To “Stay Small” A “Mini” Pig Was Kept In A Fish Tank


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Beacon was purchased by a family on the guise of being a “mini pig” after being born to a breeder. The breeder advised the family to only give Beacon very, very little quantities of food and to confine him to a limited area in order to hinder his growth in order to keep him small. This bad suggestion was followed by his family, who put Beacon in a fish tank.

Credit: ANNA HOFFMAN

After a while, Beacon’s family decided he was too much for them to handle, and put an ad up on Craigslist asking for someone to take him. Someone came across the ad and posted it in a pig group on Facebook, and that’s how Beacon’s future new family found out about him and became determined to help him.

As soon as Anna Hoffman saw the ad and the pictures of poor Beacon, she knew she had to help him. She already had one pig living in her house and hadn’t been planning on getting another, but Beacon was in such a dire situation, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him until he was safe. The next day, she and her husband got in their car and to go and rescue Beacon.

Credit: ANNA HOFFMAN

Hoffman admitted to The Dodo that she was “very shocked” when she picked up Beacon. “I had seen some terrible photographs, but seeing it in person was far worse. He was unable to even walk properly, and his hooves were only about three inches long. He was so thin you could only see his bones. Everything frightened him. I attempted to get him to approach me by offering him a little bit of a cookie, but he refused.

Hoffman and her husband had to battle to get Beacon into a box so they could take him home since the poor dog had been tortured to the point that he was scared of everything and everyone.

Credit: ANNA HOFFMAN

When Beacon and his new mom arrived at the vet’s office, everyone was shocked by just how small and frail the poor pig was. The vet did X-rays, blood work and a thorough exam, and was relieved to find that, besides being severely underweight, Beacon didn’t appear to have any residual health issues from his neglect.

But Beacon only weighed 11 pounds, and because he’d been deprived of food for so long, Hoffman had to introduce the correct amount of food and water to him as slowly as possible, in order not to shock his system and make him even sicker.

Credit: ANNA HOFFMAN

Besides his weight, Beacon also struggled with major anxiety and trust issues. When he first arrived in his new home, he was so scared of his family, and it took his mom a long time to show him that he was finally in a safe place where everyone just wanted to love him.

“When I first got him, he was terrified of anyone and everything,” Hoffman said. “I spent hours and hours sitting near his crate, talking to him and trying to pet him. I would put his crate near me and leave the door open so he could venture out at his discretion.”

Credit: ANNA HOFFMAN

Beacon gradually started to come out of his shell and regain his trust after putting a lot of effort and time into it; as a result, he is now essentially an entirely new pig.

Now, Beacon doesn’t look anything like the skinny, scared pig he was when he was first rescued, and his personality is completely different too. He’s still a little jumpy sometimes and doesn’t always love being pet, but he still loves everyone in his new family, and spends his days running around outside, rolling in the grass and playing with his best friend, his pig sister Charlotte.

Credit: ANNA HOFFMAN

He enjoys eating grass, according to Hoffman. More than most likely. It’s probably because it’s so unfamiliar to him. He may not have seen any grass throughout his first two years of life. He ultimately appears when I’m sitting outside with them and rests at or on my feet. My heart is warmed by the way his tail is always moving back and forth.

Credit: ANNA HOFFMAN

Beacon has gained so much weight since he joined his family, and is finally healthy and happy. His family has done everything they can to make sure he has the best life possible, including educating people about “mini pigs” and how they aren’t a real thing.

Credit: ANNA HOFFMAN

“Our mission is to spread awareness every single chance we can that there is NO such thing as ‘micro,’ ‘teacup’ pigs,” Hoffman said. “That is just a lie that breeders tell. I like to tell people that in terms of growth, pigs are like humans. We don’t know what size and shape we will grow up to be and pigs are the same.”


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