Pet Pig Recovering From Depression Is Ready for Adoption, Rescuers Say

A pet pig named Violet recovering from depression and anxiety is now ready for adoption, her rescuers in Massachusetts announced on November 4. The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) said it spent several months helping four-year-old Violet grapple with her anxiety and fear-based behavioral issues and were now helping her look for “the perfect place to call home.” In a press release, the ARL said Violet had been raised as a house pet, “spending her days inside and constantly around people,” but was surrendered to ARL’s Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center when, due to unforeseen circumstances, Violet’s family could no longer care for her. The move was a big adjustment for Violet, who no longer had the “constant companionship and interaction with people she was comfortable with” and soon began exhibiting signs of depression, the ARL wrote. Fearful of being alone, Violet would “charge, bark or nip” at staff members during feeding and enrichment times to let them know she didn’t want them to leave, the ARL said. With the help of an outside pig expert, ARL staff learned ways to help Violet “overcome her depression and anxiety,” including teaching her a “back up” cue using positive reinforcement “so she can learn when she needs to give space to anyone interacting with her,” the ARL wrote. “Pigs are incredibly intelligent, and learning this cue has positively altered Violet’s behavior,” the ARL added. Credit: Animal Rescue League of Boston via Storyful

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November 06, 2021 at 12:12AM
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A pet pig named Violet recovering from depression and anxiety is now ready for adoption, her rescuers in Massachusetts announced on November 4. The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) said it spent several months helping four-year-old Violet grapple with her anxiety and fear-based behavioral issues and were now helping her look for “the perfect place to call home.” In a press release, the ARL said Violet had been raised as a house pet, “spending her days inside and constantly around people,” but was surrendered to ARL’s Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center when, due to unforeseen circumstances, Violet’s family could no longer care for her. The move was a big adjustment for Violet, who no longer had the “constant companionship and interaction with people she was comfortable with” and soon began exhibiting signs of depression, the ARL wrote. Fearful of being alone, Violet would “charge, bark or nip” at staff members during feeding and enrichment times to let them know she didn’t want them to leave, the ARL said. With the help of an outside pig expert, ARL staff learned ways to help Violet “overcome her depression and anxiety,” including teaching her a “back up” cue using positive reinforcement “so she can learn when she needs to give space to anyone interacting with her,” the ARL wrote. “Pigs are incredibly intelligent, and learning this cue has positively altered Violet’s behavior,” the ARL added. Credit: Animal Rescue League of Boston via Storyful