Animals of Farm Sanctuary

Andy Pig: Why is he always smiling?

There could be any number of reasons why Andy is always smiling, but there are a few I am positive about.

It could be because Andy and his best friend forever Joan were rescued from a factory farm and dropped off in the middle of the night at our New York Shelter. He and Joan were sick; both had pretty bad pneumonia, and both needed treatment immediately. 

It could be because, after living on concrete and being run over by other piglets shoved into the same pen (since they were too sick to stand), Andy and Joan were able instead to recover in a warm room on soft clean blankets. 

Andy and Joan were the age of piglets who would have been recently taken away from their mother and shipped off or moved to what is called a nursery barn, where they are weaned off mom. At the nursery barn, they are fed until they are around 50 pounds, and then once again shipped to what is called the Finisher barn. Some of these facilities are on the same property, but others require shipment of piglets on trucks from the different types of facilities. Andy got to skip the majority of this process.

It could be because he and Joan got to skip the next step in the life of a pig raised on a factory farm: the finisher barn. Just six months after arriving at the finisher barn, young pigs, each weighing around 250 pounds, are sent to slaughter. But not Andy and Joan!

It could be because Andy and Joan avoided becoming part of a sad statistic. In 2007, the year these lucky pigs arrived at Farm Sanctuary,  there were more than 109,000,000 pigs slaughtered in the U.S. (to repeat: 109 million). That same year there were just over 301 million people in the U.S., to give you something to compare it to. Thankfully, Andy and his buddy were not included in those numbers — definitely something to smile about.

It could be because, unlike those 109 million pigs who were not spared in 2007, Andy gets to lie in the sun, feel the wind on his face, dig holes in the dirt, roll in the mud, and play in the snow. He and Joan even got to wear sweaters during their first winter because they were so tiny and cold and just getting over being sick, but still wanted to play outside. And being outside is something to smile about. 

It could be because Andy is the best ambassador I know for getting people to realize just how amazing pigs can be. He is sweet, loving, and enjoys people very much and he has never once tried to hurt anyone. He is just pure goodness. Andy pig is the anti-biter and chief snuggler of our pig barn. 

Because of this award-winning personality, Andy has thousands of human friends who have met him, given him a belly rub (that is a lot of belly rubs!), and taken his photo. They also tell friends and family just how great he is and how all pigs are so incredible. 

It could be because Andy gets to meet all sorts of other beings besides pigs and humanimals — to this day, one of his favorite animals is the chicken.

It could be because Andy is free to do what he wants, when he wants. The following items are things that Andy gets to do every day (which I also would enjoy — just sayin’).

1.) Sleeping in late

No one wakes up the pigs. They get to sleep in super late — especially on the coldest mornings, when sleeping in is awesome. 

2) Playing in the snow

Playing in the snow is great, especially when the sun is out and there isn’t a lot of wind. If that is not the case — see the above thing Andy gets to do. 

3) Eating yummy treats, like pumpkins

Who doesn’t love pumpkin?

4) Gardening — It’s time to pick said pumpkins

There is nothing more relaxing than gardening, especially if you can eat a pumpkin whole, making harvesting a whole lot easier. 

5) Hanging out with his friends

Nothing beats hanging out with those you love the most. Here, Andy spends his time with BFF Joan, Sprinkles, and Tim — all piglets around the same time and friends who grew up together. Andy has other friends as well — and like people, pigs pick their friends.

6) Experiencing the four seasons

Although California sounds okay, there is nothing like days that are crisp and cool if you are a pig. Fall is Andy’s favorite season and the one in which he is the most active — although this boy loves the snow as well. (Okay — all seasons are good.)

7) Getting photographed by his humanimal peeps!

Andy is no narcissist, but how excited would he be to see his picture all over Facebook? He would have a great page, too — always smiling. Gal pal Jessica came all the way from Cali to see him. Not unusual; who wouldn’t want a selfie with the happiest pig alive?

8) A warm straw-filled bed for the winter months

Nesting is not only an activity that pigs enjoy, but also a necessary skill for keeping warm and snug during the winter months. It is also much nicer than sleeping on concrete, which is the flooring in the original barn he came from. NO GOOD!

9) Walking around his giant pasture in the sun. (By the way, Andy comes when you call his name.)

Andy is a traveler — he spends tons of time outside and always has, since he was a tiny piglet. He also comes running — or walking, depending on mood and motivation — when you call his name. He is a really amazing boy!

10) He has time to learn things like the power of hypnosis: “Look into my eyes — you are getting sleepy, very sleepy. You only like to eat vegetables… The thought of eating meat makes you sick.”  (Okay, he doesn’t technically know hypnosis — yet!)

11) Being loved and seen as someone — seen as Andy!

The best thing in Andy’s life is the love that he gets from everyone he meets. The pigs we discussed above, the hundreds of millions who are used for food, are seen as just that — numbers. Andy is no number — he is someone. And in those numbers of pigs there are millions of individual personalities — some happy-go-lucky, like Andy; some grumpy; some pensive — all are just living in a place where these personalities cannot be seen. That’s why Andy eats a plant-based diet. 

Pigs are the most intelligent animals on the farm — and are considered one of the most intelligent animals in general. (Read more about pig intelligence here.)

A rescued pig living at Farm Sanctuary, like Andy, has so much to smile about. All pigs deserve the happiness this boy experiences every day — and once you get to know him or any of our beautiful pigs, you will discover that they give as much as they get in that area.  

So why is Andy always smiling? You decide!