One Christmas, a family of farmers in Kennewick, Washington, got a pig they planned to kill and eat for their holiday dinner … but this story has an unexpected twist even the family didn't expect.
Just before the pig was set to be slaughtered, the family opened the barn doors and discovered she'd given birth overnight — to eight adorable piglets.
All this time, the family had no clue the pig was pregnant! They no longer saw her as a meal but as a mother whose babies needed her. Now they just needed to figure out what to do with the large brood.
The family reached out to the folks at Noble Animal Sanctuary, a local animal rescue, which took matters into its own hands by posting about the pigs on Facebook.
That's how the Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita, California, came into the picture.
The Gentle Barn is home to about 150 rescued and rehabbed animals and connects formerly abused animals with underserved adults and children.
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It just so happened that that morning, the staff lost their longtime pig resident Zeus after nearly 13 years.
Founders Ellie and Jay, along with their daughter Cheyanne, knew it was fate. They were determined to save the pigs — even if it meant hopping in the car on Christmas and driving 22 hours to get to them.
