Read Susie Q's Story ^{(In Memoriam)}

SusieQ was raised in a factory farm where she was poked by electric prods, had her ears shredded, was torn away from her mom, and then sent to Farmer Johns to be slaughtered at 6 months old. When she was in line to be slaughtered she was so frightened that she busted through a fence and ran down the street saving her own life.

When SusieQ first came to us, she was very depressed and withdrawn and did not know what it was like to be loved by a person. We worked very hard to gain her trust by offering her our affection and respect. We knew we were making progress when one evening she crawled into our lap and fell asleep. She became mom to all the potbellied pigs here and they all slept on her tummy at night and she kept them safe.

SusieQ was instrumental in our violence prevention program, teaching children to be courageous. She taught thousands of children that even when you think you are in a dead end, no-hope situation, there is still a way out to a good life when you summon up the courage inside yourself.

Farm pigs are genetically engineered to grow very big, very fast, so that they can be slaughtered when they are still babies. When SusieQ was full grown she weighed 800 pounds. Because of this enormous, unnatural mass, she developed arthritis and by the time she was 7 years old, her little legs could no longer hold her huge body. Her mind was sharp and her spirit was full of life, but she was given a man-made body set up to fail from day one.

As we helped SusieQ out of a body that no longer worked, we promised her that for the sake of the pigs she heard screaming at Farmer Johns, and for the pigs she saw hung up, and for the pigs she left behind when she escaped, we will continue to tell her story and raise awareness of the horror and cruelty of the pig farming industry. And, we will dedicate our lives to enlightening people of the courage, intelligence, and grace of these wonderful creatures.

SusieQ, your courage and your love will inspire us always!