Blog
Meet the Adoptable Farmed Animals Rescued by Jameson Humane
Meet the Farmed Animals Rescued by Jameson Humane Who Are Available for Adoption or Foster Care
By Jeffrey Richard, Jameson Humane Volunteer
Jameson Humane rescues and nurtures farmed animals who might otherwise end up as fodder for butchers, clothing manufacturers, and leather furniture upholsterers. A number of those animals are great candidates for adoption or fostering by a lucky person with the space to accommodate one (or a few!) of them. By adopting such an animal or fostering on a temporary or foster-to-adopt basis, the adoptive or foster guardian would help Jameson Humane continue its great work by making more room and care capacity for future rescues at Jameson’s facility. And as we previously discussed in connection with the rewards of fostering and adopting cats (March 2024 Blog), the adoptive parent or foster guardian can look forward to many intangible, but very real, benefits to their frame of mind and emotional health to be derived from caring for an animal such as a pig or a cow!
How to Adopt or Foster One of Jameson’s Farmed Animals
Jared Krimsky is Jameson’s Manager of Animal Healing and Development. Jared reviews adoption and foster care applications for Jameson’s farmed animals, conducts a site visit to assess the suitability of an applicant’s space for the animal in question, and conducts bi-monthly progress checks after adoption or fostering to ensure that everything goes smoothly with the placement and care of the animal.
Jameson provides ample support to foster guardians. Jameson pays for all food and medical costs incurred by foster guardians. And depending on the circumstances, Jameson may continue to help with medical costs after adoption.
Jameson’s online description of the adoption process can be found here: https://www.jamesonhuymane.org/adoption-process The key steps in adopting a farmed animal are described as follows:
- Contact Jared Krimsky to let us know which farmed animal(s) you are interested in.
- Complete an adoption application and return to Jared.
- Upon approval of an application, we will arrange for your entire family to meet the farmed animal(s).
- A home check is scheduled and then the adoption contract is completed and an adoption fee is paid (Blogger’s note: this may vary or be waived depending on the circumstances).
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jared Krimsky at:
The Animal Foster Application can be found here.
Which Farmed Animals Are Available for Adoption or Foster Care?
Presently, there are five pigs and four cows who would be perfectly suited to adoption or foster care, according to Jared Krimsky. These top candidates for adoption are described below. But please note that Jameson has other animals that are eligible for adoption or foster care that require a bit more experience, on the part of potential guardians, in handling such animals.
Pigs
A total of five pigs at Jameson are best-suited to adoption. Four of the five comprise two sets of bonded pairs who would have to be adopted or fostered together.
Jared Krimsky describes the first bonded pair of Poppy and Tulip as follows: "These two wonderful ladies are six-year-old sisters who are full of personality! They love both people and animals, and are very gentle with all. They do enjoy being with you and are not shy about coming into your personal space. As a result, and since they are full-sized pigs, they are best suited for adoption or fostering by someone with plenty of outdoor space and the ability to provide ample attention.”
Petunia and her son Cowlick are the second bonded pair of pigs available for adoption. Petunia is a sister of Poppy and Tulip. Jared Krimsky describes Petunia and Cowlick as follows: “Petunia arrived at Jameson pregnant and later gave birth to four piglets, including Cowlick. Cowlick’s three siblings live together and are less mild-mannered than he and his mom are.
“Petunia likes to decorate with sticks and will create a beautiful display for you and the whole block to enjoy. She also has the most beautiful blue eyes you'll ever see!
“Any potential foster guardian or adoptive parent should be aware that Cowlick is upwards of 600 pounds and thinks he’s a lapdog; he has flopped for a belly rub directly onto my legs more than once. Cowlick means well! He is only four years old and his mom Petunia is around six.
“Petunia and Cowlick are among the sweetest and gentlest big pigs I’ve ever met. They love human companionship. I am currently having some pig-loving volunteers spend time with them, including lying down with them to bolster their socialization. These two pigs just love human interaction! They would be low-maintenance pigs to a foster home or adoptive family but need plenty of outdoor space. They would not be suitable for the indoors.”
Jared Krimsky: “Oscar is around four years-old. He is a Vietnamese/Kune mix and is known around Jameson for being a very good boy. He is trained to sit like a dog, and knows other commands such as “Go Home!” which will send him running excitedly towards his yard. He’s also known for being what we call ‘soft mouthed,’ which means you can hand feed him and he’ll never accidentally nip your fingers. I’ve found that you can even put your finger in his mouth without fear of being bitten. Oscar is a bit shy, and it takes him a while to warm up to new people. But he’s the cutest and smallest pig on Jameson’s property. We’ve been doing halter training, which will make him an even better companion.”
Cows
Two bonded pairs of cows are available for fostering or adoption:
Black Beauty and Willy are particularly good candidates for adoption because they are young, friendly and adorable. Black Beauty, a dwarf Black Angus, and Willy, a miniature Hereford, were rescued by Jameson’s Volunteer Manager, Jennifer Romanek. Once they arrived at Jameson, it didn’t take long for them to become favorites for their big eyes and easy-going nature. One of their biggest sources of enjoyment is to eat sweet grain from a “bump” feeder. The cows bump the container, which then rains grain down – sometimes onto Willy’s head! Black Beauty supplements her share by licking the stray grain from Willy’s head. This doesn’t seem to bother Willy, but his forehead looks very funny afterward (as you can see in the photo below).”
Mother and son Angus/Wagyu cross cows, Delilah and Duke, are available for adoption as a bonded pair. Duke is 10-years-old and was raised as a bottle baby by his previous family’s children. Delilah, now a 12-year-old, initially rejected Duke when he was a newborn calf. But once they were reintroduced, they became inseparable! Any prospective adoptive guardian should understand that, given the somewhat advanced ages of these cows, although they are both healthy, they may have remaining life expectances that will range anywhere from one to perhaps ten years.