Mission Statement

The Ironwood Pig Sanctuary is dedicated to eliminating the suffering of pot bellied pigs in Arizona and surrounding states by promoting spaying and neutering, assisting owners and other sanctuaries, and providing a permanent home in a safe, nurturing environment for those that are abandoned, abused, neglected, or unwanted.

We are home to over 600 pot bellied pigs.

*** DON'T FORGET TO PROVIDE SHELTER AND PLENTY OF BLANKETS FOR ALL OF YOUR PETS. ITÕS COLD OUT THERE!!

Ironwood Celebrates Eight Years!

Shown here are many of our first pigs five years later. Many of you are making this journey with us and you may recognize many of them from issues past.

June 10, 2001 we officially opened the doors of the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary. Claire and Popeye arrived that evening. Then on June 11th Misty and Tully came, June 12th Owen and Taylor, June 14th a litter of babies, June 15th Oreo came to our home and June 30th Blossom arrived along with Eddie and Flapjack. That rounded out our first month and filled the 8 pens we had constructed at that time, and the overflow went to our home and introduced me to my dear beloved Oreo.

Soon thereafter Pearl, Princess, Bubba, Mr. Pibb, Arnold, Benjamin and Oliver, Desiree, Pammy, Corky and so many others followed them. We built more pens and they were soon full, and we anxiously awaited the completion of our large 6-acre field. With a sigh of relief, our field was completed in early Oct. 2001 and we began the hard process of releasing our pigs out of the pens and into the fields. This is never an easy task since pigs sometimes fight furiously for their position in the herd, so these first few days were a prelude of what was to come and the beginning of subdividing our new large field to suit the capabilities and ages of our new family.

Since those early days in 2001 so much has changed. Our facility has grown and we now have a good well and storage for 40,000 gals of water. We hope to have power by this summer, and our staff continues to grow to meet the growing needs of our pigs. A large herd of pigs arrived from Pigs*A*Lot in January of 2002, as well as a small herd of less-able pigs from there. These became our East and West fields. Ben, Donna, and I had volunteered there and some of those pigs, like my Wilma, were the reason Ironwood became a reality. I had come to love some of the pigs so much and as Pigs*A*Lot grew to overflowing and more calls came in to take pigs we decided the only solution was for us to open another sanctuary. Of course this was not the solution nor will it ever be. The only solution is to stop the breeding, which we try to do every time we have the opportunity.

The years passed and more homeless pigs arrived and more field divisions were made. Nineteen arrived from a sanctuary near Phoenix and 7 from a large Florida rescue. In May of 2003 we purchased the Annex property, previously Pigs*A*Lot, where we had our beginnings, and our family grew by nearly 90 pigs. In July of 2004 St. Matilda’s was unable to continue and our family grew by 46, and in September of 2004 the final 30 pigs from Pigs*A*Lot were back home at our Annex.

We now have 440 (2006) (we have 540 in 2008) pigs living at our two facilities. We continue to take in more pigs as we find homes for others and are making every effort to keep our numbers stable. In all, over these five years, well over 600 pigs have been a part of Ironwood. Many have gone on to new homes and others have lived out their lives with us. We have been happy and fortunate to provide them a safe nurturing environment for the rest of their journey. Our lives are now co-mingled and we are making the journey together.

From the President

Happy New Year and thank you from all of us here at Ironwood, including the piggies. To our new supporters welcome, and to those of you who have been with us for so many years we offer our deepest and most sincere gratitude.

Life at Ironwood is a hub of activity. I wish I could make a video for you so you could see all that goes on each day in the process of caring for all of our pigs. People often say they would like to know how much of their donation goes to the actual care of the pigs. I can say without hesitation, all of it. Feeding and watering, which takes about 20 person hours a day, is but a small part of what has to be done. If you were here you would see and hear the buzz sound of saws making new shelters, T-poles being pounded in to make new fields or feeding pens, staff driving ATVs around putting out grain and hay at feeding stations or bringing pigs in from fields for medical care. Our truck, now filled with pig poops from raking many acres of fields, would be tarped tight and heading for the dump.

Others would be repairing shade ramadas that provide shade for our pigs or cutting carpets for shelters and stuffing blankets in them to provide warmth for our pigs. You might hear a pig in distress because Tim and Donna were trimming hooves and tusks. I might be walking with some of the staff to do medical rounds and on our way we may pass Donna who is taking pictures for all the sponsors. Others would be inside making meds for the over 100 pigs each day who require meds. Volunteers and a staff member could be found outside cutting up a truckload of donated produce to feed the fields and save some for the special pigs who need extra treats. Some might be loading pigs to transport to the vet or Ben and I might be loading pigs to go to their new home. Or we might be in working on the Newsletter! Or writing thank you notes or justifying the books, or shopping for all the special foods for the older or special needs pigs.

Life at the sanctuary is always packed with activity and the work is never ever done. So whether we are buying grain to directly feed the pigs or building shelters, paying utility and fuel bills, doing maintenance on our vehicles, or doing office work it is all for and about the pigs. To provide for them is the only reason we are all here in this hub of activity.

PS: We thank you so very much and we thank our staff and volunteers, and those at our Annex and our satellites. All parts of this puzzle are necessary but most of all your generous support, because without that the activity would end and the pigs would have no home and Ironwood would be silent.

Employees Needed

Animal Care Providers

WANTED: Trustworthy, caring person who loves animals to live at and work at the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary, a non-profit pot bellied pig sanctuary located near Marana, AZ, a rural area of southern Arizona one hour drive north of Tucson. Experience with working with animals and medical knowledge is a plus. The ability to work with others is necessary.

This is HARD work. Job duties include, but are not limited to, cleaning pens and fields, feeding, hands-on care of pigs who are disabled, injured, or sick, or general animal care and help with trimming tusks and hoofs. Handling 50# bags of feed and assisting with moving bales of hay to the various feeding stations. Must be willing to work some weekends and holidays as necessary. Five day work week is standard.

Housing is free and consists of one of the following depending upon availability: a bedroom with private bath and large walk-in closet, a 40 foot completely self contained 5th wheel trailer, a 35 foot completely self contained 5th wheel trailer, and a bedroom with shared bathroom. Utilities are provided. TV and high-speed internet access is available in all accommodations. We can accommodate companion animals.

References and background are checked. No drugs period. Non-smoker and vegetarian preferred.

The Ironwood Pig Sanctuary is located in Marana, Arizona on 80 acres in a beautiful Sonoran desert habitat. The climate is moderate in winter and hot in summer. Summer daytime temperatures can be in the 100's with nighttime temperatures in the 60's-70's. The surrounding mountains are perfect for hiking. Southern Arizona is a premier bird watching area.

We are looking for a dedicated person who is ready to commit to the care of unwanted and abused pot bellied pigs. Is that YOU?