Pigs Paradise: where trotters go to retire

By Joern Perske Oct 13, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Erlensee, Germany - Doris McGinness enjoys a very close relationship with her pigs. 'I love cuddling and playing with them,' she says. To prove it, McGinness places a snack between her lips and gives it to one of her favourite pigs, complete with a kiss. The 47-year-old runs a home for pigs east of Frankfurt. It's the second of its kind in Germany.

McGinness is a spontaneous woman who loves animals and enjoys life to the full. She's deputy chairwoman of Schweinefreunde, an association set up in 2003 to care for pigs large and small in Germany. Among the charges in the association's care are miniature pigs that were bought by their owners as house pets.

'People keep pigs as pets because they think they're cute and they'll stay that way forever but even a small pig can grow to weigh over 100 kilograms. We recently had to pick one up that was living in the sixth floor of an apartment building. Its owner could no longer cope with it.' Other pigs in the association's care come from commercial farms that have been shut down due to bad care.

McGinness has been looking after pigs for years but only recently, after officially opening her pigs' home, has she been doing it in cooperation with the authorities. The gate to her farmyard is adorned with a pink-coloured sign with an image of two copulating pigs and the words 'Pigs Paradise' above it.

At the moment nine, mainly miniature, pigs are in McGinness' care. They're fed with food products from local supermarkets that have passed their best-before dates. A vet looks after the pigs that have fallen ill. 'He charges me a special price for his services,' says McGinness happily. There are a couple of severe cases on her farm including obese pigs that are now on a diet. Flekje is in especially bad shape: she's blind, deaf and has a poor sense of smell.

With the pigs' welfare in mind McGinness' husband has built each animal its own individual shed 'so they can stay warm in the winter time.' Luckily, McGinness has a good relationship with her neighbours: Pigs Paradise is not situated far out in the countryside but is right in the middle of the village of Erlensee on a plot of land 1,100 square metres in size.

Every time McGinness walks around her farm she speaks with her pigs as if they were small children. 'It's fun. Pigs need to get a better image. They're more than just schnitzel on a plate,' says McGinness who no longer eats pork. 'Pigs are so adorable and charming. My husband is jealous that I spend so much time with them,' she says. The animals are even allowed into her house.

It's a different story in Sabine Duda's home. 'Some of my animals are so heavy they could demolish the place,' she says. Duda founded Germany's first, and biggest, pigs home. Located in the village of Eversmeer on Germany's North Sea coast, Duda's pig home has 16 residents. 'I've been looking after pigs since 2004.' Duda is the chairwoman of Schweinefreunde, which has over 130 members across Germany. The organisation is financed through membership fees and donations.

Thanks to Duda's efforts, the pig Johannes has been saved from slaughter. Johannes was given as a present to his owners who didn't want him. Now, he's found a new home with carers who love him. Every year Schweinefreunde connects dozens of pigs with new foster parents over the organisation's website. Many more are on a waiting list.