We have established a network of Safe Houses in 20 states. These houses provide a pig with temporary shelter until a new home can be located or until the sanctuary can take the pig in. These Safe Houses are a vital link to the sanctuary when a pig's life is in imminent danger. We have seen consistent behavioral problems in pigs which have been raised in the house and have had little or no chance of interacting with other pigs. We have also seen house pigs which have been raised alone who have no idea they are a pig or even how to act like a pig.
Some pigs adjust immediately to being with other pigs.
For these pigs, the adjustment period takes longer and is a slow, sometimes difficult process for the animal. Due to all of the reasons listed above, we do not endorse or encourage people to keep pigs as house pets. Aggression and Territoriality Pigs are territorial animals and have a pecking order, similar to chickens, within their herd. In order to establish a pecking order, pigs fight each other to determine their place within the herd. This behavior has been a common and consistent problem in house pigs and nine out of ten of the calls we receive at the sanctuary are about a house pig who has become aggressive.