickly," said Blake Miller, a veterinarian based in the Willamette Valley and the owner of Northwest Mobile Vet.
"I always encourage people to spay and neuter their pets early or to at least keep them separate because taking care of one pig is a lot of work, and taking care of 20 pigs is 20 times more work," Miller said.
Miller said his mobile clinic will be vaccinating, deworming and neutering all the male pigs on Friday, and called the operation a "huge rescue."
"It's all coming together. We've been really lucky with the support we've gotten," Collins said. "We actually have some potential homes lined up, but we'll keep them as long as we have to."
Thanks to the teamwork of Miller, Collins and Remington, the mini pigs will soon be prepared for adoption.
Portland residents hoping to own pigs are met with a limit of two mini pigs "if the pig’s maximum height is no greater than 22 inches at the shoulder and it weighs no more than 150 pounds."
While "mini" is in the name, these pigs can still grow to be quite large. Miller said that oftentimes mini pigs start about the size of a cat and can grow up to weigh between 100 and 200 pounds.
"They do end up getting much bigger than people are led to believe," Miller said, adding that with the right care, they can be great pets.
As for owning pigs in Gresham, city code says livestock are to be kept over 100 feet away from any neighboring dwelling other than the dwelling on the same lot. There does not appear to be a limit to the number of pigs a Gresham resident can keep on their property, though according to city spokesperson Sarah Cagan there is a limit to the number of chickens and bees.
The sanctuaries are raising money for veterinary expenses and have set up a GoFundMe to help care for the mini pigs.
Editor's note: The location of the home is in Portland, not Gresham, as previously reported.