This Bacon weighs almost 300 pounds, and the big guy is ready for a home
Here’s something you don’t see often in Texas: Someone isn’t taking the Bacon.
Of course, it’s understandable when that Bacon weighs almost 300 pounds.
“We don’t have a livestock scale, so I’m afraid he might break our scale,” said Jose Wheeland, Saginaw Animal Services manager.
Bacon, a 2-year-old hog, has been at the Saginaw Animal Shelter just over a week and no one has come forward to adopt him. His owner recently died in Blue Mound, leaving Bacon and three Chihuahuas to the officials at the Saginaw Animal Shelter.
Bacon and Wheeland are old friends.
It seems back in October 2019, Bacon decided to wander down the road when someone left a gate open. Saginaw Animal Services, which handles animal calls in Blue Mound, got the call and Wheeland got to meet the big guy.
“I found out that he stayed in the backyard, but he would also go into the home,” Wheeland said. “At that time, his pal was a pit bull.”
Blue Mound and Saginaw ordinances prohibit pigs at residences, so officials had tried to have Bacon removed for months.
“His owner claimed him to be ESA,” Wheeland said. That’s an emotional support animal.
But the owner recently died, and Bacon came to the Saginaw Animal Shelter on Oct. 6 along with his Chihuahua buddies.
Wheeland said the task of moving Bacon wasn’t easy.
“I had a sore back from it,” Wheeland said, noting that it took two men to lift Bacon because they didn’t have a ramp to load him in a pickup truck
And yes, Bacon squealed the whole time.
But life at the shelter hasn’t been bad. His cage is cleaned three times a day, there’s food and water, and the Chihuahuas have been near.
Two of the dogs, however, have since been adopted and someone is scheduled to visit the third one on Thursday.
As for Bacon, animal services officials say he’s friendly, but stubborn. To adopt him, you must have experience with hogs and check city ordinances and local laws to make sure pigs can legally live on your property.
Even though Bacon hasn’t been adopted yet, someone was scheduled to look him over Thursday afternoon. It didn’t work out, Wheeland said.
So someone else will have to bring the Bacon home.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 10:50 AM.
